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“What I Did On My Summer Vacation”

Shortly after wrapping up my sophomore year at NYU film school [Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Film & TV], I landed a summer internship with StoneArch Creative—the equivalent of spending two years on a flight simulator, boarding a 747, and getting whisked into the cockpit mid-flight.

NYU is very big on the value of collaboration—but so far, it’s been more of a concept than a practice. At StoneArch, it’s the culture. With 40-some people (plus Henry the dog) all working in one large open space, you can’t not collaborate. Apparently, my professors are on to something, because collaboration seems to spawn great ideas.

Over the course of the internship, I was involved in several video shoots, beginning with talent auditions. At school, we generally found our talent through mandy.com—a bottomless well of local actors who, fortunately, are willing to work for air. Working with professional actors was a radically different experience. For starters, they show up on time, script in hand, dressed for the part, egos checked at the door. Ditto the directors and crew. Calm, organized, efficient and upbeat—not one meltdown, no-show or diva moment. Who knew?

I was also introduced to several serious medical conditions no one wants to have—urinary incontinence, neurological disorders, heart failure, ovarian cancer—and how to talk about them (and the medical devices designed to treat them) in a way that’s positive and acceptable.

Probably the most fascinating part of my internship, however, was being the proverbial fly-on-the-wall at staff meetings, brainstorming sessions, client meetings and creative reviews, and (vicariously, in the edit suite) at national sales meetings, on construction sites and at a summer camp for kids with heart disease. One very cool project—a collaboration with fellow interns Katie Strange (designer/illustrator) and Sarah Schoenecker (writer)—was a public service announcement we created for the Walk/Run for Ovarian Cancer. Check it out.

And the ultimate summer vacation experience: watching the Twins play outdoor ball at Target Field, more times than I can count.