Ep 156 | The future of media: Meet the interns!

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Just learning how to speak with clients is like something I am so thankful I learned from this internship compared to like at the New Media Academy. In the New Media Academy, I learned a lot from what I've learned here. I was able to help grow our new media academy with our students giving out better interviews and things like that with clients.

SPEAKER_02 0:29

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every student in Escambi County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support every student's success. Behind the scenes of all of our favorite entertainment are the brilliant minds doing the videography and graphic design that capture our attention and tell a story. My next guests are doing just that, and they haven't even graduated from high school yet. They are the first ever videographer intern from Pine Forest High and graphic design intern from West Florida. And today they're going to share what this internship taught them that the classroom couldn't, their most proud moments, and what's next? The future of film and design, setting the bar high, shining stars, Bethany Gurley and Michaela Leonard. Thanks for being here, ladies. Thanks for having me. Thank you for having us. So I thought it would be fun, well ha ha ha ha ha, to time travel a little bit. And we can start in the future, 20 years from now. Welcome to my thought experiment. You are now my age, and you're looking at your work calendar. What is on your agenda? What does your work life consist of 20 years from now? Will go with you first.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

On my work calendar, hopefully in 20 years, I will see film shoots and like client meetings and project deadlines to work on like video or advertisements is what I hope to see on my work.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

And what's your email signature say? What's your title?

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Either film editor or head editor or producer. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

I'd say hopefully in 20 years my calendar is booked with like project deadlines, graphic design I'd have to do, or like maybe meetings for projects, collaborative projects, and maybe something artsy, who knows?

SPEAKER_02 2:51

I see you like jet setting to New York for some reason. Like like billboard stuff. I do have those. I do have those. That is the thing. What's your email signature say? What's your title? I'm gonna be ambitious. Head graphic designer. There you go. I like it. So, Bethany, when you enrolled in the new media academy with Mr. Dawson at Pine Forest, was it like with some certainty that you would be interested in videography, or was it more of like a let's just try and see what happens?

SPEAKER_01 3:22

A little bit of both. You know, like in the beginning, the first day of school, every school, there's always icebreakers. And so Mr. Dawson, my freshman year, was like, hey, what do y'all want to do in the future? And I always had a passion for like editing, but it was kind of small. It wasn't like it was like a dream that I didn't really know how to make. And so I was like, I want to be a film editor. And then now look at me where I'm doing now. And not only the new media academy grew that passion further from just a dream, it became a reality, is how I can view it as.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

So is that an interesting feeling for you to think back of freshman you looking at senior you?

SPEAKER_01 4:06

It is a very it's a weird feeling. It's a it's a cool feeling because I never would have thought I would be doing videography for the school district.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

Right.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

And I thought I would be back at a pet store again. But safe to say this beats a pet store. Yeah, yeah, by a long shot. No, but yeah, it's just it's that question, like when you always ask me, what do you want to be? It always sticks in my head from freshman year when I answered that question. And now I'm able to pursue it because I was like, Yeah, that's the first time I answered that question. Honestly, I didn't say cop because that's the only thing I spelled in elementary school.

SPEAKER_02 4:47

So well, it's weird because four years ago you were a freshman. And what is four years? Four years is nothing, but to a high school student, four years is everything. And to go from a freshman question, what do you want to do? to a senior question, what I'm same question, but way different uh outlooks, right? Because one could be an experiment and one could be the better part of your very near future. Yeah, I agree. What about you, Michaela? Did you know as a freshman you'd be interested in graphic design?

SPEAKER_00 5:25

No, I don't think so. When I came to West Florida and I chose the Multimedia Academy, it was kind of like I think I'd be interested in this. And so I tried it out just to like, you know, dip my toes in it. And uh, for years I really didn't know what I wanted to do. I feel like even coming into my senior year, I really wasn't sure like what path I wanted to go and what I really wanted to do. Because like I was interested in a lot of stuff and like wasn't sure. And so at some point after doing this internship here, I was really like, I really like this. I think this is what I want to do. And so that's kind of when I was like, I want to be a graphic designer.

SPEAKER_02 6:05

Do you remember what it was that pushed you over the edge from eh, maybe to this is definitely something I want to do?

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Um, I guess it was just the projects I really liked creating the graphics, and like it was just nice, like, say I struggled to come up with an idea and then to have a breakthrough, and it's like, oh, I like the way this looked, and I struggled at first, but you know, I pushed through and I did it, and I'm really proud of how it looks, that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_02 6:30

I've heard people who are in this sort of creative space say that part of the reason that it's satisfying is because of that process that you just said. The the onset of this is what the client needs. The oh my gosh, I don't know about this, the stuck point, to the completion and that satisfaction of looking at it. Like right in the beginning, you're like, oh, billboards? Yeah, I totally did that. Hair flip. Is that true for you? The satisfaction of being able to look at a thing out in the world and say, that, that I did.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

Yes, absolutely. Something I was really proud of is like like the We Are Workmen. When I made graphics for that, I was really proud of how they came out and how I was able to help them get like the recognition that they needed and whatnot.

SPEAKER_02 7:21

And also won an award, yes, right? A silver Addy Award, which is a pretty big deal. It is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:29

We we didn't even know about it at first, too. How can you find out? We were in like this this big board meeting, and as um Mark is talking about it, he's like, Oh yeah, by the way, we won an award. And we were like, What?

SPEAKER_01 7:46

We won an award. You and Mr. Stroder, our boss, didn't even know about it. And he was like, What? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

I guess he like, you know, he was like, surprise. That's amazing. Okay, so the two of you are the first of your kind, which sounds so like it's from a sci-fi movie. You're the first of your kind on a planet far, far away. But you are. This internship arrangement is new and special. So how did this happen exactly?

SPEAKER_01 8:17

So I found out about it last year when I was a junior. I was representing the New Media Academy at my school for the upcoming freshman. And Mr. Dawson, who is the teacher of the New Media Academy, he was like, Bethany, come here for a second. And I'm like, What did I do now? And and he's like, I just got an email from Cody Strouther, the head of communications, and he's looking for upcoming interns for graphic design and videography. And I'm like, I got so excited. I was like, Oh, I'm having chills. And he was telling me more about it. And I'm like, ooh, I want to do the videography part. And he's like, apply for both because you have credentials for both, you know, get your name through the door either way. But I mostly heavily applied for the videography position. And then after I sent out my application to Mr. Struther, he scheduled an interview with me. And he unfortunately wasn't able to make it for my interview. But a lot of his like people, his most trusted appointees were there. And they said I did very good. I don't think so, but that's just what they said. But everyone was very nice, even though it was like a like it was very scary, like six people staring at me. Really? Yeah, it was like three people here. It was similar to how you were, too. Three people here, three people there, all introduced each other. They all had smiles, they were very friendly. But six people is intimidating. Especially it was in the district, like in this building right here, in one of the meeting rooms. So like it felt very oh I got it.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

That's like a formal boardroom table.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

Yeah, compared to like when I worked retail, just the break room, you know? It was so much more like, huh, okay, I gotta not tell stupid jokes, I guess. But and then apparently my interview went very well. And then I got an email from Mr. Shrouder. It was like kind of a long time, so I was kind of kept on my toes. And he was like, Congratulations, you are hired as the first ever videographer intern for a Scambia County school dish, right? And what was your reaction? So I actually didn't know I got it till Mr. Dawson's evil. No, I love him to death. He apparently he got the email and he projected it on the TV in our classroom and he read it out loud, and everyone, all eyes were on me. And I'm like, I'm gonna kill him. No, but it was a very surreal moment, and I was I'm very proud. And it was very like, oh wow, I did it. What do I do now? But that's how I found out. And what was your parents' reaction? So I live with my grandmother and she was on cloud nine because I told her how the interview went, and I was like, I think I did good because everyone's like made it seem like I had it out of the bag, you know. But I there was no definite you're hired after that. And so when I told her, she's like, I had no doubt in you. You know, she was like, you can't be completely sure. But when I told her I did it, she's like, I knew it, I knew it right along. But she was she was on cloud nine because this is what I wanted to do. And she's like, I'm so proud of you. And she's my biggest supporter with this kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

That's so sweet. Especially, I'm I don't know how old she is, but you know, a lot of this stuff is like new ish, at least the way that we do it now is certainly different than the way that we did it 40 years ago.

SPEAKER_01 11:53

Yeah, I'll work on some things at home and I'll show her what my process is, and she's like, I have no idea what I'm looking at. She just sees all these little clips and like kind of mesh together on the timeline. I'm like, see, this is what I don't know, key framing it. And she's like, All I see is the pretty image with the little moving thingy, and then she'll just go sit down. She she's like, I don't want to deal with that anymore. But she likes to learn. But she also was like, You just do your thing. I I believe in you. She likes looking at after I was done, the finished product, because that's the part she's really on board with.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

And that she's really on board with you, yes, as a person. Oh, yeah. So Michaela, what about you? How did this come about? What was the process for you for this internship?

SPEAKER_00 12:38

Similarly to Bethany, it started like junior year, and they were like announcing the ACE program, the advanced career experience program. And I was like, oh, what if I did that? So I applied for that, and um I got in, and so it was after I got in that the coordinator found this position for me and was like, hey, they're looking for interns. Would you be interested in this? And I was like, Yeah, sure. So I came to do the interview, and like Bethany's, it was it was kind of scary. Were there six people for yours? I can't remember. It was either six or four. There was like two or three people on I each side, and that was pretty scary. Because that scares most adults.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

You literally have a board that you're interviewing with. That makes most adults shake in their boots. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

I was quaking in my boots. But I was definitely nervous, but they're like, you can't even tell if she's nervous or not. Like uh, she was like, poker face, just stone cold face. I was like, Oh yeah, but I was very nervous that whole time. And so my coordinator was the one who told me that I got accepted. And then I also got an email from Mr. Struther, like, congratulations, welcome aboard. And then they got me like scheduled for which class I would come for. And then yeah. I heard that you didn't really know what you were getting into. What does that mean? I didn't know what type of position my coordinator was going to find for me. And even coming to the interview, I wasn't a hundred percent sure what they were gonna have me do. So I was like, I can do photography or graphic design. You know, I just mentioned stuff that I could do, and I was like, I don't know what they'll have me do, but you know, I'm just gonna go with the flow, basically.

SPEAKER_02 14:25

So many students struggle with anxiety just for regular day-to-day things. And here you are, like, I don't know what I'm signing up for, and apparently I'm the first to do it. But here we go.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

Why why didn't that deter you at all? I don't know. I guess I was interested, thought it was a good opportunity, and I wanted to see where it went. And it was also like with a friend, like a friend and I were from different academies, though, so she had a different internship, but we were both interested, and we were like, if you sign up, I'll sign up. That's why I kind of got into it and I was like, Well, I'm here now and I'm down for it. So And they they think I'm a stone cold killer, so here we go.

SPEAKER_02 15:05

I gotta follow through on my reputation. What was your parents' reaction?

SPEAKER_00 15:10

My mom was there, and I saw her first, and I told her she was like, Oh, great job, congratulations. And she was really happy for me and she was really proud because she was like, I think this is a really good opportunity for you to get your foot in the door and get that experience.

SPEAKER_02 15:23

Yeah, and it has been such a good experience. What stands out to you as far as unique experiences as an intern? You know, events that will always represent a lesson in your mind. Like I know we did podcast to Palooza together, that was really cool, but most of your internship was some things that I never saw, even though this media thing has us intersected, right? So I'm just curious what parts of your experience four years from now will you be looking back on and going, oh wow, that was that was really important.

SPEAKER_00 15:59

For me, I'd say just everything. It was such an amazing experience. Never had anything like it. And it was just the opportunity to work on the projects I did with the people I did, it was just great. You know, I learned some things like from the other people I worked with, like Bethany, for example, or ID Group, where I got to learn those things because I was in this internship. And it's not that I couldn't have learned it in the classroom, but it was just through them and I met them through this internship that I learned it. And I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_02 16:31

And probably at a different level than the classroom, because like you are networking with, like you said, ID Group, a very well-known branding firm here in Pensacola. They know who you are. Like if you all ran into each other at Publix, they would stop you and be like, oh my gosh, Michaela, Bethany, how you doing? And that, and especially in our town, I feel like that matters quite a lot. What about you, Bethany? Were there any experiences that if you were gonna place your bets four years from now, you'd look back and go, wow, that really made an impact on me.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

I would say similar to Michaela with like just working with ID group and working with Michaela. I mean, like working with ID group, I'm learning how uh Miss Christine Deckard, she like truly inspired me. She does similar to what I do, except on a professional advertising company. And I watching how she connects with like I love interviews. And so I saw how she connected with these people at Workman Middle for the We Are Workmen project. And she it didn't feel like it was an interview, it felt like a home conversation. And not only like it made the atmosphere like calming, it made our interviewee calm. And I try to be similar when I give interviews because I'm like, that's amazing. And just learning how to speak with clients is like something I am so thankful I learned from this internship compared to like at the new media academy. In the new media academy, I learned a lot from what I've learned here. I was able to help grow our new media academy with our students giving out better interviews and things like that with clients.

SPEAKER_02 18:17

I can see there's a lot of benefit to having these sort of specialized academies not live in silos, you know, because when your only feedback are from other students about your same age and your teacher who mostly spends his time with again students your age, there are benefits to that, but there's also drawbacks. So to be able to open it up, I think says a lot about both of Yale's teachers, but also the benefits are reciprocal, you know, ID group and the community, you know, it's it's really more how real life is, is we're all interconnected. Cue the kumbaya music. Some maybe of the most skeptical of listeners might hear that you are in an internship and they might equate it to like a university internship where those students do a lot of work for no money. And they think, oh my gosh, what kind of child labor is happening here? So, do you guys want to share how that's working for you? Because this is a major myth that we may need to bust.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

So, working as a student interned for Scamagee County School District, we are very fortunate that it's not unpaid. We do get paid. We get paid $15 an hour for like how hours we work. And that's kind of like part of the extra benefit. Because if I wasn't like if it was unpaid, I don't think I would be able to do as much as I'm able to, because I will have to have another job to work to pay like bills or stuff like that. I mean, just gas money.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

Yeah, gas money. Plus, like, I think this is a such a fabulous double dip because you are getting this internship and it's also paid. You don't have to do the put in the extra time to have a paid job and an internship, but it can go on your resume and count as work experience because isn't that the the you know, the rug getting pulled out from under you a bit as an adult? You're like, wait a minute, I can't get a job unless I've already had a job. How do I get the job for the job? You know, and this is such a perfect fit for that. As a future videographer and a future graphic designer, I wanted to ask you about this AI. Oh no. Yeah, because this is going to be a major layer to the landscape. So, Michaela, I'll start with you. How do you feel about it? How do you plan to learn about it? Is it freaking you out? Are you excited?

SPEAKER_00 20:54

I wouldn't say it's freaking me out. It does make me a little nervous because I've seen companies like train AI off of their workers' work, and then they're like, all right, goodbye. That's all we need you for, and then they fire them. I feel like when it comes to like editing, it's more graphic design and AI are kind of mixed together. Like sometimes I'll see oh, Photoshop, like they'll let you generate something and then use your creative freedom with it or have it like enhance your image and whatnot. I don't think it could take my job. I feel like AI hasn't gotten to the point where it could just be the AI doing the graphic design because AI is still at that point where it's still messes up in some areas. So hopefully people aren't doing that. But as far as I think AI can be useful. Like it's not all bad. Like, you know, people use Grammarly, stuff like that. And so it does make me a little nervous, but if like I'm working for a company. And they're really like, hey, you guys should like learn AI. I'd I think I'd be willing, as long as it's not like heavy generative AI or like, you know, the AI that steals off of like others' photos and others' artworks to generate it.

SPEAKER_02 22:15

Yeah. I have a feeling that your generation will be key in creating some of the ethical boundary conversations around AI and creative workspaces, right? But I wonder if through that you'll be able to convey the value of the spontaneous human spirit. And again, kumbaya music a little bit, right? But but I, you know, just from getting to know the the two of you, you know, I can kind of see it in your eyes. Oh, I did this, and oh my gosh, wait, this is wild, guys. But what if we do this also? And that's something that AI doesn't really have, at least not right now, like you said. And that's like a value that you can bring to the table. There's some people that theorize that because of the increase of AI use, that we will actually default more to humans, to human experiences and human connection, because AI will be so much more prolific in our space. So we'll have to do like a follow-up and see how that's affecting your awesome graphic design career. What about you, Bethany?

SPEAKER_01 23:30

So from a professional standpoint, I view AI more as a tool that can be abused compared to like what Michaela said. AI, at least in recent times, it's kind of a problem people would claim art from AI. And but it's there's basically AI in a lot of softwares. Like Adobe is recently more AI driven, but not in the bad way. Like for Premiere Pro, like they use AI to auto-detect this color to add a background. So it's more of a tool, and it always kind of in a way has been a tool. It's just it's now becoming a more noticeable tool in this day and time. And that's the part where it kind of does scare me on a personal level because of how I've been seeing it in an art standpoint. And but I feel like personally, I wouldn't like use like generative AI fully. Like, for example, I won't use it just a plain image. Like I won't generate anything like that. But if you need some, for example, smoke, if you apply that onto an image and you make art from it, if that's what if that makes sense. Yes. Yeah, like an AI human partnership. And yes, not like just fully using AI, but like, for example, I just need a quick star for this image, or I need whatever. You can do something like that, and it's not in a way that it's stealing off of someone. And that's kind of how I view it. It's a tool that can be abused. So it's more like an ethical, moral kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 25:18

Yeah. Yeah. And that's why I think the the two of you and people your age will be the ones that will initiate these conversations of like, okay, we need to talk about the ethics, we need to talk about the human connection, we need to talk about, you know, how can we use it as a tool and not, you know, accidentally create something that we feel really bad about shortly after. I want to talk about superpowers before we wrap up today, because Michaela, you said that you have a superpower of being a powerful observer. And I would love for you to share how that you're like, I did. I'd love for to hear how that superpower informs your graphic design.

SPEAKER_00 26:08

Well, sometimes I observe things a little too late. Like I'll be like, oh yeah, I nailed this graphic. And then I look back at it, I'm like, no, I did not. I messed, I messed up this part. Or like sometimes afterwards I'll notice that this or that is a little off, and so I'll have to come back and fix it. And it could be like, well, I was gonna say it could be the perfectionist in me, but I mean like you want it to be good, you know what I'm saying? And so uh sometimes just like just knowing when things are off, or like maybe this should have a little more space, or maybe there should be more contrast in the colors, or maybe these colors could um go together better, you know, that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_02 26:46

I could totally see how that would be your superpower. I was thinking interpersonally, because that's just sort of the world that I live in. So I love that you brought the actual details of design into the mix as your superpower, because you're right, someone who doesn't have those observational skills, they'd go, yeah, that's good, when really the font on the second word is bigger than the font on the first word. And that's a pretty big deal, you know, in graphic design. Do you feel like you have any superpowers, Bethany? I don't know. You're waiting for the radioactive spider to bite you. Oh gosh, I hope not. That sounds painful. Uh I think that your superpower is your curiosity. So you are incredibly engaged. You probably don't think of it as anything because it's just your default setting. I'm nosy basically. No. But it's it's the way that you will be a great interviewer, is by really being with that person. And that's what I see in you when you're talking with people, you're like really there, even though you have nothing, presumably, in common with them. You're like just really there with them when you're talking with them and you're asking questions from a very genuine place, not in a place that is leading to talk about yourself or to talk about something that you may be more interested in. There's none of that there. And that's really hard to teach. So I'm gonna say curiosity is your superpower. I'll take it. I'll take it. Well, final question is the the big question. And I'm really sorry that I gotta ask this, but you know, we're here. What's next for you?

SPEAKER_00 28:32

Well, what's next for me is college. Hopefully, going to UWF. I've been accepted. I just gotta make sure that I get all that paperwork and whatnot figured out. And then I'm hopefully gonna study graphic design for four years and see where that takes me. That's exciting. And what about you, Bethany?

SPEAKER_01 28:52

Similar, similar route. College. I'm going to do PSC and then transfer to UWF to major in communications for this kind of field. And I'm currently, after I graduate, I'll be working alongside WSRE to help them on some projects and hopefully get my name through the door even further for like film and work with clients.

SPEAKER_02 29:13

I love that. Well, the two of you really are shining stars and absolute gems. And I'm so deeply, deeply grateful that this weird world of podcasting and videography and podcast topalooza and your internships brought us all together. So I definitely feel like I'm the better for it. So thank you, ladies. Thank you. Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share. Voices United in Education is a production of the Scambby County Public School.