JTWO Bids Farewell to Intern Megan Swick

In the whirlwind of this past week, I’ve had my fair share of goodbyes. With the pandemic on the rise, I’ve bid farewell to some of my closest friends as they moved back home, states away. I’ve said goodbye to my professors and professional mentors on campus since we shifted to online learning. I hugged my roommates goodbye before they left me in an almost-empty house for the next few weeks. I’ve even kissed my final college experiences goodbye; even my graduation ceremony is still up in the air. But perhaps the hardest, and saddest goodbye will be to this internship, and all the amazing people (and pets) I’ve met here. 

JTWO in three months has taught me more than I learned in three years of college. If you let it, this internship will grab a hold of your creative mind and steer you in the right direction to your career path. Being a part of each production process here allows you to familiarize yourself with what you love, or might hate, about everything production. Through my incubator project, days in the office, and assistance on shoots, I’ve been able to understand what I can add to the production process. My advice for whoevers in my position next is to soak it all up. Say yes to tasks you’re unfamiliar with, say yes to 12 hour shoot days, and say yes to projects that are outside your realm of experience. If there’s one place to learn from your mistakes, it is surrounded by the experienced professionals at JTWO. As someone who left for a shoot with everything except the battery to power the camera, I know they might not let you live it down, but they’ll be happy you learned and ready to support you on your next film endeavor. 

Yes the experience was one of a lifetime for a college production student, but besides access to professional opportunities, JTWO showed me a fun and open workplace. I showed up in business casual work pants the first day, and I can tell you now I am typing this in jeans and a tee shirt. The weekly meetings and discussions of our weekend or relevant news allowed me to feel at home in the office. I know I am an intern, but I was treated as a coworker, and I have found that to be a rare circumstance in my experience. I also want to shout out JTWO as the sole reason I tried my first Popeye’s meal (sponsored content). I’ll carry the memory of the three piece dark with me forever. It will be hard to settle for an office culture any less than the best after my time here. 

Finally some things I learned. As someone who aims to be a producer, I picked up some hard skills here like making call sheets, week-long shoot itineraries, and arguing with all walks of customer service associates on the phone. But the most important thing I learned here was my own capabilities. JTWO saw the potential in me before I did, and I couldn’t believe when they would allow me, a little intern, to play a role in their important projects. The more I worked with everyone here, the more I saw what I could do. This is a place that absolutely fosters growth, and on my way out I am applying to jobs I would have never thought I was qualified for before working here. As this is my last day physically in office, I’d like to extend a “see ya later” to everyone here. I’ll still be lurking around in Philly, so you can’t get rid of me that easily. See ya later JTWO!