Story by Gabby Urenda
When I tell people that I hold my office hours inside of the Casanova Center at Autzen Stadium and at the Matthew Knight Arena, the first thing they ask me is, “Can I come?”
Sure, if you’re a video production intern for Oregon Athletics.
As an intern for Oregon Athletics and its website, GoDucks, I get access to some of the best facilities on or around campus to film and edit all types of sports-related content. From practices and media availabilities to live game footage, I get to see it all.
How to apply
I first learned about this opportunity through the UO’s Association for Women in Sports Media chapter. The group retweeted the opportunity, and I immediately got on it. If you haven’t already, make sure you follow accounts that advertise job and internship opportunities on campus, including @UOsojc and @SOJCCareers.
As seniors, such as myself, exit the SOJC (*tear*), new intern positions will open up around April.
Experience required
Filling out the application is great and all, but having some real-life experience through programs at the SOJC might be what puts you over the top for these competitive slots. The internship is almost always hands-on, so make sure you have the skills to jump right in.
I highly recommend completing the Gateway to Media series of courses before you apply — at the very least — and getting some experience on DuckTV. Both of those programs helped a great deal when it came to my training — especially DuckTV Sports. By the time I applied for GoDucks, I already had experience shooting live games, producing packages and editing video.
Oh, and for video editing, learn how to use Adobe Premiere, which is similar to Final Cut Pro.
What I have learned
I mention Premiere because I had to learn it on my first day. That same day, I also had to cover media availability for football. I was thrown into the deep end, and I am grateful for it.
Sports video production happens in a fast-paced environment, where you either keep up and learn or get left behind. The same goes for editing content, as you always want to be the first outlet to put out a press conference or media day for a given event.
Throughout my experience with GoDucks, I have gained the confidence to shoot and edit high-quality video on deadline. I got only one shot (literally) to produce content that hundreds of people would see, and I had to believe in my ability to get what I needed. This confidence extended to cool projects like shooting athletes up close and showing a day in their life. Without this internship, I would not be as comfortable shooting and editing as I am today, and I know those skills will be invaluable in my future career.
Roll it forward
Being a part of GoDucks also gave me the opportunity to freelance as a runner, production assistant and stage manager for the Pac 12 Networks. All of those positions require me to assist the crew and talent as needed. For example, I am always ready to put up or take down a camera, and then to run and grab the entire crew lunch five minutes later.
Working for the Pac 12 has also taught me to learn and love broadcast from the ground up. I appreciate every crew member, because they are the reason the show happens. It takes long hours and hard work to allow people to watch a live basketball game comfortably from home. And I love the fact that I get to help make that happen.
Gabby Urenda is an aspiring print and broadcast journalist who plans to graduate from the SOJC in 2017. In addition to pursuing a degree in journalism with a minor in women and gender studies, she works as a video production intern for GoDucks, serves as president of UO’s AWSM chapter and is a student production assistant at the PAC-12 Network. This summer she completed an internship with the 27 Outs Baseball network, where she covered minor league baseball and ADA Collection and managed the company’s social media accounts. You can view her work at gabbyurenda.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @GabbyUrenda.