“It’s definitely a cool experience seeing your work broadcast on live television. When you see something that you worked hard on up on the air, and you know that millions of people are seeing it and enjoying it— there’s nothing else like it.”
Photo- Kara Olney and Kelly Ripa
Kara Olney, Mass Communications/Computer Art
May 13'
LIVE! with Kelly, Production Intern
Summer 2012
New York, NY

" It only took one day as an intern at WABC’s “Live! With Kelly” for Kara Olney to see her work on live TV.

One of the interns’ jobs was to scour the web for quirky news items that Kelly Ripa could highlight during the show’s opening “host chat” segment.

On the first day of her internship this past summer, Olney found a story about an elderly couple who had worn matching outfits every day for 50 years and submitted it to the producer for consideration

“Twenty minutes later, Kelly was talking about it on the air. I thought, `Wow, I just got here and she’s reading something that I printed out.’ It was kind of surreal.”

The internship was the perfect gig for the senior Mass Communications/Computer Art major, who has been heavily involved in SUNY Oneonta’s student-run TV station, WIRE TV, since her freshman year, including serving as executive producer for “Late Night Oneonta.”

Olney shared housing with a friend who was also in New York for a summer internship and worked eight to nine hours each day, rotating between different areas of the show.
On Mondays, she helped with audience coordination; Tuesdays she was in the control room observing the director, and on Wednesdays, she assisted in the studio, interacting with producers, floor managers and camera operators.
Thursday and Fridays were devoted to office work, including fielding phone calls from viewers and processing ticket requests.

Being in the studio, in the middle of the action during the live show, was her favorite part. “It’s a hectic environment, but when everything comes together it’s rewarding.”

Landing the internship took initiative and patience. After hearing from a friend that WABC was holding an internship night in New York City to recruit college students for a variety of summer positions, Olney worked with WIRE-TV adviser Jared Stanley to refine her resume.
On the day of the event, she took a bus down to the city and waited in line for hours with about 500 other students for a chance to meet one-on-one with a producer.
After her 15-minute interview, she stayed overnight with her sister in Brooklyn, then took a 7 a.m. bus back to Oneonta.
A week later, WABC called to offer her the internship.

Though being away from her friends and family all summer and working long days for no pay was challenging, Olney said the experience was totally worth it.

“Getting to shadow producers and seeing how things work in the industry was very helpful,” she said.
In addition to incorporating new insights into her work at WIRE-TV, where she’ll serve as station manager this year, she’s confident the experience she gained working at an Emmy award-winning show will help her land her first job in the industry."

by Kara Olney
What a great way to gain the experience you need to start a terrific career!
CNN, are you listening?
http://www.oneonta.edu/development/cdc/pages/Internship/intern-spotlight.asp#one

http://dadt.com/live/

When my daughter told me about her internship with Kelly Ripa this summer, I couldn't resist this shameless plug.