Each summer, four students are handpicked out of a pool of applicants to participate in Trailblazer’s 8-week intensive summer internship program.

This year, we selected our final four students out of 81 applications from 22 different schools. We are thrilled to have Catherine Kubitschek, Sarah Jones, Tito Barbosa, and McKayla Martinez with us this summer, and couldn’t be more excited about the work they are doing.

During the first month, our interns rotate through each of our departments – development, production, audio, and post. They work hands-on with our staff to learn the basics of each department, and gain a big-picture view of how each specialization functions as a part of the whole. During the second month, students collaborate to research, produce, mix, and edit a creative short video for a local non-profit organization of their choice.

Catherine, this year’s audio intern, came to us as a rising senior at NC State. She was most drawn to the idea of cycling through the different departments.

“In school, you work on projects in which you are responsible for the entire project. Up until entering this internship, I never really knew which specific area I was truly interested in pursuing. Having the opportunity to be surrounded by professionals, and really suss out which department or departments I could see myself going into was an opportunity I did not feel like I could give up.”

After graduation, Catherine is considering moving to either NYC, LA, or Atlanta to pursue opportunities in sound mixing and live sound for production. One of her favorite aspects of the internship has been the willingness of staff to answer her questions and provide guidance on her career path.

“I love that each and every person in this studio is so open and willing to teach, and I have found that listening to each individual professional’s story about how they have been able to become successful has helped me reflect on my life, and consider the path I would like or could take.”

Overall, she’s excited for the opportunities awaiting her in the the industry, and is excited to continue learning and developing her skills.

Our post intern, Sarah, also cites the rotational setup as one of the reasons she was drawn to this particular internship. One of her favorite experiences so far was the opportunity to sit in on a on a final show review.

“It was remarkable to see how carefully the producers, editors, and supervisors scrutinized the episode and how efficiently they negotiated final tweaks and changes. Just sitting in on one review allowed me to notice and become more sensitive to iris changes, zooms, and unwanted logos in the background.”

Fresh off the heels of her graduation from UNC-Wilmington this past May, Sarah is happy to be interning right out of school. Come fall, she plans to relocate to Atlanta to explore opportunities in the film industry.

“The most valuable thing I’ve learned so far is that, whatever path you choose to take, the skills and careers that you spend time perfecting should come organically from what you genuinely enjoy doing.”

McKayla came to us ready to dive head-first in her chosen area of development. A self-described “people person,” she loves the adventure of discovering potential talent and brainstorming projects for TV. She applied to Trailblazer’s internship program in hopes to work in a place that is “genuine, yet booming in the industry.”

A recent graduate of UNC-Wilmington, McKayla would like to move to New York, Atlanta, or LA – or maybe all three!

“The most valuable thing that I have learned so far in my internship with Trailblazer is how important it is to always keep an open mind. I came to Trailblazer with my mind set as to becoming a part of the development team. However, I have surprised myself each week with the new skills I am learning. I am surprised by how well I can thrive if I keep an open mind to the different aspects of every department.”

Tito, our production intern, has enjoyed the opportunity to learn how the work of each department contributes to the final project.

“Throughout school and my own experience, there has been a heavy emphasis on the production section of a film project without much concern of how it will do once it gets to post. Here at Trailblazer, seeing how much work goes into the post side of things with audio, post coordination, and the different metadata that goes into video really changed my views on the phrase, ‘We’ll fix it in post.’”

A rising senior at UNC-Wilmington, Tito plans to relocate to NYC or LA after graduation to pursue his dream of directing. He would also love to travel the world and perhaps teach young people about filmmaking as a part Filmmakers Without Borders program.

Our interns are currently finishing up week four of our program, and will soon be in full-swing with their final project. We can’t wait to see what they come up with!

For more information on Trailblazer’s internship program: trailblazerstudios.com/internships