Name: Cassie Sokoloff
Major(s): English and Communication Studies
Track: Digital Filmmaking and Television
Graduation Year: May 2021
On-campus Involvement: I’m a producer for the on campus television station
When and where did you intern: Studio Intern, Discover Inc. (Summer 2019)
What drew you to Communication Studies?
I’ve always loved film and the creative process
Describe your internship and your role.
My main task was pulling and returning jobs which entailed physically moving the equipment as well as scanning it. There was a variety of other jobs I helped with depending on what was needed such as set design, filming, errands, stand ins, using the lighting board, PA work, etc.
What is your best memory from your internship?
Getting to film on set was one of my most memorable experiences. I had been helping a producer in the pre-production phase with figuring out equipment, crew, transportation, etc. On the morning of the shoot when I was traveling there and even while I was filming during it, I was so worried about everything that could go wrong and whether I was doing well enough. Once we wrapped, I realized how amazing it felt to contribute and how honored I was to have been trusted to do that job.
What is one skill you improved upon while at your internship?
At the very beginning of my internship, I didn’t know to do much of anything on the lighting board. By the end, thanks to a lot of tutorials and practice, I was able to troubleshoot the board and teach my manager some of its many functions.
How did Communication Studies help prepare you for your internship?
The production experience I got from completing projects for RTF classes was extremely helpful in my internship. For example, from using the cameras at TCNJ, I gained a solid understanding about camera operations which helped me to quickly learn and help others with the cameras at Discovery.
Do you have any advice for students looking to apply for internships?
While you should definitely talk to professors because they have amazing connections, it is super helpful to just Google a phrase like “TV production internship NYC” and see what comes out of that. I got really good results from taking the time to sift through everything.