Intern Diary: Bridgett Lynn at BBC World News America
April 29th, 2013

By Bridgett Lynn
JMC '13

Over the past four months I have had the privilege of interning for BBC World News America (WNA) in Washington, DC. The BBC is a highly respected and massive news organization, so the idea of being their production intern for their live, nightly newscast was a dream to me. I landed the internship last fall after I contacted the editor of WNA, Kate Farrell, and was eager to experience something new for my last semester of college. What I got out of interning for WNA was everything I expected and more.

I began the internship in January and was thrilled to be part of the behind-the-scenes action of in-depth reports on the major international and US news of the day. On my first day there, I was welcomed by an energizing and exciting crew of BBC employees from a wide range of on-air news channels such as BBC Radio and BBC Arabic. As a bonus, the bureau is located only a half mile from GW's campus, which made getting to the internship from my classes a breeze.

Bridgett at MLK Memorial, BBC

Live production at the MLK Memorial.

After the initial meet-and-greet, I started assisting the WNA team right away with researching guests for upcoming shows and various administrative duties. I was able to go on shoots with the executive producer, Ashley Semler, including one during my first few weeks at the BBC to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial to get an inside scoop on Clayborne Carson's newest memoir, Martin's Dream.

One of my most memorable days working for WNA was when the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez was announced dead. I arrived at the BBC around 2 PM that Tuesday, and it seemed like it was going to be another regular day at the office. Not long before pre-production for the 5 PM show, I went to the lobby of the BBC and met one of our scheduled guests Michael Shifter, the president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank on Latin America. Originally Shifter was going to be interviewed by WNA's anchor, Katty Kay, about the recent reports of Chávez's deteriorating health and speculation that someone may have deliberately infected Chávez with cancer.

Minutes before the show started, I watched the several television screens in the control room when Kay said from the newsroom studio that Chávez had died. I rushed to tell Shifter the news, and we had him set up for his interview earlier than planned. The show started slightly before schedule that night with a special "BREAKING NEWS" subtitle, and Kay interviewed Shifter about Venezuela and Chávez's legacy. I ran on adrenaline as I was sent back and forth from the control room to the news desk to deliver new information as it came in.

Bridgett at the BBC

The rest of my time spent at the BBC consisted of researching, transcribing interviews including one with American author and poet Maya Angelou, meeting prominent figures like former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and using Twitter to promote upcoming shows. I was surprised every day by how much I learned at the BBC's DC bureau, and my internship for WNA has increased my knowledge of international reporting and television news production. I have had internships at other media organizations, including World Footprints Media, CBS Evening News, NBC Washington and Charlottesville Tomorrow, and I could not have asked for a better experience during my final semester at GW. I hope that I can use what I have learned and continue working in challenging media environments after I graduate in May.

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Intern Diary: Stephanie Stich on Capitol Hill
April 19th, 2013

By Stephanie Stich

Stephanie Stich and James Himes

Congressman Himes and Stephanie on the steps of the Capitol.

JMC '12

Working in the Capitol during an election season is a special experience, one I feel fortunate to have. Just talking about it can make an SMPA student's heart beat a little quicker and an SMPA professor nod with approval and pride.

When I landed an internship with Congressman James Himes (CT-4), I was excited to get a first-hand look at our democracy in action. I felt a great sense of responsibility to work alongside his constituents and my own neighbors to resolve problems and bring attention to voter concerns. I worked closely with the press secretary, who - to my surprise - was a recent SMPA grad. Right away, I felt at home in that Cannon building office. I gathered and distributed the daily press clippings to send to constituents and gave tours around the Capitol to visiting guests. I listened in and took notes on important hearings, saw John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi speak on the Capitol steps and passed Eric Holder in the hallway. I even got to park my little car in the Capitol garage!

SMPA allowed me the privilege to say I worked on "the Hill" - an opportunity that most journalism students only dream about. And for that I'm grateful and ready to take on new challenges in my life and career.

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Intern Diary: Cara Bowers at Meet the Press
January 24th, 2013

By Cara Bowers
PCM '14

As an SMPA student, I was looking forward to simply being in DC for election season. But when offered an internship with NBC's Meet the Press for the fall semester I couldn't have been more thrilled. I have always been slightly torn between Political Communication and Journalism; so finding an internship that was able to combine these two passions was perfect for me.

Cara (far right) and other interns with host David Gregory.

I had the opportunity to sit front row to all discussions and debates, which of course required a 3 AM wake up call on Sunday mornings, but I couldn't think of a better reason for my early rising. During the week, I helped log interviews and press passes, archive media from past shows, compile research for upcoming shows, and even pitch ideas I may have for future interviews.

On Sunday mornings during the show, my duties varied from transcribing, assisting in the control room, and greeting guests. My favorite was Newt Gingrich. He always seemed to remember the interns and take time to chat with us when he had a moment. One of the highlights of the semester was when David Gregory interviewed Mitt Romney. Being able to see the entire interview, even the off-camera moments and interactions, couldn't have been more interesting. I am so thankful for the incredible opportunity and look forward to expanding my broadcast experience in the future.

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Intern Diary: Eugenia Finizio at mtvU
November 8th, 2012

By Eugenia Finizio
JMC '13

Eugenia interviews college students about Occupy DC.

As a student journalist for mtvU, MTV's college television station, I pitch ideas and produce news stories that are relevant to a college audience. I heard about the student journalist program through an SMPA alumnus, and after a series of interviews, I began reporting on my first story for the station in late August.

With a script, interview questions, a camera, and myself, I trek all over DC to report on stories. I then sit down and edit the the story together and send it to the producers at mtvU. After some final changes, the story airs on mtvU stations around the country and online.

As someone who has always wanted to become a reporter, being able to cover issues and events that I think are important to college students and then watch the stories air on television has been an amazing opportunity. I went from watching TRL with Carson Daly on MTV when I was in middle school to reporting for mtvU as a senior in college.

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Intern Diary: Samantha Zeldin, VICE Media
August 22nd, 2012

Samantha Zeldin
JMC '14

“Definitely no dress code; and please for the love of God call me Jason,” said my supervisor Mr. Mojica in our last email exchange before my first day at VICE this summer. I knew I was in for something different as a Tentpole Documentaries Intern at VICE Media, Inc, a leading global youth media company based in New York City. Ten minutes into a tour of the office, I realized different was an understatement.

Samantha Zeldin

Junior Samantha Zeldin interned at Vice Media this summer.

Not only was I incredibly overdressed in my less-than-dressy internship outfit, but I also found myself surrounded by and office full of 20-something-year-olds knee-deep in tattoos, cigarette smoke, colored hair and skinny jeans sitting around a giant stuffed bear in the conference room.

My first day as an intern Jason handed me a 300-plus-page book called The World’s Most Dangerous Places, and told me to “read through it.” I was thrown right into the production world, preparing a production bible for Jason’s trip to West Africa, researching HIV statistics in the area and mapping out directions for the crew to get through checkpoints between Ghana, Togo, Nigeria and Benin as they rode shotgun with long haul African truckers. They were scheduled to leave the following night and I was to pick up their visas in the morning. The next day, with the car service waiting downstairs to take me to the UN, Barry, who arranges the group’s travel plans, stopped me in a flustered rush. Nigeria no longer wanted to grant us Visas because they found out we were journalists.  This was my first real-life experience with resistance against the media.

In my subsequent weeks at VICE I spent my time researching, transcribing interviews, attending production meetings, searching for archival footage and brainstorming my own pitch ideas on the side. In the meantime, I began to dress down and get used to what kind of content VICE produces—anywhere from following Snoop Dogg as he journeys to Jamaica to record an album with Diplo, to going on a police terrorist raid in Karachi (Pakistan’s most dangerous city) and exposing North Korean labor camps.

About half way through my internship I was ready to pitch my own story idea. I had come up with an outline for a 5-episode documentary series titled Toxic Solutions: America’s Water Crisis. It was focused on America’s freshwater crisis. As I envisioned the story, VICE would start by investigating a real-life version of the movie Chinatown in California, to diving in 100 ft deep cavernous sinkholes in Florida (the result of groundwater pumping), to taking a cliff jump into the toxic Hudson River. A few days later the executive producers had green-lighted my story idea. We quickly jumped into arranging pre-production plans, and I was granted the role as associate producer.Vice Logo

I was in charge of devising a production outline and scheduling interviews for each episode. After a few weeks of booking, meetings, changing and developing characters and story lines we were finally underway and scheduled to shoot.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Intern Diary: Emily Sporn at Noblis, Inc.
July 9th, 2012

By Emily Sporn
JMC '14

Rising junior Emily Sporn works as a corporate communications intern at Noblis, Inc.

I might not be your typical SMPA student (if there is such a thing!) As a freshman at GW, I actually began my collegiate career as a pre-med student. As time progressed, however, I realized that I was more interested in learning about the field of science and healthcare, rather than actually being on the front lines in a hospital setting, and switched my major to Journalism and Mass Communication.

Fast forward to my internship this summer at Noblis, Inc., a non-profit science, technology and strategy organization in Falls Church, Virginia, that helps clients solve complex scientific systems, process, and infrastructure problems in ways that benefit the public. At Noblis, I have enjoyed the experience of not only being the sole corporate communications intern at the company, but also being challenged every day to push myself past my own limits.

I was looking specifically for an internship experience in the field of health communications. With Noblis’ five mission areas of health innovations, transportation systems, enterprise services, national security and intelligence, and sustainability, I have gained experience writing not only about health, but other disciplines as well. While at Noblis, I have been able to shoot videos, write press releases, tweet breaking news, and interview employees that range from engineers to registered nurses. In the short time that I have been at Noblis, I have already developed a portfolio of work that is entirely my own. This portfolio will become invaluable when I graduate from SMPA in just two short years and enter the job market.

It can be hard to find a good internship, especially in Washington, DC, where college students flock from around the country for internships every summer. My tip is to start searching early, and don’t settle. It took me five months of internship hunting and countless interviews until I was able to find just where I wanted to be. Be patient, network with everyone you meet, and you too will find what you’re looking for.

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Intern Diary: Jason Calabretta at TODAY
May 4th, 2012

By Jason Calabretta
JMC '13

Junior Jason Calabretta poses with Al Roker outside the White House during the annual Easter Egg Roll.

As a student at SMPA, I have had some really cool experiences and opportunities, but this semester certainly has been a highlight.  For the past few months, I interned at NBC Washington working for the TODAY show, a dream of mine since I came to Washington, DC.

While interning at NBC, I did a little bit of everything.  I logged footage, searched through the tape library, ordered footage from the archives, researched stories and even accompanied a producer on a live shoot.  Every day brought something new, which is what I love about journalism.  It isn't the type of job where you sit at a desk doing the same thing day after day.  One day you could be helping with a story about the election, and the next be gathering elements for a story on the richest hedge fund managers.

Each day, I was able to see the show come alive for the following morning by sifting through the rundown and watching as producers and correspondents made changes to their scripts.  I loved watching the show the next morning and seeing how the rundown changed overnight as news broke.  One of my favorite parts of this experience was sitting in the edit room with producers and watching the story come alive from a piece of paper to the screen.

The standout experience this semester was assisting producers at the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll.  Al Roker shot the weather report and a few other segments from the White House for TODAY that morning.  I have watched Mr. Roker on television since I was little and it was amazing to be in his presence.  I also was excited to be on the inside of an event that has fascinated me since my freshman year at GW.

I cannot even begin to explain how much I have learned at TODAY and how incredibly talented everyone at NBC News is. Interning at TODAY this semester truly has been a dream come true.  I'm excited to be returning to the show in the fall, when the news really will be picking up as "Decision 2012" moves into the home stretch.

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Intern Diary: Matthew Rist at NBC4 Washington
April 19th, 2012

By Matthew Rist
JMC '12

Senior Matt Rist sits at the anchor desk in the NBC4 Washington studios.

Covering everything from murder trials to Mitt Romney to kids dancing on the Mall, there’s never a dull moment at NBC4 in Washington, DC.  I’m happy to share my experience at News 4, which undoubtedly has been the best internship I’ve had in my four years at GW.

Now let’s get one thing straight—I’m what you would call a “veteran intern.”  I got the quintessential Capitol Hill internship under my belt freshman year, writing press releases, performing research, answering phones, and giving the occasional tour.  It taught me a lot about my strengths and weaknesses and how to interact with people.  Then I moved on to NBC’s Meet the Press.  There, I rubbed elbows with movers and shakers, and I learned how to digest dozens of daily news sources into useful information.  It was great to learn how television news operates and see the most talented journalists hard at work.

But this internship is different.  On my first day in the newsroom, I sat in on the morning editorial meeting and pitched my own stories.  In my first week, I accompanied a reporter to a murder sentencing in Maryland, where I saw my first live shot in action and filmed my first "standup" at NBC.  Let’s just say my standup skills have grown exponentially since then and that first attempt is tucked away on an “intern blooper reel.”  Each time interns go out with reporters on a story, we come back to the newsroom and cut our own version of the package for our demo reels—which is "television speak" for the tape of all your work.

In addition to going out with reporters, interns at News 4 get the chance to work on their own stories for the web.  My fellow interns and I have pitched, filmed, and edited a number of stories that have since appeared online at www.nbcwashington.com.  We got up close and personal with a record-setting $20 food truck sandwich, discovered a new exhibit on the Titanic, and, in my favorite video, played PacMan.  These are just a few examples of work I created as part of my News 4 internship.

I am so thankful for all of the wisdom and advice that mentors at the station have given me this past semester.  I have grown as a journalist, and I look forward to starting my career at a local television station following graduation.

Watch Matthew Rist report on the new "American Stories" exhibition at the National Museum of American History:

Smithsonian Stories Exhibit from Matthew Rist on Vimeo

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Intern Diary: Kara Dunford at Meet the Press
January 5th, 2012

By Kara Dunford
PCM ’13

When I first found out I would be interning this fall at NBC News' "Meet the Press," I was thrilled to be a part of the history-making show that President Kennedy once called our nation’s “51st state.”

As an intern, my role included doing a little bit of everything, including researching guests, finding tape for the show’s elements, and waking up bright and early on Sunday. Arriving at the bureau by 5 a.m. on Sunday mornings was well worth it, however.

Kara Dunford

Junior Kara Dunford worked with MTP anchor David Gregory in her recent internship at NBC News.

I saw firsthand how the different pieces of the show came together for the broadcast from the perspective of the show’s producers in the control room and the edit bay. In addition, I had the privilege of meeting a number of the show’s guests, the people who are driving the conversation in Washington and beyond. My favorite guest to meet was Ted Koppel, who appeared on the show’s roundtable the day before his debut on NBC’s "Rock Center".

One of the most memorable shows for me was the special commemorating the tenth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. It was an emotional show for many. In the week leading up to the show, I watched quite a bit of tape from that day, reliving the moments when the World Trade Center attacks interrupted the Today Show broadcast, serving as a reminder of the powerful presence television news had in the lives of Americans that day. Watching the flag being unfurled at the Pentagon and the ceremony at Ground Zero from the control room was a moving experience.

My internship at Meet the Press provided me with some incredible insights into television news. Now when I hear the familiar theme music or the phrase “If it’s Sunday...” I have a greater appreciation for the dedication and effort on the part of the staff it takes to bring the show to its viewers each week.

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Intern Diary: Eugenia Finizio at Meet the Press
January 4th, 2012

By Eugenia Finizio
JMC '13

As an aspiring journalist, there are many sounds you learn to love.  A few of my favorites are the smack of an early morning newspaper hitting the driveway, the click of keys on a laptop, the opening theme song to your favorite newscast, and the snap of a camera.

The sound of my alarm clock blaring incessantly at 3:30 AM is most definitely not one of these sounds.  Waking up on a Sunday morning when most college students are still awake from the Saturday night before never feels natural.  It gives you that dizzy feeling, an eternal pit in the bottom of your stomach. You can feel your body telling you that it doesn’t want to be up yet.

When I received an internship at NBC’s “Meet the Press” for the 2011 fall semester, I knew that my Sunday mornings would start early.  What I didn’t know is how much I would learn in those early morning hours.

Eugenia

Junior intern Eugenia Finizio stands in front of signage from the program's first studio set.

From my first Sunday, which taught me that nothing stops the news, not even Hurricane Irene, to my last Sunday, where I met the journalism legend Tom Brokaw, I never stopped experiencing new things at “Meet the Press”.  I watched a four hour 9/11 special come together in three days, I learned how to find four seconds of tape in a library filled with hundreds of thousands of tapes, and I figured out what it means to constantly know what is going on in the world.  I met interesting and famous people every week, everyone from politicians like Michelle Bachman, Jon Huntsman, John Kerry, and Bill Clinton to news greats like Ted Koppel, to interesting characters like Ken Burns and Anna Valentino. A classroom can teach you almost everything you need to know, but being thrown into the real world of news is an unmatched learning opportunity.

Interning at “Meet the Press” opened my eyes to a part of television news that I had never fully understood.  It’s the longest running series in American television, and to witness the weekly process of the show first hand taught me more about journalism than any book or paper ever could.

I discovered that although people increasingly want their news quick and condensed, there are still millions of people who tune in every Sunday to watch David Gregory ask questions to the leaders of our country.  I figured out that although the 24-hour news cycle is great, there is a difference between reading something on Twitter and hearing someone say it in a live interview.

Not many students have the chance to spend every Sunday of a fall semester in the presence of such powerful guests and respected journalists, and for that opportunity I am grateful.  I came to learn that the sickly feeling that comes along with a sleepless night is also a feeling of success.  Waking up that early never got any easier, but rather it just became more bearable.  I began to associate the alarm clock with a chance to walk into a building that never ceased to inspire me, and be a part of a show that never stopped teaching me.  About the news business, about the way it runs, about how to make it to the top, and about why it all matters.

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