INSIDE BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY
Senior a star as NBC intern
“Even though I was stationed in the sales division (at NBC), I went back and forth between divisions and did a little bit of everything for everyone,” said Shaw, who returned to NBC this summer. It was a good feeling, Shaw said, to know that a major network tracked him down and invited him to return.
Working in the programming and developing department at NBC Sundance channel in Times Square, Shaw’s responsibilities included researching environmental news and reviewing independent films before they were edited or seen by the public.
His office was next to Robert Redford’s, founder of the Sundance Institute. Shaw, who never got to meet the famous actor, said he enjoyed working with a company that offers programs and news different from other channels. “He was a great kid, ambitious and willing to get his hands dirty, which is exactly what it takes to be successful in this business,” Ari Mark, Shaw’s internship supervisor, said of Shaw.
Shaw said the most important lesson of the internship is that, even in a business field, it is vital to learn how to speak and deal with various personalities on an individual basis.
Shaw said that’s where psychology helped him to handle others. “I would observe my bosses and co-workers and see what kind of person he/she was, whether he was a jokester, shy or serious,” Shaw said.
Shaw hopes to work in the television business, preferably at NBC or HBO, and is researching graduate schools that relate to the field. As for advice to students seeking an internship, Shaw says, “start early, do not wait and, most importantly, do it because you enjoy it and want to be there.”
