The Viacom building in Times
Square that proclaims, "You are here," holds MTV, VH1, Showtime,
TVLand, and, of course, Nickelodeon, where we spent our January
Internship. As of May 1999, Nickelodeon GAS (Games and Sports for
Kids), the "only company for kids," has aired on digital cable to
about one million viewers. Due to the small size of the network and
its recent start-up, we were able to work closely with producers,
editors, and programmers. Our production work was spent preparing for
shoots (one occurred in Puerto Rico during our second week), while
postproduction was spent working with raw teolited footage and tapes
of shoots with famous athletes, such as Tara Lipinski and Chamique
Holdsclaw. While reviewing these tapes,
we had to write down the description and length of each shot, which
later helped editors put together a more compact segment. What we
found most interesting, and in some ways most humorous, was all of
the little things that go into television production. Often we sat
and laughed over the tenth take of one simple sentence and the prior
takes that viewers will never see. The best, of course, was carrying
a square of wheat grass to another studio in New York City to help
prepare for a shoot, all the while wondering, "Who knew this happened
in TV?" What we agreed on most as J-Term came to a close was that
Nick is a great place to work. Everyone, including Mount Holyoke's
Susan Fogg '96, was extremely nice to us. Though television often
seems high-profile, everyone at Nick GAS, while also accomplishing a
great deal, created a fun and laid-back place to work. Susan Fogg '96 was the
first MHC student to obtain an internship at Nickelodeon. She was
hired immediately after graduation by Nickelodeon and has
consistently solicited Nickelodeon staff to sponsor
interns.
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