Valerie Genzano
It's Not a Goodbye, It's a "See Ya Later".
So, today is my last day at JTWO for the summer. These last 3 months have been a wild ride to say the least, but my days at JTWO were always something to look forward to. I am not sure what I would have done if I didn’t spend Tuesday through Thursday every week working on amazing projects with some pretty cool people (and petting some cute dogs). I’ve come a far way from where I was at the end of May, and I’m so thankful for my internship here for helping me grow, address my visions, and expand creatively as an artist.
JTWO has really helped me see what the “real world” of film is like. Before this summer, I’d only had school and academic experience when it came to film, and it was extremely unfulfilling. I felt like I couldn’t really decide if this was something I wanted to pursue if I’d only lived in in the small fishbowl that is my university. In my time at JTWO, I’ve been on sets, done paperwork and videos for clients, and seen what it’s really like to exist as a member of a production company in the city. I was never treated as a “get me coffee, pick up my dry cleaning” intern – none of us were. We were always treated as people who were willing and able to do quality work. I feel like I accomplished a lot in the 12 weeks I spent at this internship, and I’ll take the lessons I learned with me throughout my career, whatever it might end up being.
I’ve always really loved organization and planning, and I got to do a lot of that at JTWO. I worked a lot on call sheets and some on scripts, but mostly I worked on the marketing side of things, which is something I had never done before. However, the guys put a lot of trust in me to handle blogs, Instagrams, and certain aspects of the website. I hadn’t ever thought too much into marketing, especially social media marketing, but I really enjoyed it. I cut down videos, made schedules, wrote captions, tracked audience response, and wrote blogs about different projects and shoots. I also starting planning some future events that JTWO might go forward with in time.
As far as my future goes, that’s not entirely decided. I have the wonderful issue of having too many options. I have a passion for film, I have a passion for art, and I have a passion for academia. I’ll graduate with my undergraduate degree in film, but I have plans for an Art History or Museum Education graduate degree. However, that doesn’t mean I won’t still do film. It’ll always be my first love, but I want to explore the world further before I tie myself to one career. No matter what, though, I plan to incorporate film and what I have learned at JTWO into whatever path I follow.
I truly had a lot going on this summer. Someone in my household was diagnosed with cancer right before I started, and I was so nervous that my time restraints were going to be an issue with my internship. Thankfully, I wasn’t coming into just any big-wig corporate internship; the guys were so understanding and really helped me out whenever I needed a day off or to leave early to handle things. They were so helpful getting through the summer. I also got to explore my situation and how I was feeling through my Intern Project, One Day at a Time. I was so grateful to meet so many people who were so talented and truly special. I was lucky enough to work with 3 other amazing interns this summer, and I was inspired by all of their hard work and creativity. I’ve made friendships that I know will last for years (@Maria, hey) and I can’t wait to see where everyone goes in the next few years.
I have nothing but respect, love, and thanks for JTWO. For anyone thinking about an internship with this company, I have a few words of advice: Go for it. Go all in, and don’t hold back. You need to come equipt with a few things before you start; you need passion, you need a good attitude, you need respect for the process and you need your creativity. I wish I could have done more for JTWO, but hopefully one day I can. But for now, I’ll just finish this internship how I started it: over-caffeinated, grateful, and excited for the future. Thanks JTWO. Til next time. Cheers.
