This morning I had the pleasure of delivering hardbound copies of An Incredible Dream to every producer, and I'm not being sarcastic. I love the smell of new books, I love the feeling of a book in my hands. I love how you can read a book without feeling like you're staring at a floodlight; some of these big-screen HD computer monitors aren't far from it. I opened up a bunch of boxes, stacked books on a cart, and noted the most witty quips from people who suspected this book was less of a gift and more of a merger hurdle.
Otherwise, I spent most of my time going through the nearly 10k submissions we received for our Mother of the Year contest. I felt pretty bad judging people in the beginning, and ended up 'starring' one out of every twenty, until I learned that we should probably shoot for more like one out of seventy five. It got easier after that, especially considering a good, clear picture is a must. It sounds superficial, but TV is a visual medium - it would be different if it were a radio contest. It began to be tough again after the 4th hour or so, I just couldn't help but feel a little down after reading submission after submission about moms with sicknesses or kids with sicknesses. It makes me glad for my good health and my family's good health, because there are a lot of medical issues out there.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Fat Kitty Reincarnate and the Royal Wedding
We ran a story today on a cat named 'Meow' who weighs just under 30 lbs. He was a chunky thing, and actually looked quite noble, despite the handler noting that fat animals are usually less happy than healthier, leaner ones. This cat reminded me of the cat my family used to have as a kid - once called Tiptoes, then dubbed Fat Kitty once she became fat. That cat was 6 months older than me, and it stayed that way until I was 10. Some of my friends as a kid remember her sitting lethargically on some furniture in the basement, watching over us as we played N64. This cat was up for adoption, and we only got one call about it. Seems like pudgy cats don't have the draw that scruffy dogs do.
I spent some time today trying to get my resume from my crippled computer on to a computer here, to no avail. My computer can't connect to the internet anywhere, and these computers don't recognize my hard drive, so I couldn't even do a little transfer that way. I'll have to borrow my roommate's computer again and email myself the documents so I can access them at work. I'm getting antsy - I want to apply for the page position ASAP, but technology's dark magic isn't having any of it.
I also stayed after 5 today to finish up some work - I had to record and copy the Royal Wedding special from last year. It wasn't exactly work, I just had to mind the machine while it did everything. There were no commercials (surprisingly) for the 2.5+ hours that I had to record, so I really didn't have to even stop and start to skip past them. It was so long that it took three DVDs to finish. I'll end up finishing it all around 8, which gives me enough time to visit the open gym back at the Y. I missed playing basketball this weekend so I need my fix, especially after today.
I spent some time today trying to get my resume from my crippled computer on to a computer here, to no avail. My computer can't connect to the internet anywhere, and these computers don't recognize my hard drive, so I couldn't even do a little transfer that way. I'll have to borrow my roommate's computer again and email myself the documents so I can access them at work. I'm getting antsy - I want to apply for the page position ASAP, but technology's dark magic isn't having any of it.
I also stayed after 5 today to finish up some work - I had to record and copy the Royal Wedding special from last year. It wasn't exactly work, I just had to mind the machine while it did everything. There were no commercials (surprisingly) for the 2.5+ hours that I had to record, so I really didn't have to even stop and start to skip past them. It was so long that it took three DVDs to finish. I'll end up finishing it all around 8, which gives me enough time to visit the open gym back at the Y. I missed playing basketball this weekend so I need my fix, especially after today.
Monday on the Moon
I spent nearly all of yesterday logging tapes about the Apollo XI moon mission. I hadn't seen anything about the moon landing prior, the only thing that rung a bell was the classic "one small step for man...". It was definitely interesting to see a new perspective - one from the late 60s, where mankind was taking its first attempts at expanding its influence past our atmosphere. Plus they had no Internet, which is always weird to think about.
My roommate mentioned how alien life theorists classify sentient-life civilizations, from stage 1 to 4, based on how that civilization harvests energy for its own use. Stage 1 civs harvest energy from their planet, stage 2, from their solar system, stage 3, from their galaxy, and so on. The moon landing represents popping the bubble of stage 1, but we might actually be close to making strides in stage 2.
I read an article today about how some of the most capitalized entrepreneurs are investing in Planetary Resources, Inc., a company who aims to begin mining near-earth asteroids in the next couple decades. It sounds illogical, but these asteroids are the homes of platinum and other platinum-like elements which we use in modern technologies like fuel cells, batteries and electronics.
These elements are extremely rare on earth, which is part of the reason why these products are so expensive (and a big part of the reason why we don't have hydrogen fuel-cell cars yet, as the amount of these elements needed to produce one of these engines makes the venture not feasible). However, scientists posit that most of these elements are so rare because they accumulated on the Earth's crust from asteroids-turned-meteorites pelting the surface over time. And one of these near-earth asteroids is said to contain more platinum than the world as a whole mines in one year.
If Planetary Resources, Inc. goes public at any point, I would invest in it for sure. If anything, I'd want to help support a novel venture into Stage 2. The article quotes some pretty high potential prices for the loads they could get from some of these asteroids, so I could enjoy some gains from that investment. I'm thinking if it does work out, the prices won't stay high for very long because we'd simply have access to more of this rare material.
My roommate mentioned how alien life theorists classify sentient-life civilizations, from stage 1 to 4, based on how that civilization harvests energy for its own use. Stage 1 civs harvest energy from their planet, stage 2, from their solar system, stage 3, from their galaxy, and so on. The moon landing represents popping the bubble of stage 1, but we might actually be close to making strides in stage 2.
I read an article today about how some of the most capitalized entrepreneurs are investing in Planetary Resources, Inc., a company who aims to begin mining near-earth asteroids in the next couple decades. It sounds illogical, but these asteroids are the homes of platinum and other platinum-like elements which we use in modern technologies like fuel cells, batteries and electronics.
These elements are extremely rare on earth, which is part of the reason why these products are so expensive (and a big part of the reason why we don't have hydrogen fuel-cell cars yet, as the amount of these elements needed to produce one of these engines makes the venture not feasible). However, scientists posit that most of these elements are so rare because they accumulated on the Earth's crust from asteroids-turned-meteorites pelting the surface over time. And one of these near-earth asteroids is said to contain more platinum than the world as a whole mines in one year.
If Planetary Resources, Inc. goes public at any point, I would invest in it for sure. If anything, I'd want to help support a novel venture into Stage 2. The article quotes some pretty high potential prices for the loads they could get from some of these asteroids, so I could enjoy some gains from that investment. I'm thinking if it does work out, the prices won't stay high for very long because we'd simply have access to more of this rare material.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Seriously, TGIF
Friday was the longest day I've had here so far, I was scheduled for control room which started at 5:30am as usual, and I was also scheduled to help for an interview shoot that ended around 5:30pm. From when I left in the morning to when I returned, that Friday ended up being about a 13 hour day. However, it was a full and fulfilling day for sure, so TGIF meant more for me 'thank God it's the weekend tomorrow' rather than 'thank God this week is over'.
I signed up for a conference open to NBC/Universal interns concerning how to make the transition from being an undergraduate to landing our first entry-level position. It was extremely helpful, mostly because it was ran by a member of the HR team who handles hiring for most of NBC/Uni. positions that become open. He was one of the real people who would read my resume once I send it in - which is good to know, because most applications for NBC/Uni jobs are online, and it's easy to think you're sending your spirit into a void once you click 'send'.
It was at 11am in a building essentially in Times Square. I left a half hour early to give myself some time to get lost, which I did, but I ended up on time. I also got lost on the way back; NYC being a grid is helpful for navigation, but you really need a compass to actually use the grid. Both times I got lost I ended up going in the exact opposite cardinal direction that I needed to go. Usually my sense of direction is good, but in a concrete jungle where you can't see the horizon or sun half the time, a compass would be really helpful.
I took notes at the conference, and had all my questions (and more) answered within the first hour. The most important thing I learned was not to spread my resume across a breadth of different positions just because they're open. He advised that it's better to wait a few months for a job opening that you're passionate about and somewhat qualified for, than to toss your name in as many hats as you can. He also kept on stressing that landing a job really depend upon the specifics of the position, which you might not know about just from the listing, and about a ton of other variables that are behind the scenes. "It depends" was the motto for this meeting - a bit relieving to hear, actually, because now I know that when I get rejected for jobs that I apply to, it may simply be due to those variables that are out of my control.
The interview that I helped shoot was much more engrossing than I thought it would be, especially considering how tired I was toward the end of the day. We interviewed Ted Wells and Stan Grayson, two prominent lawyers who graduated from College of the Holy Cross. They were part of a graduating class that went on to achieve immense success in their fields, including a Supreme Court Justice, a Super Bowl winning coach, a Pulitzer prize winner, to name a few. They were also all African American students, who were all part of one of the first years of integration which occurred in higher education during the late 60s.
Having just finished my undergraduate experience, I could really relate to how they spoke about their experience. I'm usually pitifully incapable of truly relating to people who are a generation or older than me, so this was one of the first times where I actually understood where they were coming from; I felt like I was listening, rather than just hearing, what they had to say. They were both friends in school, and both had a personal relationship as well with Clarence Thomas, so they were able and willing to provide an intimate perspective on the Justice.
I had to lead them upstairs to where we were shooting the interview, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. These men are both extremely established, self-made, and have withstood more adversity than I most likely will ever have to face, and as a result, they each had a palpable presence about them. I didn't want to lead them up in silence, but I also couldn't think of any good conversation that I could really provide (I'd choke myself before I'd ask 'so how about this weather?'), so I went with a less than stellar 'has it been a good Friday so far?'. Dr. Wells could tell I was ambitiously nervous, so he politely asked about me, allowing the conversation to veer towards something new for him and familiar for me.
After the interview I smiled and shook hands with both men during the rounds of hand-shaking. Dr. Wells remembered that I mentioned the page position, so he sincerely remarked to my producer to help me out a little, seeing as I'm trying to get a job very soon. That made my day. It was after 5, and I should have been, by all means, soup in my shoes. Instead, I felt invigorated. It made me so happy to see that there are successful people who are genuine, and genuinely nice. I would have felt the same about Dr. Wells and Dr. Grayson, oral recognition or not, but that bit of personal attention goes a long way for a little guy like me.
I signed up for a conference open to NBC/Universal interns concerning how to make the transition from being an undergraduate to landing our first entry-level position. It was extremely helpful, mostly because it was ran by a member of the HR team who handles hiring for most of NBC/Uni. positions that become open. He was one of the real people who would read my resume once I send it in - which is good to know, because most applications for NBC/Uni jobs are online, and it's easy to think you're sending your spirit into a void once you click 'send'.
It was at 11am in a building essentially in Times Square. I left a half hour early to give myself some time to get lost, which I did, but I ended up on time. I also got lost on the way back; NYC being a grid is helpful for navigation, but you really need a compass to actually use the grid. Both times I got lost I ended up going in the exact opposite cardinal direction that I needed to go. Usually my sense of direction is good, but in a concrete jungle where you can't see the horizon or sun half the time, a compass would be really helpful.
I took notes at the conference, and had all my questions (and more) answered within the first hour. The most important thing I learned was not to spread my resume across a breadth of different positions just because they're open. He advised that it's better to wait a few months for a job opening that you're passionate about and somewhat qualified for, than to toss your name in as many hats as you can. He also kept on stressing that landing a job really depend upon the specifics of the position, which you might not know about just from the listing, and about a ton of other variables that are behind the scenes. "It depends" was the motto for this meeting - a bit relieving to hear, actually, because now I know that when I get rejected for jobs that I apply to, it may simply be due to those variables that are out of my control.
The interview that I helped shoot was much more engrossing than I thought it would be, especially considering how tired I was toward the end of the day. We interviewed Ted Wells and Stan Grayson, two prominent lawyers who graduated from College of the Holy Cross. They were part of a graduating class that went on to achieve immense success in their fields, including a Supreme Court Justice, a Super Bowl winning coach, a Pulitzer prize winner, to name a few. They were also all African American students, who were all part of one of the first years of integration which occurred in higher education during the late 60s.
Having just finished my undergraduate experience, I could really relate to how they spoke about their experience. I'm usually pitifully incapable of truly relating to people who are a generation or older than me, so this was one of the first times where I actually understood where they were coming from; I felt like I was listening, rather than just hearing, what they had to say. They were both friends in school, and both had a personal relationship as well with Clarence Thomas, so they were able and willing to provide an intimate perspective on the Justice.
I had to lead them upstairs to where we were shooting the interview, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. These men are both extremely established, self-made, and have withstood more adversity than I most likely will ever have to face, and as a result, they each had a palpable presence about them. I didn't want to lead them up in silence, but I also couldn't think of any good conversation that I could really provide (I'd choke myself before I'd ask 'so how about this weather?'), so I went with a less than stellar 'has it been a good Friday so far?'. Dr. Wells could tell I was ambitiously nervous, so he politely asked about me, allowing the conversation to veer towards something new for him and familiar for me.
After the interview I smiled and shook hands with both men during the rounds of hand-shaking. Dr. Wells remembered that I mentioned the page position, so he sincerely remarked to my producer to help me out a little, seeing as I'm trying to get a job very soon. That made my day. It was after 5, and I should have been, by all means, soup in my shoes. Instead, I felt invigorated. It made me so happy to see that there are successful people who are genuine, and genuinely nice. I would have felt the same about Dr. Wells and Dr. Grayson, oral recognition or not, but that bit of personal attention goes a long way for a little guy like me.
3, 2, 1, Live! - 4/19
On Thursday I helped out with a segment I hadn't worked on before. '3, 2, 1, Live!' is a close cousin to 'Who Knew?' in that it includes audience participation, questions, and it airs in the 4th hour. I thought it would be harder to get people for this segment, because I went out to search for participants later than I usually would for 'Who Knew?', but it didn't end up being too difficult.
I managed to nab the rest of the people from the dwindling crowd in the plaza outside the studio. I was able to get about 3/4 of the people who were there, a much more successful participant to crowd ratio than usual, but that makes sense considering the more diehard fans stick around until the end. I also grabbed some people from the first floor of the NBC store.
Otherwise I distributed some mail, and ended up clearing out the really full mail boxes by delivering it all to their desk. It seemed like a significant day for mail that day, there were a couple different magazines that sent out their newest issues all at once. I felt like a weird Santa because I was delivering what I thought of as presents (who doesn't like mail?) but I learned pretty quickly there's a difference between personal letters and magazines, and a difference between magazines and spam-ish mail.
I managed to nab the rest of the people from the dwindling crowd in the plaza outside the studio. I was able to get about 3/4 of the people who were there, a much more successful participant to crowd ratio than usual, but that makes sense considering the more diehard fans stick around until the end. I also grabbed some people from the first floor of the NBC store.
Otherwise I distributed some mail, and ended up clearing out the really full mail boxes by delivering it all to their desk. It seemed like a significant day for mail that day, there were a couple different magazines that sent out their newest issues all at once. I felt like a weird Santa because I was delivering what I thought of as presents (who doesn't like mail?) but I learned pretty quickly there's a difference between personal letters and magazines, and a difference between magazines and spam-ish mail.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Whatawednesday
Today was a full and fulfilling day. I even had a hamburger at lunch, and although it was from the commissary, in my mind, it legitemizes the title's pun.
I started this morning at 6:30, and made sure to wear my team USA Olympic shirt. Two other interns and I shuffled up and down the line of people around the plaza, handing out American flags, team USA shirts, and applying tattoos to hands and faces. There was a nice variety of people who showed up, including some Brits, some Irish folk, and a smattering of midwestern/east coast Americans. I met somebody from Akron, we bonded over being from Ohio. The Brits gave me a UK flag, so I wore it sticking out of my pocket by my American flag. I also ended up getting a Team USA flag (one of the ones that I spent time ripping tags off of a few days ago), which completed my trifecta of flag souvenirs.
I also logged some tapes of an interview of Jess Brown, the lady who makes Jess Brown Dolls - handmade rag-dolls of the finest, most snugly materials. She had an interesting story, starting with the accident that brought her to make her first doll for her first daughter, and ending with where she and her business is today, and what other items she'd like to begin creating. Kudos for her philosophy on her products, she believes things should be handmade, with high quality materials, and made to last years and years.
I met with Monica, the contact that Matt and Jackie passed along to me, about audience demographics. I ended up coming away with a ton more advice and helpful suggestions than I anticipated getting, and a new contact who said she'd help me with my resume, or with delivering a story idea to the proper producer. She told me about how she ended up getting her job, which was great to hear, because I'm not too far away from trying to land a more permanent position here.
She also told me all about the different demographics that we try to hit, the reasons why demographics are split as such, and how Today tailors content in different portions for these different demos. It all made sense as she was talking to me; while I had an idea about demos beforehand, her explanation, especially after seeing a bunch of different segments that have aired at different times, makes much more real-world sense now. That info will definitely help me in my discretion as far as passing story ideas along to producers concerns.
Today was really exciting and productive. It was fun working the Olympics segment, and it was fun/helpful talking to Monica. I now realize how important it is to really talk to people around me here; not only because I learn a ton when I do, but because they are always nice people, and often offer to help me out in some sort of way in my quest to get a job here at NBC.
I started this morning at 6:30, and made sure to wear my team USA Olympic shirt. Two other interns and I shuffled up and down the line of people around the plaza, handing out American flags, team USA shirts, and applying tattoos to hands and faces. There was a nice variety of people who showed up, including some Brits, some Irish folk, and a smattering of midwestern/east coast Americans. I met somebody from Akron, we bonded over being from Ohio. The Brits gave me a UK flag, so I wore it sticking out of my pocket by my American flag. I also ended up getting a Team USA flag (one of the ones that I spent time ripping tags off of a few days ago), which completed my trifecta of flag souvenirs.
I also logged some tapes of an interview of Jess Brown, the lady who makes Jess Brown Dolls - handmade rag-dolls of the finest, most snugly materials. She had an interesting story, starting with the accident that brought her to make her first doll for her first daughter, and ending with where she and her business is today, and what other items she'd like to begin creating. Kudos for her philosophy on her products, she believes things should be handmade, with high quality materials, and made to last years and years.
I met with Monica, the contact that Matt and Jackie passed along to me, about audience demographics. I ended up coming away with a ton more advice and helpful suggestions than I anticipated getting, and a new contact who said she'd help me with my resume, or with delivering a story idea to the proper producer. She told me about how she ended up getting her job, which was great to hear, because I'm not too far away from trying to land a more permanent position here.
She also told me all about the different demographics that we try to hit, the reasons why demographics are split as such, and how Today tailors content in different portions for these different demos. It all made sense as she was talking to me; while I had an idea about demos beforehand, her explanation, especially after seeing a bunch of different segments that have aired at different times, makes much more real-world sense now. That info will definitely help me in my discretion as far as passing story ideas along to producers concerns.
Today was really exciting and productive. It was fun working the Olympics segment, and it was fun/helpful talking to Monica. I now realize how important it is to really talk to people around me here; not only because I learn a ton when I do, but because they are always nice people, and often offer to help me out in some sort of way in my quest to get a job here at NBC.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
One goal down
Today was busy, starting early in the morning in the control room. We had a ton of calls, and a ton of packages to RTS. I don't mind busy work while I'm here, I figure that's a good litmus test for my compatibility with this industry.
I caught Matt while he seemed to have a bit of free time, so I followed up on my request to see somebody to learn more about audience demographics. He and his assistant Jackie recommended somebody to me, so I'm now scheduled to meet with her tomorrow afternoon.
Seeing as I want to write for TV, and TV is all about audiences, and that writing is all about knowing/being able to deliver to your audience, this is some important info that I need to know. I have a general idea about it from classes, but I've learned here that a general idea in an academic sense is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to actually doing something.
I caught Matt while he seemed to have a bit of free time, so I followed up on my request to see somebody to learn more about audience demographics. He and his assistant Jackie recommended somebody to me, so I'm now scheduled to meet with her tomorrow afternoon.
Seeing as I want to write for TV, and TV is all about audiences, and that writing is all about knowing/being able to deliver to your audience, this is some important info that I need to know. I have a general idea about it from classes, but I've learned here that a general idea in an academic sense is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to actually doing something.
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