Television-Radio students take advantage of many amazing internship opportunities. Below are just a sample of recent experiences they've had.
After meeting Paul Cataldo, a Senior TV-R and Sport Media double major; there is no question that his love of athletics permeates his academics. Interning for his second year at Clear Channel, Denver, Paul has accomplished the unaccomplishable; snagging the same internship for two years in a row. Working for Clear Channel, Denver during his junior summer as a recipient of the Bayliss prize, Paul found himself forced to learn all angles of the station, throwing his love of athletics to the sides. During this last summer, Paul mastered anything from the art of promotion to non-traditional revenue (including sales and sports). This year, however, Paul found his internship differing in more ways than one.
Although working for credit instead of cash this summer, Paul finally got the chance to focus on what he loves-- sports. Watching “at least one thousand baseball games,” and spending time at training camps, Paul soon became a pro at post game interviewing, and was even the assistant producer for radio broadcast with the area league football team, the Colorado Crush.
Making contacts with anyone from the local station manager to a member of the professional Hispanic journalism society, these past two years have clearly impacted Paul’s life. So moved by the society, Paul has not only joined but plans on beginning a student chapter right here at IC. A proactive student, Paul is pleased with his experiences in Denver and glad to have had the chance to gain “real world” experience. A member of the football team and WICB, Paul looks forward to a career in sport radio broadcast.
Patricia Rodriguez is an IMC major who knows her MTV Tr3s. Interning with the new station for the majority of her summer, Rodriguez became acclimated with the ins and outs of marketing television as she was quickly thrust into the upper levels of the station, acting as summer coordinator when her original temporary coordinator left the station.
Rodriguez can’t help but mention that for the past three months, she lived and breathed Tr3s. Working on anything from concert promotions to hanging with pop stars, Rodriguez was given the same kind of power as those who worked with the station for years. Hardly ever feeling like an intern, Rodriguez managed and oversaw more projects than she had ever dreamed she could in such a short span of time.
Coming out of a whirlwind summer with more than one terrific reference, Rodriguez is thrilled to have gleaned real world experience, and is now even more sure that this branch of communications is for her. Looking forward to using her new knowledge in this semester's Park classes, Rodriguez is confident her summer has been life changing.
Luke Uttaro has learned to never turn down a good contact. Traveling to Italy for the 2006 Winter Olympics, Uttaro spent his sophomore winter gallivanting across the white show shooting for NBC sports. This summer, Uttaro used this experience to his benefit, and landed an internship at NBC sports, organizing internet feeds, logging video for the website and acting as a PA.
Originally unsure of his desire to participate in the “dot com” environment, Uttaro admits that he has learned a lot from the experience, having the chance to become exposed to many more programs and materials that he wouldn't have normally gotten the chance to, including the editing program “Avid.”
Grateful for the chance to work with a young staff which provided a fun environment, Luke’s commute was not to be desired. Living in subsidized student housing in Brooklyn, NY, Uttaro underwent a two-hour commute to and from NBCsports.com every morning and afternoon. Although a rigorous travel regimen, Uttaro is still glad that he had the chance to participate in a “real world” setting, and plans on bringing what he has learned back to the Park School for his upcoming year senior year.
Joe Pera is coming out of this summer ten to twelve times more muscular than he began it. Spending his time interning at Full Circle Studios in Buffalo, NY, Joe’s boom microphone holding skills have long since surpassed those of any other student in the Park School. Editing, setting up shoots, carrying equipment and, most importantly, holding a boom microphone for numerous commercial tapings, Joe is pretty glad he had the chance (and all that boom holding time) to watch professionals at work.
Shooting any place from a Buffalo farm to the inside of a professional hockey players home, Joe’s on location training was always new and exciting. Although sometimes under stimulated by his athletic workout, Joe found himself forced to create new bonds with his co-workers, people he may have not spent time with in a different setting.
Enjoying the chance to work with professionals, Joe was not only given the chance to work for the company, but also to use Full Circle’s equipment to work his own short film. Planning on submitting it to an LA film competition, without Full Circle’s support, Joe would have never been able to spend his days off gallivanting across Buffalo, producing cinematic magic.
Overall pleased with his work at the studio, Joe has been invited back any time he needs a job. And although unsure if he’ll take them up on the offer, he might say yes just to beef up his arms.
Some would say that John Napolillo is a true radio star. Spending the past three years working with Ithaca’s very own WICB as a DJ and music director, Napolillo knows his beats. This might be one of the many reasons why when Napolillo applied for the Bayliss scholarship this fall, he was chosen to work at WLTW-FM in Manhattan. Projected to learn the ins and outs of radio marketing and promotion this summer, Napolillo looked forward to learning something new in a field he loved.
However luckily for Napolillo’s audio chops the marketing/promotion department only needed limited help. This might be why, once the station caught wind of his lengthy resume, Napolillo was soon helping with production recording, radio show editing, programming and even event planning/coordination for the stations summer events. Also working on website updates, while monitoring and creating promotional contests, Napolillo was found responsible for handing out concert tickets and gift cards to anyone who could answer his sticky questions.
To add to his lengthy list of duties, two to three times a week, Napolillo would wake up in the dead of morning (anytime between 4-5:00AM) and make his way over to the station to help with the morning show. Every so often, NY listeners would find Napolillo on air, giving his opinions on the latest scoop and chatting with “Karen and Christine in the morning.”
Having worked at a lot of non commercial stations, such as WICB, Napolillo can now say he has a better feel for working at a bigger, more commercial, station. Solidifying his love of radio, Napolillo not only felt valued at WLTW, but was often challenged by the tasks at hand. For example, Napolillo came into the internship with minimal knowledge of marketing promotion and website design. Helped and guided by the experts at large, this was soon a null issue as Napolillo learned his position quickly with their help and guidance.
After spending a few months in the field, Napolillo can attest to leaving with a good sense of a commercial station, a better knowledge of audio equipment and a commitment to his profession. Which might be why, beyond his knowledge of musical rhythms, Napolillo is one of the Park School’s best.
As Matt Murphy has recently learned, being proactive can really change your life. Spending his summer interning at News Source 13 (the number one news station in Rochester, NY), Matt found that his time was used well. Working as a teleprompter operator, going on field shoots, and even having the experience of writing on-air stories, Murphy feels as though the internship was one in a lifetime. Given “real world” experiences, Murphy won’t forget being treated as an equal, never fetching coffee or doing menial tasks, but instead put right in the action.
One afternoon, Murphy mentioned to his supervisor that he was interested in writing stories for the station, and quickly given the chance to show off his chops, Murphy began writing pieces for the on-air talent, which he would later find on air. Excited and energized, Murphy glows with the outcome of this experience, thrilled that something he produced made it on TV for millions to see.
Often challenged by his summer at News Source 13, Murphy ends it with overwhelming amounts of advice.
“Just be yourself,” Murphy says as he mulls over his experience. “Just be yourself and always ask questions. Be the driving force behind your internship and you’ll have a great time.”
And this he knows from experience.
Eddie Pietzak loves Cinema - which is only fitting, considering he spent his summer interning at New Line Cinema in New York City. Gaining his internship through an Ithaca College alumni contact, Pietzak spent his summer working with corporate communications, national marketing and regional distribution. Reviewing trade magazines to glean knowledge about the industry, Pietzak often wrote articles for New Line to let them know what was going on outside the confines of their studio. Also spending time working on marketing campaigns for New Line Cinema’s two big summer flicks (“Rush Hour Three” and “Hairspray”), Pietzak had a chance to really flex his creative skills, helping to create new marketing strategies. Lastly, Pietzak even had a chance to sell the films to the cable networks, before they were even released in theaters.
Often challenged, Pietzak was also put in charge of researching New Line for a 40th year celebration, culminating in a gigantic gala, set to take place within the next few months.
Having the chance to attend multiple screenings of the summers hit films; Pietzak was quickly thrown into the mix, which is why he wishes he was still there right now, instead of back at college. Showing him that this was what he really wants to do, Pietzak can’t help but glow with any mention of his experience, or stop saying that he loved every minute of it, which is exactly the way any great internship should make you feel.
