Graphic Designer Production Assistant

Former Intern’s recommendations to new

interns

Dear 19 year old Zane,

Congratulations on scoring your first internship,

you did it, you’re in.

It doesn’t stop there. You can’t expect to be

lead by the hand.

Greg is going to bring you into his office, he’s

going to tell you that you’ll be thrown into the

deep end. You’ve got to swim, trial by fire,

whatever it takes.

Embrace it like you know what you’re doing but

if you don’t, ask questions. There’s nothing

worse than a problem possibly avoided by

asking a question. You probably think you’re

hot shit but leave your pride at the door.

You don’t know a thing, these guys have been

doing it for most of their lives. You’re young,

and still have no idea what you want to do for

the rest of your life. Use their knowledge to

find out. Get dirty. Do at least a little of

everything so you get a taste.

Your favorite days will be the pre-lights before

a shoot because you’ll get to work with lighting

and camera. The hands on experience you

want.

Did I mention questions? When the time is right

ask questions. Know when to keep quiet.

You’re going to mess up. You’ll knock over a

Rifa light on location and the globe is going to

break. It’s not the end of the world, you’re not

fired. Stay focused on set and hustle, but

watch where you’re going dammit. You want to

prove yourself, but not at the expense of

looking foolish.

Another year you’ll have another internship

and learn even more. You’ll do better simply

because you learned enough from the first

internship, a stepping stone in your journey.

Fast forward, you’ll graduate from college and

start working in the industry on your first

feature. You’ve never done this before but

jump into the fire just like before.

You have to pay for your own hotel? Tough

luck. Find the cheapest one possible and get

that experience. You’ll learn so much.

It’s going to be hard, intimidating, freezing

nights, stressful days. Get through it and you

will be rewarded.

The taste for bigger productions, bigger

cameras, bigger lighting setups will fuel you to

do more, be more, expect more.

You’ll have to make the biggest decision of

your life, but you know inside it’s what you

have to do. You have to move to Los Angeles.

You might think - What if I don’t make it? What

if I run out of money? Am I leaving everything I

know and love behind?

It’s going to be worth it, this move will

transform your life. You’ll learn more and have

more opportunities than you every thought

possible.

The other PAs on set will tell you to go find the

dolly keys at the end of your second day.

(Spoiler: the dolly doesn’t need any keys).

You’ll look everywhere like the go getter you

are. It’s a joke they play on the green PAs but

take it in good jest and they will keep you

working for the next year. This is crucial.

Relationships with the people you work with

are almost more important than knowledge.

Eventually you’ll stop PAing and try to do what

you really want. You’re even going to join Local

728, the Set Lighting Technicians union. Bet

you thought you’d end up in camera right?

And yet, the same principles still stand today.

Ask questions, be hungry with knowledge,

hustle, don’t complain, and you’ll continue to

go far.

Zane

Advice for current interns:

• Don't spend your down time surfing facebook.

If there's nothing to do, pull up an AfterEffects

tutorial and make a fun graphic.

• Take on projects that will stretch yourself.

Don't go crazy and take on something that is too

far above your skill level, but if there's something that you think you could do it would just be a little uncomfortable - do it anyway.

• Read articles and blogs about filmmaking,

editing, producing - whatever. Nofilmschool.com

is a great resource.

• Make friends with the people you meet

through the internship. Eat lunch together. Learn

about each other. This industry is all about who

you know and when the time comes to hire

someone, people hire people they like and are

friends with. I've reached out to several people

I've met here in Dallas and offered them gigs here and there.

• Don't assume anyone owes you anything.

Work hard, be grateful for every opportunity you

have, and treat everyone with respect.

• Remember that everyone who is now

successful in this business started at the bottom

at one point. Don't feel ashamed or embarrassed

of where you're at. Own it, and do everything you

can to learn as much as you can.

• Failure is necessary to grow. Admit you will

make mistakes, and when you do - get back up

and try again.

What I've been up to and what I'm doing now:

• Since my internship ending in June of 2015,

I've worked for Eyecon as the Production

Coordinator and worked as a freelance producer

and editor.

• I've PA'd on a good number of corporate,

commercial, and film/tv shoots.

• I've produced promo videos and short films

• I've worked as an AD

• And I've continued editing as well

Ceci

I have been meaning to email you to tell

you that I got a job In production I

can't thank you enough for giving me the

opportunity to intern with you at Eyecon. I

would not have been qualified for this new

position if you hadn't taken a chance on

me, so I am eternally grateful...

My new position is with Master Networks,

a networking company for business

professionals and entrepreneurs. I am

their new videographer/editor and project

manager at their headquarters in Frisco,

and I am loving every second of it. On my

first day in the office, I set up a brand new

green screen studio so that I could shoot

about "talking head" orientation videos

with the president of the company on my

second day. I was thrown into the deep

end (sharks and all). :) My first solo shoot

was a success though! Our lighting and

green screen equipment is nothing like

you have at Eyecon but they were more

than enough for the segments we are

planning to shoot right now.

I know that for a fact if I had came across

this opportunity with Master Networks last

summer right after I graduated, I would

not have had enough experience or

confidence in my work to run a video

production department for a company by

myself. The projects I was lucky enough to

work on at Eyecon surely proved my skills

when I showed my employer in my

interview. (I never even finished my reel

lol.) I also cannot imagine never meeting

you, Jennie, Mike or Josey. Lifelong friends

right here...

As you have learned, I love interacting

with people so this company is absolutely

perfect for me, as I get to meet new

people everyday. I have also established

great relationships with my new coworkers

and my boss trusts me and my skills

completely! (So much so that I convinced

him to also hire Josey as a SECOND

VIDEOGRAPHER/EDITOR but I'm sure she

will chat with you about that). :)

As for the new interns coming in, tell them

that the four months fly by, and you don't

even realize how much you learn and how

much valuable experience you gain just

coming into the studio everyday. Jennie's

Post Haste software that she introduced to

me week one is one thing that will save

editors A TON of time when working on

projects with quick turnarounds.

One thing I wish I gained more experience

in is shooting in general, and taking

advantage of the equipment I had at my

finger tips. We got to go on so many

shoots and meet people in the industry

that know what they're doing, but I wish I

went into the equipment room when we

had downtime at the office and just

messed around with the slider and the

different cameras and practiced setting up

a shot with my own eye for lighting a

scene.

All in all, I am so grateful for everything I

learned from you, Jennie, Jason, Mike, and

Josey at Eyecon and I will most definitely

come back to visit whenever I get a

chance.

Miss y'all and ROLL TIDE!

Caiti

My advice for new interns is to view every shoot or project as an opportunity for growth. Even if you aren't working your preferred crew position, there's something to learn from every set. I started the internship wanting to be an editor and came out of it loving camera and lighting department. Being openminded and positive in any crew position is extremely beneficial!

Hannah

Before the internship at Eyecon, I was managing a studio for a photography company in Austin, Texas for about 3 or so years in hopes of moving up to corporate.

However, a lot of colleagues of mine where giving me the ins and outs of what was happening at the corporate level. At that time, it was looking grim. Rumors of a complete company shutdown were spreading rapidly. As the months rolled on, I suffered losses in my staff due to hourly and pay cuts which eventually solidified those rumors. My outlook on my career stagnated. My friends, whom I've worked on projects with, moved away and I was ultimately left to my own devices. Desperate to make a change due to rising costs of living, I left that job and moved to the DFW area and started working in car sales to hopefully gain more income and begin the

processes to start my own business. Not knowing where to begin on this journey, I came across an ad for Eyecon, but I realized at the time that it just wasn't going to work for my schedule. 2 years later, I was fired from my job as a car salesman. (I was actually quite relieved when this happened). This led me down a path of clarity. I was free, no schedules...my time was open, so I began

searching for work again. I came across Greg's ad (not knowing it was him) and recognized who he was when me met before the interview and after our discussion, I decided to jump into it.

The next 4 months for me was a sacrifice. I knew it was. With that in mind, I knew I had to be a sponge. I would be doing myself a disservice if I did not take advantage of my time there. In my mind, I decided to just be open to learning anything and hopefully find my niche in that. One thing I didn't expect to get out of this internship are the relationships I developed. All of us have been told to

"network, network, network," which is true, but the people I've met there are something special, genuinely. Here's the thing with that, I'm not a people person. It's not that I "don't like people at all," but more in the sense of that it's hard for me to talk to people being the introvert that I am, so, yes, I hated networking. It would be an instant eyeroll reaction every time someone

lectured me on "networking." However, I wanted to form relationships with the people I worked with. I found something about them that I liked and eventually from that came a form of respect. The biggest thing I've learned from this is the fact that I was able to see who my colleagues where, my coworkers, my friends. When you're in a professional, high speed, high stress

environment working with people, you learn about

yourself, your team, and the process as a whole. And that sprouted a new found respect. From respect came acceptance. From acceptance came appreciation, and out of that appreciation came friendship. That's when I knew what "Networking" really was. Its not a this-is- what-I-have-to-do responsibility to help grow a career, its something you must do for yourself so that you can help others and grow as a person, and that is a tide that raises the ship of your career. Without this

understanding, this mindset, the shoots and projects you, and everyone else around you work on, cannot

reach their full potential in my opinion.

What do I wish I could've done better? Hindsight is always 20/20, but I wish the internship was longer. I wanted to be with my friends. I wanted to help create cool content...or hell, just something in general. Yes, it was unpaid. Yes, my time was sacrificed, but he people that I know now are irreplaceable. My advice to you, fellow intern, is to embrace everything about your experience. Develop friendships and have fun. Be open to learning something new because you might miss

something valuable otherwise. Take the time to develop as a person, not in a career...that comes on its own. Be patient, success is coming.

Currently, I've been working with a media company

doing small organizational stuff in downtown DFW. I was given that job as a reference from one of my fellow interns. So far I keep getting called back to work with them and I'm enjoying my time with them. Hopefully more friendships develop from this and we'll see how it goes from there. I've also been working on a project that Jason invited me to help out on for the last month. We were all recently invited to have dinner with the

client...which ended up being a new years eve party that I had a blast in. I've also helped out Jabarre, Jason's friend, on a project recently and that was fun! I'm also working to create my own business on the side while looking for more work. I understand its a process, but I'm working and moving.

Kind Regards,

Mike

Dear new interns,

Enjoy this time learning all you can at Eyecon Productions. Greg, very generously, allows you all to use his equipment and to get you hands- on experience on real television content. At Eyecon, your internship is not getting coffee. During this internship, you will get the chance to work one-on-one with clients and, it's up to you and your team, to deliver good content. I only had the chance to intern at Eyecon for about a month. However, during that short time, I learned many skills that I still use today, two years later. For example, I remember learning how to run the switcher, operate cameras, and edit on Adobe Premiere and Final Cut. Coming into Eyecon, I used Final Cut, so I enhanced my skills in learning color correction. I never used Adobe Premiere before the internship, so I got the chance to learn Premiere, which came in handy in future projects. So, my advice for you, interns, would be to learn all you can while you are there. No matter how long your internship is, Eyecon provides you all with invaluable hands-on, real- world experience. So take full advantage of it. Ask questions and don't be afraid to learn something new. I am very thankful for Greg and everyone at Eyecon. They helped propel my career and I know that my experience at Eyecon helped me land a job as a video editor/motion graphics artist at FOX Sports Southwest, a month after I graduated college.

Sincerely,

AJ Viti

Dear new Eyecon interns,

If you are like me, you were clicking through Craigslist as a last-ditch job search effort, when you stumbled upon a posting about a production studio in Plano with an internship opportunity for eager learners.

If you are like me, your previous experience with internships meant being stuck in a corporate cubicle for 8 hours a day twiddling your thumbs until someone needed a coffee.

Well, regardless of previous experience or how you stumbled upon Eyecon, you are definitely like two-years-ago me, because you have just been given an incredible chance to learn in an incredibly hands-on environment.

By now, you have met with Greg and have probably seen a glimpse of what an incredible person and mentor he is. In the next four months, he will provide you with every tool you could possibly need to leave this internship prepared for a career in video, but it is your job to take full advantage of each day there. You will get out of this internship EXACTLY what you put into it, and trust me, the four months will fly by. So, don’t be shy about asking a ton of questions and taking a lot of notes. Nothing will benefit you more than throwing yourself in to this opportunity head first. Get into the studio and get your hands on the cameras. Do the jobs that scare you the most first and often. Don’t worry about messing up, because everyone at Eyecon is patient and kind and appreciate your eagerness to learn more than anything. Anytime you have a chance to join Greg on a shoot outside of the studio (on location), take it. Also, there will be a lot of amazing clients and contributors coming through those studio doors, so form relationships with them. You will likely find yourself trusted to be the main line of communication between the studio and the client, so take that seriously. This is Greg’s business. Be professional. If you don’t know what is appropriate, ask, don’t try to guess. One resource I found hugely helpful during my internship, was Youtube for tutorial videos. When I wasn’t sure how to make something with Adobe CSS or perform a specific edit, I could almost always find one (or ten) videos on Youtube that walked me through it.

Some of my fellow interns had years of experience, and others came in with absolutely none. By the end of the four months, we were a tight knit group of people with equally strong foundations in video production.

Since my internship two years ago, I have worked on and off as a freelance video producer, I relocated from Dallas to San Diego, and I spent a few months traveling around Asia with my sister. Last year, I had the opportunity to executive produce a video shoot for my own client at Eyecon, by renting studio space from Greg. I am currently completing a web development bootcamp to expand on the variety of creative services I can offer my clients.

I’m excited for you! If you show up every day and put in your best effort, I can guarantee you will leave your internship with a new-found confidence in your abilities, an impressive portfolio, and mentors/friends for life. Dive right in and take advantage! Amelia

The biggest advice is to not be afraid to ask to work as a specific role for a project and to step out of your comfort zone because who knows, you may really enjoy being a technical director even though you’ve never touched a tricaster in your life. Also, take in every bit of information that you can because you never know when something small might be extremely important on another set. There have been countless times where I have remembered something from interning that I need to use on a set.

Colin

My advice to them would be to learn as much as possible from one another because you never know what techniques you could pick up from another editor. However, it's largely on yourself to learn the basics of editing and more importantly staying organized. No one will hold your hand through that. Develop routines that streamline your process of turning raw footage into content on your timeline. After Eyecon I worked for inMotion Imagery as a studio manager on tv commercial shoots. It was an interesting experience but I ultimately didn't see a future I wanted in the production business so I left. Currently I'm a repair technician at a local bar/arcade called Free Play in Richardson (just a few minutes south on Jupiter from Eyecon). I work on retro machines from the 70s-90s. It's pretty challenging because I'm learning electrical engineering from scratch but I thoroughly enjoy the work.

All the best,

Derek

My name is Timothy Nicholson. I am 28 years old and married with 3 boys 5 yr, 3 yr, 14 mo. Currently, I work at Chewy Studio as a Video PA!

When I went through the internship, I was 27 years old, 2 kids and a wife, living at my parent's house. It was a point of transition in my life

(from AR back to TX). Had very little experience in video with an illustration degree. Was working part-time at UPS (very strenuous work).

I invested everything I could while I was at Eyecon. Did my best with every task allotted and helped others with their tasks. I was the first to complete the basic tutorial list and I went through even more. (I currently still watch Lynda tutorials)

Gregg was gracious to me, allowing me to work off hours, and he wrote recommendation letters for me even though I wasn't able to complete the internship due to family dynamics.

The three things that led to my eventual career shift to video production were

1. trusting God for the next step

2. giving an exceptional amount of effort even when people weren't looking

3. cultivating good relationships with the people I worked with (Cruz was in my group and is the one who asked me to join the ranks of Chewy)

Feel free to email me if you have questions or need encouragement! Do your best and trust God.

Thank you again Gregg!

Some words to the new interns (also things that Alex Chi told me while working at Eyecon):

-Stay sharp, bring a notebook to each meeting, and remember notes.

-If there's time to chill, help out in other areas.

-Be on time!

-Absorb everything. Eyecon does a range of high-profile jobs, with high-profile clients, and with high-end equipment. Take advantage of the opportunity, especially with learning to deal with clients. What I've been up to since:

-Worked in Austin as a freelancer while interning at Fueld Films.

-Moved to L.A. after a year. Freelanced on a handful of projects.

-After 2 years of freelancing, landed a full-time Production Coordinator job at a start-up entertainment company in L.A.

Hope this helps and good luck to the new interns!

-Andrew

Great hearing from you. Here is what I say to students at AiD when I speak to the senior classes.

My class started with 33 students in the fall of 2003. By the time I graduated from the B.F.A in 2006 there were only five of us left. To my knowledge in 2018, only three of us are still actively working in the industry. It's a small industry, everyone knows everyone. Your reel will get you the door to a few production places. Your attitude and work ethic will give you a career. It's not about the best camera, fastest computer, what hotkeys you know, or how great your work is when you FINALLY send it to the client. It all boils down to you are you a pleasure to work with, do you bring value to the project by solving problems and making everyone's life easier. That can mean wrapping cables, organizing lens, or keeping up with legible log sheets. There are people that are way better DP then me, I'm sure there are faster editors, and people that charge a lot less than I do. Why my clients keep coming back to me is because I bring value, I'm regularly told that I'm laid back or easy to work with, and I always deliver on deadline. Since my internship at Eyecon in 2006, I worked at Splash Media cutting content for Adobe, Mary Kay, and McAfee for two years. After that, I grew a freelance production company for 6 years by 20% each year. I had 12 active clients and about 100K in billables when I partnered to create a video marketing agency in June of 2014. There I worked with HP, OMEN by HP, HyperX, Dymatize, Kingston Technology and more YouTubers than I can count. Today, I have a new agency doing the same thing but we have branched into content creation for social media, Paid Media and SEO.

The one thing I took away from my internship is this: when I walked in I knew how to punch keys in Final Cut Pro and put footage together on a timeline. I didn't understand how to tell a real story until Zips went through my edit with me and I watched him re-edit the narrative and explain why he was doing it.

Respectfully,

Joshua

The one thing that I would tell your new interns is that above all else the thing that they owe you, the studio, and most importantly the client is their work ethic. No matter how small or minor the task may seem knock it out and go above and beyond to accomplish that task. They may not all get to work on the "big" project or be apart of the

"cool" shoot but make every one of their projects or tasks the "big" one, because it's what we as creators owe the client. Whether it's just cleaning up audio for a 30 second spot or actually editing a 30 minute infomercial with all the bells and whistles, take pride in your work and do the best possible job you can do.

Since I finished my internship with you guys I got some work from both you and Mark, so with that in mind make sure the interns know that you got your eyes on them! Jason has also kept me in the loop on some potential future projects and even recommended me to a client that I did a project for, so to the interns definitely make friends and connections in this industry. Lastly I took part in shooting and editing a short film for a guy I went to school with who contacted me through LinkedIn after seeing the experience I got from the internship, so make sure to tell the interns to keep perfecting their skills and put their names out there.

Best of luck to all the new interns and keep up the great internship, I really learned a lot from my time at Eyecon and I appreciate every opportunity you guys gave me,

Thanks and Go Pens,

Eddie

I thought I’d make it plain and simple.

1. Be on time and reliable

You wouldn’t buy a camera that worked half the time so why would you hire someone that only worked half the time.

2. Do your best work

I used the videos I edited as an intern in job interviews. By showing my ability to edit so professionally I got paid a professional rates without negotiation.

3. Use the studio

I now have to pay hundreds of dollars to rent a studio like that for only a few hours. The freedom to use it for free for a full day along with lights and C-Stands is insane. Look at studio and equipment rental prices and do the math.

4. Use the editing suites

I remember I came in on a Saturday and dedicated the whole day to learning After Effects. To this day I still occasionally make money as a freelance motion graphic designer.

5. Learn about and test the equipment

This will be a bit long. But right now my job is being in charge of an entire video production department. My boss isn’t very knowledgeable about video production but trusts me to take that load off his plate. He gives me a budget and its my job to decide what equipment we need to buy, what we should shoot and how to shoot it. There’s no time for guessing when dealing with other peoples money. If any of your interns plan to direct or produce one day this tip is key. That’s pretty much it. Right now I work full time at a digital ad company and like I said I’m in charge of video production with 3 people working under me. I still occasionally do freelance motion graphics when I have the time and work on short films with friends. I’m also only 25 so who knows what the future holds.

Let me know about that equipment rental. I may want to come by and see what all I can rent for a weekend. We’re just looking for lights and grip equipment.

JON

If I were to go back in time to the start of the internship, I would tell myself to

*contribute more in the round table discussion meetings. There were a few times that I refrained from speaking in fear of looking like a fool. it is better to be a fool for a minute than for the rest of your life.

*I would also tell my younger self "No, you do not have all the answers. and to learn from the professionals."

* Always volunteer for on-location work. It changes your perspective in the studio setting.

* If you know how to do something, jump in!

Cheers,

Caleb

The only thing that I was missing out on was the switcher. I wish I had spent more time working on that. I got my confidence from your program I was able to use every skill set I learned in collage. After I let I have been jumping around from film set to film set as a gaffer, set design, and acting. I work on a 3 part shot film thing with C last year. Now I am working with the travel change. we are on the road do best hind restraints on the old root 66. I hope this email help. If you need anything let me know.

Alex

Hello Interns,

A few short years ago, I was standing where you are now. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to get my start in the production business. The time I had spent getting my Bachelors of Arts in Radio/TV/Film was focused more on the historical aspect of film rather than the practical production side. Working at Eyecon taught me a lot of the skills that are actually used in the industry and served as a springboard to more production jobs. Here are the tips I recommend to getting the most out of your time at Eyecon:

1) If you know there's an area of production that you want to get into, say something. If you're into editing, you'll get to do more editing. If you're into creating motion graphics, you'll get called on to that more. 2) But also take the time to explore all areas of production. Getting experience in the studio, being on set, and editing are all great ways of expanding your knowledge. Even if it's something you don't want to do specifically, it's worth having the experience so you understand how they work and can better communicate with those departments in the future.

3) NETWORK! NETWORK! NETWORK! Many of the jobs I got after completing my internship were from people I had worked with in some capacity at Eyecon. If you are courteous, friendly, and professional, people will remember that and want to work with you in the future. 4) Don't be afraid to ask questions. This is a learning experience, so if you're not certain about something, it's better to ask and be sure than guessing and getting it wrong.

After completing my internship with Eyecon, I continued to work in the production industry for many years. Through connections I had made in my Eyecon days, I got work as the 2nd Assistant Camera on a B- horror moved called Knucklebones. I have also been a production assistant on episodes of Toddlers & Tiaras and America's Got Talent, and Script Supervisor for a number of my friend's productions. Recently my career focus has shifted back to the historical side of film, and I am striving to become a film librarian. Although my career path has changed from what I originally intended, my time at Eyecon was a valuable opportunity to understand the world of production and gave me insight to the amount of work that goes into every video or film made. I hope that your time here will be as fruitful as mine was. Break a leg,

Sarah

"This internship has a great deal of potential for each and every one of you.

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