I had the opportunity to work with Scott Pukos at the Little Theatre. I had a wonderful experience collaborating with him to both serve the needs of the theatre as well as develop my own creative skills. I felt that my working environment was understanding, flexible, and encouraging, and I frequently felt welcomed by other employees at WXXI. Though the majority of my time was spent producing video content for the Little, I was also able to take time in assisting with their website, specifically performances at the Little Café. This was part of the Humanities for Life Internship, which allowed and encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone and engage deeper with the arts as a whole in Rochester.
What I wish was different
Advice
Definitely be self-driven and take initiative to pursue your own projects. Further, the ability to network with other interns and collaborate is a useful and applicable skill
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Radio Station Audio Engineer
June - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
Even though I was an intern, I was given a similar amount of respect as the paid staff did. While working at WXXI, I was tasked with many different responsibilities, the first being tasked with assisting with Mixing, Editing, and Recording Audio for Radio and Television. Many projects I worked alongside my supervisors and some I worked on myself. This also ties into my responsibilities of setting up sessions and proofing mixes. Almost once a week, I assisted in connecting ISDNs (Integrated Services Digital Network) for mostly third-party remote interviews. Throughout the station, I worked on Equipment Trouble Shooting, particularly dealing with Avid and Wheatstone products. Every Friday, I attended the Engineering department meetings and occasionally attended the all staff WXXI meetings assuming Andrew and I were available to attend. I helped label and archive broadcast recordings on CDs, but being so, archiving was a very minimal part of my internship. While at WXXI, I also was a stand in actor for a children’s online video, attended the LSI Conference in Rochester, helped build a Guitar/Bass Amp, took the WXXI Audio Truck for inspection, and visited the Magic Spell Studio at the Rochester Institute of Technology. When I had down time, I was able to shadow a few different employees, including the 91.5 Classical host and other broadcast hosts. I also found time to work on personal audio projects and practice in the live room.
What I wish was different
I wish the projects over the Summer had been more consistent and I wish the internship was paid being that it was full time.
Advice
While at WXXI I took part in responsibilities that were interesting, valued, and meaningful. I was given the opportunity to work closely with some really great people and meet so many brilliant community figures. I found broadcast audio production worthwhile; although, I felt the audio department at WXXI was underappreciated by some. Luckily that did not prevent me or my department from creating quality productions. Overall, WXXI is a diverse and dynamic place of work; I would recommend this internship if you are a self-starter and interested in broadcast.
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Education Intern
June - August 2018 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
I loved working with the Education Department -- Cara Rager was a wonderful supervisor and teacher. We worked in so many places around the community: schools, libraries, businesses, and other organizations and I learned so much about what goes on in Rochester.
What I wish was different
I would have loved to spend more time at WXXI! It would be great to include more work with the other departments in the organization.
Advice
If you are joining an organization with lots of departments, try to get involved with as many projects as you can! Be creative and use every skill set you have to make a unique contribution to the organization. Use the connections you have with students, faculty, friends, and former colleagues to initiate collaborations between companies - you can do that all on your own!
