National Geographic

My name is Calvin Blue and I was an intern at National Geographic Television Digital Studio. Jason Kurtis was my supervisor and his title is Operations Producer. An Operations Producer typically deals with all of the client meetings, contracting and legal work, finding cast and crew, managing the Digital Studio itself, and is a supervisor to all of the editors and producers within the department. Scott Ressler and Jennifer Quilo were the two primary editors in the department. They typically edit the video content that goes onto NatGeo websites.

Most of my time at NatGeo was helping with the legal side of things since they had just finished a kids’ show. I  completed of the Music Cue Sheets (MCS), which are logs of the usage of each song/score that is used in an episode. MCS are a way to keep track of billing for the amount of the audio used. Occasionally I would get a couple of random breaks from completing the MCS to help out on an interview film in the recording studio. My task for the shoots was to set up lighting and assist the cameraman.

My overall experience at NatGeo has been much more different than I had expected it was going to be. I was hoping to be able to help out with a bit more camera work and/or editing, but I had joined them when they had just finish everything for a big project other than the legal binders. Even though the legal binders weren’t as exciting, I am glad I got a chance to see how NatGeo really works

as a society to help me make the decision of where I really want to go in my career.

Oxman Studios

I found out about the internship at Oxman Studios from the Career Development’s listing on the MICAnetwork website. I was interested in it because it seemed like an opportunity to apply some of my mold making skills and learn more about casting. I emailed the artist, Zachary Oxman, and introduced myself and explained that I was interested in interning in his studio.

Zach was my main supervisor throughout the entirety of the internship. He mostly makes and sells bronze cast figure sculpture. Zach work in his own studio, which also functions and his personal gallery. His wife, Jana, works from their home office and is responsible for the marketing and selling of Zach’s work. I worked both in the studio/gallery and in the home office. In the studio I spent several weeks applying rubber and plaster to a life size clay sculpture that Zach has made as a commissioned piece and later helped him fill the molds with wax that would eventually be replaced with bronze. In the studio I was also given small tasks such as painting pedestals, sweeping and mopping the floors, and scrubbing small bronze figures. At the in home office I mostly was responsible for stuffing, sealing, labeling, and posting hundreds of marketing newsletters for several weeks.


I am most proud of making the mold for a life size sculpture and aiding Zach in the preparation required to turn the clay figure sculpture into a bronze work of art. I really appreciated having this first hand experience and seeing what its like to make art everyday and depend on selling it as your sole income. This experience helped me realize many things about my career goals. It mostly importantly made me realize that I would not enjoy the solitary environment of an artist’s studio and I would also would not like to make art and rely on it as a living. In this way I was able to broaden my view of potential career paths and accept a position in the Christie’s Education Master’s program in London for next year.

- Anne Jackson, Interdisciplinary Sculpture

Paul Moscatt Studio

 

In the fall of 2012 my drawing teacher, Raphael Sassi told me of a former MICA painting chair and professor who was on the lookout for an intern. I was encouraged to visit this one time chair, Paul Moscatt, at his studio in the Cork factory up in Station North, the arts and entertainment district of Baltimore. Paul was holding an open house showcasing some of his more recent paintings. After successfully snaring his attention from a throng visitors, mostly friends and fellow artists, we discussed my intentions and his needs around the studio. 

 Reflecting on what I consider to be my main three tasks at Paul Moscatt's studio, it would be impossible for me to decide which was the most rewarding. Each of these duties soared above and beyond my expectations, pushing me to learn more about each topic than I had previously thought possible. From this experience at the studio I feel confident that I'll be leaving with a veritable arsenal of knowledge equipping me with a solid foundation from which I will one day base my own studio. To have my private studio, just like Mr. Moscatt's is my dream, and now I know just how I will go about operating my very own. I would strongly recommend that any other undergrad who shares this dream with me will also spend a semester interning here, as the experience I have decided, is priceless.

Over cheese and crackers we hammered out the details about the work he was planning to get done. We concluded that I'd help out with his weekly model session - a class he holds in house, taking inventory of his hundreds of paintings, and restoring the original factory windows, one at a time. My goal coming in was to learn how an artist's studio is run and maintained, so I was eager to take on whatever tasks were thrown at me.

For the weekly classes, a model arrived every Saturday morning for a six-hour pose which Paul, myself and whoever else attended would paint and subsequently critique. While this experience is not that different from one which I may experience in a MICA classroom, what was unique for me was that my role was also one of a teacher's assistant- aiding in the lead of the critique. This required me to consistently be analytical and critical of the pieces in discussion, and to offer advice and help while also being the youngest person in the room. The challenge was substantial, and surmounting it did not come easily at first yet ·with a learning curve I certainly came out of the experience with a positive attitude. The second duty I helped Mr. Moscatt with was taking inventory of his massive stockpile of paintings. This was also a serious undertaking, yet with painstaking perseverance and organizational skills we emerged from the task with a dear system, documenting, dating, cataloguing and recording each piece in a database at the studio. Thirdly was the task of refurbishing the over a century old windows. Moscatt explained that each person who has a studio in the building technically owns the space in conjunction with the general manager, and through their agreement each tenant is responsible to undergo the same procedure with the windows. This required me to learn how to strip, fill, prime, paint, glaze and caulk each window we worked on. While I at first found the task a little irrelevant to owning a studio, I soon realized that when I one day have my own studio I will have this new and somewhat rare skill set at my disposal.

- Antoine C. Blanton, Painting, Spring 2013

Lyric Opera House

Hello my name is Connie Chong; I am usually 

addressed as Frost. I am an interdisciplinary Sculpture student with a concentration in Ceramics. Over the Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 semester I was lucky to be the properties assistant and intern for the Lyric Opera House of Baltimore. I found this job purely out of luck. After having visited my friend’s apartment and talking about a possible career choice in theatre and film making weapons and props I happened to see two people taking a break outside the Lyric Opera House. These two people were Lisa Mion and Andrew Esposito. I got the nerve to ask them if they worked at the opera house and if there was maybe a chance I could intern for them. Delighted they told me that they were just talking about having a properties assistant. After that night I began to work for the Lyric Opera House.

Although the Lyric Opera House hosts many shows there are two Opera performances per year. In Fall 2012 I was involved in La Boheme and this semester (Spring 2013) I am involved in Rigoletto. My supervisor first and foremost is the fabulous James Harp (Jim) he is the Artistic Director of the entire Lyric Opera House and has graciously allowed me to be his properties intern. My supervising manager is the stage manager Michael Sperber. He directs the production as well as organizes the entire opera and all its wonders. As a properties assistant my responsibilities go anywhere from buying and relaying images to my stage manager (Michael Sperber) and making props such as: masks, brooms, jester staffs, re-breakable plates, etc.  I am most proud of my ability to take numerous tasks, classes, and job and survive. Having had about seven classes, an internship, and a job I never doubted my ability to handle my work load. I am also proud of one of my first props for La Boheme which was to make a portrait of the main female lead with oil paint on canvas. It turned out marvelous and the opera actress/ singer took it back home with her to Russia.

Throughout the entire experience there were many things going on in my life: family, moving, classwork. Despite all the chaos I was able to adjust accordingly and did so successfully, I am amazed I am breathing as of this moment. I have learned that no matter what life throws at an individual, through hard work and determination anything can be conquered. I am unstoppable as long as I believe that to be true.

After having worked at the Lyric Opera House I feel that the production crew, and its entire staff even the actors and actresses create a family environment. Everyone tries to understand and to be polite, and this helps me continue to make good work. I hope to have more of that kind of attitude in my work place in the future. I have realized my passion is to make props. I love being needed behind the scenes as much as an actor and/or actress is on stage, and when the audience cheers it is for everyone and everything that goes into making the show. This experience has become a key step into my future as a Properties Master.

Sinclair Broadcasting Group: Fox 45 Baltimore

My name is Paul Angelo and I am a Painting Major, and during the spring Semester of 2013 I interned at Sinclair Broadcast Group.  The Sinclair Broadcast group is a telecommunications company that owns the largest number of local television stations in the United States.  The station I worked at was Fox 45 Baltimore, located in Hampden.   For my internship, I worked as part of the floor crew for the production of the Fox 45 Baltimore Morning News.  Each shift I worked was from 4:30-10:00 am, as the show runs live for 5 hours.

Most of my duties included basic floor crew work, which involves operating live cameras, running the teleprompter, making sure guests are ready to go, acquiring scripts and run-downs hour by hour, and directing the anchors.  All of my time was spent either in the studio or the control room.  Everyone in the floor crew and control room are connected via wireless headphones and can communicate in order to make live changes to the show and to make sure everything runs smoothly.  There are four cameras in the studio, all which I would rotate and work on, all with various different marks that you must hit to coordinate with specific camera shots.  My supervisor and fellow colleagues were all very friendly and supportive, and quick to help out when I was confused and were good teachers.  

This is a fast paced and professional work environment, which I feel was a good learning experience and acted as a basic introductory to what the large world of journalism is like, as well as the television industry.  Gaining experience as a production assistant and operating camera’s has been beneficial as it is great to have experience on professional video equipment, and it is pertinent to my studies at MICA as I am a photography major with a concentration in video and film.  The Sinclair Broadcast Group offers a diverse field of jobs, and completing this internship in an entry level position will hopefully benefit me in the future if I decide to move in the direction of journalism or television in my career.

Baltimore Theater Project

My name is Mia Fiorentino, and I am a senior Painting major with a concentration in Theatre. This past semester I was lucky enough to secure an internship with the Baltimore Theatre Project on Preston Street. I have attended a few performances there and always kept the Theatre Project in the back of my mind as a place to check out when the time came to look for an internship. I have become very involved in MICA theatre, and last year I was head of props for our two productions. After this experience, I thought I should do my best to acquire a wellrounded education in how a theatre works. I applied by sending in a resume and cover letter to Chris Pfingsten, the General Manager, and over the summer I had an interview with him and Anne Cantler Fulwiler, the Producing Director of the Theatre Project.  I was given the position right at my interview.

Baltimore Theatre Project is a nonprofit organization that hosts local and international artists of experimental theatre, dance, and music. Its mission is to provide a nurturing atmosphere and a space for artists to grow, and I think that it really achieves that through its diversity of acts, and the feedback I’ve heard from various people who have performed there. My supervisor is Chris Pfingsten, and since the summer he has been promoted from General Manager to Producing Director of the space. He essentially runs the theatre himself, he “runs the company, books acts, does marketing, financing, raises money, does contracts for artists and staff, and takes out the trash” (paraphrased from his own words.)

I have had varying responsibilities within the Theatre Project. I have spent a lot of time running the box office and concessions for several performances; I have had maintenance and managerial duties such as cleaning and maintaining the building, and locking up the building after performances; I have taken part in administrative work like writing and addressing letters to donors to raise money or thank them for contributions; and I have also done some technical theatre work under the Technical Director, Mike Vandercook. I shadowed him while he ran the lighting board during performance, aided with the focusing of lights for the most recent show, “The Grand Parade of the Twentieth Century,” and I also helped every once in a while with preparing set pieces for shows.

I am most proud of the connections I have made with performers and members of groups that have come through the theatre in my time there. I am proud of the fact that I can say I was a part of making their productions run smoothly, even if my role seemed small at the time. The most important thing I have learned is that everything I have done in the space is all part of what allows a theatre to run; and that even when what I was doing could seem tedious or like grunt work, the more flexible and versatile of a worker you are, the more valuable you are. My supervisor is a great example of willingness to take care of little tasks (like changing out the toilet paper) in order to allow the theatre as a whole to run smoothly and turn out great productions. I could definitely see myself in a career working at a theatre. I am trained as a painter, and I would love to be a studio artist, but working in a theatre in any kind of capacity would feed my love for drama and other art forms while I also work to hone my painting craft.

Publishing Genius

Publishing Genius is a small publishing company in Baltimore founded by Adam Robinson. Their mission is to publish off-beat writings that really wow their audience. They publish books, novels, poetry, and comics. Most of the authors are local and come from around Baltimore as well as the artists who do the cover art for books.

I found out about this internship opportunity through Stephanie Barber, my Elements of Visual Thinking professor from freshman year. Last semester she had asked me to do the cover art for her new book Night Moves. Through that, she introduced me to Adam. After all the extensive work I put into doing the cover, he offered me the opportunity to be a graphic design intern with Publishing Genius.

I worked directly under Adam Robinson. He is the main editor of the company and decides what books get published along with making the final creative decisions. Throughout my internship with him, he allowed me to manage the projects, but was part of the process and guided me the entire time. I would send him ideas that he would then edit down—it was a constant back and forth collaborative process that really made me feel like I was an important asset to the company.

My first project I completed was to create images and banners for PublishingGenius.com. I made little concrete paintings that I photographed and turned into images for the website. After seeing the watercolor work I had done for Night Moves, Adam was really set on generating a new aesthetic for Publishing Genius for 2013. For all of the projects, I was doing art in real time and then manipulating the work digitally.

The second project I did (which turned out to take up the rest of the remaining time of the internship) was to create a design for the 2013 Publishing Genius Catalog. This involved managing all aspects of the project. The final product I designed was a tri-fold pamphlet of the 6 new books coming out this year with descriptions and data about each work. It makes me feel proud of myself to know that I created something from start to finish and let alone in a particular artistic area that I had not much knowledge in to begin with. Making the catalog also made me aware of all of the different decisions that can go into something- decisions as little as whether or not to add an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence to evoke a personality within the catalog.

My biggest take-away would be how important it is to not forget all of the different aspects that go into making something successful. Interning with Publishing Genius gave me a heightened realization of the non-artistic things I have to start thinking about with my work and career. Even from watching and hearing Adam talk about the kind of processes he goes through day-to-day with writers and artists is enlightening and educational to me. It’s important to have a synthesis of art and thinking aesthetically with a critical mindset.

- Ellen Phillips, Painting Major, Spring 2013

12 O'Clock Boys film

My name is Thomas Colley and I am a Senior Video Major.  I heard about the film 12 O’clock Boys several years ago from Larry Jackson, a fellow student and close friend of mine who contributed to the film in various ways.  I was later reintroduced to the film last year by Patrick Wright, the head of my department and my advanced editing teacher at the time. He was editing the film and used some of the footage in our class to help teach us the software and processes used to edit. He showed us a rough cut of the film he had been working on and I was blown away. I realized that this film was something I should be a part of. At the end of the year I was invited by Larry to a party the main characters in the film were having and attended. I immediately meshed with them and began filming them. I met Lotfy Nathan, the director and offered my help on the film. We became close and spent the entire summer together working on the film. 

Next thing I knew I was hanging out with Pug and Coco (the film’s main characters)nearly every day. Pug, Lotfy and I would go to Wheel Deal to watch the bikes every Sunday. I would follow the pack and be the driver for shoots. I met with Eric Blair and helped on the phantom camera shoots as well. Lotfy went to New York for long periods of time and I would continue shooting and doing what was needed to move the film along. After a while I realized that I had a fair amount of creative control over the completion of the film and Lotfy trusted and relied on me. I drove the NewYork Times photographer to get his pictures and even dealt with a great deal of police interference. 

In this short time, the film had become a large part of my life and took on a new intensity. It gained a great deal of recognition from different blogs, magazines, was accepted to a festival and needed to be good. The edit demanded new material be shot to complete the narrative effectively. Releases and legal forms needed to be tight for the festival premier. I handled a great deal of this work, as the film was now my number one priority. I am proud to say that a good portion of the footage in the film has been shot by me and I now have the title of Co-Producer on the film. We just got back from its first premier in Texas at the SXSW Film Festival and have been discussing future projects.

Maryland Department of Planning

My name is Sol Moon, and I am a Senior Graphic Design Major with a Book Arts Concentration.
Over the Spring of 2013, I interned at the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) under the
Communications unit. I found the internship on MICAnetwork, and submitted my
resume, cover letter, and a PDF portfolio samples to the HR person listed in the job posting.
I had an on-site interview with the Personnel Director, the Public Information Officer, and the
graphic designer, and I received an email shortly after the interview saying that I was hired for
the internship position.

MDP provides guidance, analysis, outreach and support to ensure that all of the State’s natural
resources, built environment and public assets are preserved and protected as smart and
sustainable growth goals are attained. I was the first graphic design intern from MICA, and I
mainly worked with the Public Information Officer and a full-time graphic designer who
graduated from MICA in the 70s. As a design intern, I worked on various projects such as
infographic, publications, banners, logo, and advertisement. It was very important to understand
the clients (public, local government, and internal staff), and communicate with staff members
from various working units. I had lots of freedom in the decision making and the design process.




Throughout my internship, I not only created a few portfolio pieces, but also learned a lot about time management and communication skills. Staff members treated me as a valuable team member and they were always eager to help. Being in a working environment where I felt welcomed and needed encouraged me to create better work. This internship was a great opportunity for me to practice my design skills on real projects, and definitely helped me improve communicating with various clients more effectively. Overall, I became more confident about problem-solving, communication, and design skills.

Port Discovery Children's Museum

My name is Natalie Fitzgerald and I’m a senior Graphic Design major with a concentration in Book Arts. I spent the winter and spring of 2013 as a graphic design intern for Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore, MD. Port Discovery is an interactive funhouse that teaches through playing. I found the position through an old listing on the MICA career services website and sent an email inquiring about current internship openings. I was interested in Port Discovery because I hope to make a career of designing for children and I specifically wanted experience in doing work with educational content. 

My supervisor was Segrid Pearson, the Director of Design and Publications. She handled nearly all of the print and promotional design for the museum, and the rest of the design department was comprised on an exhibition designer and a web designer. During the course of the internship, I worked mostly on spot illustrations as needed and layout for print materials such as flyers, postcards, and other items. My biggest task was illustrating a series of permanent window installations featuring original characters; this is something I’m still working on a freelancer even though the internship is complete. I was treated as a member of the team and was regularly trusted as sole designer on my projects.

I loved having the opportunity to work on real projects and under real deadlines. Even though I sometimes found the work to not be incredibly fulfilling creatively, it was a good insight into the realities of being an in-house designer for this type of establishment. I was able to determine that if I pursued further museum work, I’d probably more interested in exhibit design or coming in as a freelancer for special projects rather than working on the day-to-day collateral. One invaluable skill I picked up while working at Port Discovery was the ability to brainstorm and execute concepts quickly; my workdays were short and this pushed me to streamline my creative process a lot. I definitely grew as a designer through this experience and will carry the knowledge I gained as I move forward.

Under Armour

My name is Theo Pinto and I'm a senior Environmental Design Major. In November last semester I received a email from Under Armour college recruiter Kevin Wright who asked me for an phone interview. Three weeks later I was stepping foot at Under Armour's HQ down in Fort McHenry. Under Armour is a relatively new athletic apparel company that is mainly focusing on hi-tech sportswear. In less than 15 years has become a competitor with world's elite brands such as Nike and Adidas and it keeps growing exponentially. The company's vision is to "Make all athletes better".

The company's creative teams are divided into specific kinds of apparel or areas of marketing such as footwear, accessories and such. I was invited to work on the retail brand team. This team is responsible for the development of everything that has to do goes into a UA's store or a in store. From the fixture design, and display design to the graphics that serve each product. My role as a industrial

design was to assist on the concept development and design of all of these areas. The projects that I participated where focused on fixture development, environmental graphics, and packaging design. Some of the projects I have the honor to contribute were the UA's installation at the NFL-X event for the 13' Super Bowl in New Orleans, and the fixture design for the launch of the "Spine'' Shoe.

Interning at Under Armour has not only given me the prospect of job but I have learned and grown immensely with this experience. Learning the in's and out's of

the corporate world, I feel more confident and calm in a professional setting. I have learned to present my ideas in a way that I had never experienced before. If there is one thing that will take from this experience is the importance of networking keeping a good relationship with your mates and how that can make you grow in a professional setting just as much as the quality of your work.

FleishmanHilliard

My name is Andrew Lucas and I am a Senior Animation major. Over the course of the spring 2013 semester, I acquired an internship at FleishmanHillard’s Creative Studio in Washington D.C. as a motion designer.

 FleishmanHillard is a Public Relations Company that claims to be the company that made public relations into the business it is today. They have 88 offices across 6 continents. Their headquarters, where the company started, is in St. Louis. The company is predominantly focused on the business side of public relations and would hire other advertising agencies and artists to make the video/website/print etc. to make the brand/face/look and feel of their client. What set FleishmanHillard apart from other PR films is that a while back they started putting in house print designers in their St. Louis office creating their first in-house, creative studio. This became a huge success, which led to other offices starting their own creative studios. St Louis is still the headquarters for the creative offices especially when it comes to print and still imagery. However, the D.C. studio, where I work, has become a central hub for motion design and video as well as the Boston office and a few others.

I came back from Christmas break 3 weeks early with two goals: to work on my thesis and to get an internship. When I went to FH, I walked into a building insulated in marble with people coming in and out dressed in suits in downtown D.C. I wasn’t sure what FleishmanHillard was going to offer me but after getting past the formalities and into the creative suite and talking with the team and the creative directors for over an hour and a half, I felt right at home. The 
hourly rate also was convincing. 


At the D.C. studio, I’ve worked on all kinds of projects. My work at FH ranges from video, stop motion, motion graphics, graphic design, idea brainstorming, 3D modeling, going on video shoots and much more.  Often, I am in in direct contact with the client and after the first few weeks I was treated simply as an employee losing the title “intern.” I’ve worked with Airports Council International, Glass Production Incorporation, the American Chemistry Council, Dunkin Donuts, Novartis, Abbott, the Kennedy Center, Abbvie, Kaust, South x Southwest and many more. One of the biggest accomplishments I did was help make the video that won us the Abbott Vascular contract of over 3 million dollars.

I came to the office full days on Mondays and Tuesdays and then worked a ¾ day on Thursday so I could make it back to Baltimore for my Thursday night class. Projects come and go quickly. FH has a very fast turnaround with their work, which taught me a lot about compromise and quick thinking in the art industry. I found it tough to work the internship during school not because I thought it took away from the work I did at school too much but I felt that I could be a much more valuable asset had I been working full time. That put aside, I enjoyed the work I did and the fast turnarounds were incredibly rewarding compared to the slow 3D animation process I was attempting for my thesis back in Baltimore.

Overall the internship, which is still ongoing, has been a great experience. I would be very content in working for FH after school and am pursing it currently. I have made several great portfolio pieces and have made some great contacts and even a few friends.