Marla McNeil

My experience as an Intern

There was no such thing as a dull moment during my internship at Eve’s body Fuzion’s.

The company is small but an ideal place to work with all its bells and whistles. The atmosphere

was very laid back and workers were encouraged to share their thoughts and creative ideas based

on their career aspirations. In my first two weeks, I met very talented people who were happy to

showcase their work and talents. They were willing to mentor and teach me the skills that I need

to grasp in this industry. I shadowed people within the communications department and had a

chance to feel what it was like to work in the pre-production, production, and post-production

subdivisions. As a media production major, I had a vague idea of what my first internship

experience would be like, however, I soon realized very quickly that things weren’t as simple as it

was in class.

This report will outline my experiences and all that I have learned during the

internship. The transition from school to the internship was quite different. My work hours

increased drastically, and the work became even more challenging. The good thing is that I had

the opportunity to try out the new organic products that really improved my skin and had me

glowing. In the communication department, I had the opportunity to work with the marketing,

social media managing, product photography, audio formatting, and the writing team.

In this paper, I will be discussing the difference between my real-life experience working

with a production team versus my in-class learning. I will be addressing some main points that
really stuck in my mind and got my creative juices flowing. My main point will explicitly talk

about my experiences which include my day to day routine and my assignments. My next point

will involve a comparison of real-life work versus classroom settings, which will emphasize the

importance of doing an internship in the field of your study.

Experiences

Daily Routine

On a day-to-day basis, my focus was to learn as much as possible within these few weeks.

I wanted to know how everything operated, from checking talents voice levels to editing videos

with the green screen. I kicked off my first week with a blast. By the third day, I had already

memorized everyone’s name in the department. Some people started referring to me as the

“question girl” because I was always bugging someone to explain to me what they were doing and

what new project they were working on. At any time during the day, we could walk around the

studio and offer help to the production specialists or watch what they were doing, as long as we

were able to finish our assignments by the deadline. Luckily, the other production intern was not

as motivated and didn’t seem to care about learning as much as I did; that resulted in me having

one on one time with the specialists and being able to learn everything they had time to teach me.

Even though some days we did not get to do very much, there was still action that was required of

us to do as intern. The company made sure that we stayed busy learning something valuable that

can help us in years to come. So if we did not have something plan for a particular day, we would

join the team that actually makes the body butter and we would learn about the ingredients, like

the shea butter and essential oils that are part of the product make-up.
My Assignments

One of my first assignments was to create a green screen product photo for an Eve's body butter

item. The assignment was a competition between me and the other production intern “Mya”.

Whoever finished the assignment first would get free lunch. Aside from the amazing energy at

Eve’s, interns were treated very respectfully and fairly. There was never a time where anyone

would speak down to me or speak to me out of respect. I was always treated professionally and

that made me feel more prepared and excited to start a career in this field. Prior to the green screen

competition, we were asked if we had any background knowledge on how to use a green screen

on after effects. Neither me nor Mya knew much about using a green screen. We were taught some

basics on how to do several things and then we had two hours to complete our assignment. Out of

all the assignments given to me, I found the Chroma key technique most difficult. On my work

samples page, you can see an example of how hard I struggled in the first picture during week two.

It became very frustrating for me because I would try to change one thing and end up messing up

other parts of my project. This was just one example of how quick things became more complex.

After a few breaks from dealing with the Chroma key, I started a new green screen project and it

turned out to be better than my first one. Like everything else, it just took some extra practice and

patience.

Throughout the journey of my five-week internship, I was given the opportunity to see

first-hand what it was like to run a business and advertise a brand. I was able to work with the

marketing and campaign team to ensure that every product was reaching its set goal of audiences. I

also had to ensure that the proper promotions were running at the correct time for the correct
product on several social media platforms. Shadowing a social media manager was one of my

favorite roles throughout my internship. On social media, I could incorporate everything I was

learning, from advertising to photography and film. As a social media manager intern, I was

responsible for creating a strategy for an upcoming product that Eve’s was creating. I also had to

create videos, and analyze data across multiple social platforms. Creating gifs and memes were

some of my favorite things to do.

The focus during my third week at Eve’s was primarily flat lay photography and social media. I

was surprised to learn how extensive social media can be to a brand or company. Over the course

of the years, I’ve noticed how branding social media is so much more than posting a picture on

one platform and a video on another. The amount of strategic planning that goes into a social

campaign from the brand side is so extensive and can even be intimidating at first . Nevertheless,

it is so crucial and so worth the final product. This week, I was challenged to create and execute

a social media strategy for Eve’s Body Fuzion’s new lotion debut. I used social media scheduling

services like Buffer and Panoply to create a timeline of content to be posted on Instagram and

Facebook accounts. While doing this, I was responsible for becoming familiar with the Eve’s

Body Fuzion’s brand and capturing the company’s brand style online. I also used content

marketing and real-time marketing to come up with material for their accounts. If you are not

familiar with flat lay photography. It’s basically a picture taken from a bird’s eye view of a

collection of items laid out on a flat surface. Usually, there will be one item that is the main

focus of the shot known as the hero and all the other items in the flat lay are there to complement

the hero piece..

Real-life vs. classroom

Doing this internship has really taught me the difference of working in the real world versus

in school learning. In a classroom setting, I sometimes feel that professors worry too much about

grading rather than making sure students understand the work that they will be doing in the real

world. During my internship, I got the chance to learn without stressing over a deduction in a grade

or worrying about failing a test. I focused on my everyday task and completed each one to the best

of my knowledge. I had a list of tasks emailed to me daily by my supervisor that I had to complete

in a given amount of time. This helped me to enhance my organizational skills and time

management. There were times when I felt a deadline sneaking up on me and that made me very

nervous. I therefore, created a system that helped me to complete my task in a timely manner. The

system was to create a schedule of tasks as soon as I received my list of duties. When I got to work,

I began to put the tasks in order of priority according to the deadlines.

Another factor that really impacted me during my internship was how to have patience

and when to pause and try again later. My biggest weakness was how easily frustrated I could get

when things did not happen the way I wanted it to be. My supervisor recognized my frustration

and would at times offer a distraction so I could regroup and try again. We would go on walks

around the property (on warm days) and talk about my interest in media production and discuss

the issues I was having with my assignments. My supervisor became a source of inspiration to me

and I aspire to be like her in the workforce. As a Black female in the film industry, it’s important

for me to recognize those that have beat the odds and proven society wrong. Black female directors

and filmmakers are moving up the ladder into these positions and I want to be a part of this exciting

movement. My supervisor is someone who has overcome the odds and made a name for herself in

the industry. I aspire to follow in her footsteps one day and become a force to reckon with.
Importance of doing an internship

Why should I bother to do an internship? On the Fremont College website, they gave a

variety of benefits as to why it’s so important for students to participate in an internship. The first

benefit that was stated is to gain valuable work experience skill sets and more knowledge in your

field of study. It is also important for students to explore a career path and acquaint themselves

with the actual work that they are studying. Acquiring connections is one of the most important

things you can gain during your internship. The College agrees that in the real world, it’s all about

the people who you are connected with. Being an intern connects you with people in the real world

who can provide an opportunity to work with in the future. Internships can also be a way to

determine if you really do enjoy the field you are studying. For example, you could take an

internship at a company and realize you hate everything about your field. Luckily, that was not the

case for me. Eve’s body Fusions increased my background knowledge on the important parts of

media production. I now know for a fact that media production is the field I was meant to study.

Another factor that could come in handy from an internship is that, by working admirably

and finishing more than what is expected of you in your entry level position, you will make an

incredible impression that can lead to you getting an extraordinary reference letter at the end of

your internship. It could even possibly prompt a potential employment proposition. Moreover,

internships are an incredible method to gain proficiency before entering the real world. So

regardless of whether you wind up documenting or making espresso, just make sure you're gaining

every kind of knowledge about the field and making the most of the opportunity you were given.

Posing inquiries is one key to learning in an entry level position and keeping yourself adaptable

all throughout the internship which can open numerous entryways. I think it was very important
for me to have done this internship because I have gained a wealth of knowledge in the real world

and I have gained a lot of confidence in my techniques and my creativity. I would hope to acquire

a permanent job at Eves Body Fuzion’s where I made long lasting friends and professionals.

Conclusion

Finally, I just want to say that this internship has really solidified the reason I want to work in

media production. I have gained valuable experiences that will help me when I acquire a job in

the real world. I think that I made a good choice doing the internship with such a vibrant and

wonderful company. It’s a very small company, but has the means and resources to help interns

to learn all they need and to be their best when they finally get a job after graduation. My take

away from this internship is that hard work and perseverance really pays off with one woman’s

dream of soaring high with her dream of creating a wonderful product that works wonders on

people’s skin. I missed the camaraderie and the team effort that is put into every task that was

given to the teams. This internship will forever be etched in my memory and I hope to continue

building on my craft that will take me to higher heights in media production.

Reference:

Benefits of an Internship - Further Your Job Career. (2018, April 30). Retrieved from
https://fremont.edu/8-benefits-of-an-internship/