A Glimpse Inside Skillman Video Group: My 2019 Summer Internship Experience

I’m Lydia Gyurina, a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University, and I was Skillman Video Group’s intern for the summer of 2019.

At school, I study Kinetic Imaging, a program which spans video, animation, sound, and emerging media, and I have a minor in Creative Writing. I grew up in Melrose, MA, and spent the summer living with my family, working a part-time job, and interning with Skillman Video Group.

As an intern, I had two primary roles– working as a production assistant on shoots, and writing blog posts for SVG’s site. Over the summer, I wrote seven posts for the website (including this one), and went on around the same amount of shoots. Several times over the summer, I met with Christina and Joe, our CEO and CEO, who provided me with guidance for my writing, as well as for my final video, a work-in-progress which will highlight my father’s photography business, using many of the same skills that I learned from working as a PA. I also took photos on all of the shoots!

As a PA, I worked with a number of DP’s, or directors of photography, and noticed that each one had different ways of doing things. Although I was a little hesitant at first, I became more comfortable with setting up lights, making adjustments, and listening to what my DP needed. Of course, I also moved a lot of equipment around.

Although I certainly learned a lot from working as a PA – this was the aspect of the internship that most drew me to it! – I actually enjoyed writing for SVG’s blog the most. I found that it came naturally to me, and I felt that I was able to write honestly while still portraying all the great things about SVG that might make a client want to hire them. I also appreciated the feedback that I received from Joe and Christina. Moving towards the completion of my undergraduate career, I’m beginning to consider possibilities in marketing or other types of writing, possibly for an arts organization or nonprofit. Doing this internship provided me with experience and a portfolio that I hope would facilitate that kind of work.

If you’re a young person looking to learn more about video production and the inner workings of a video production company, I would recommend interning at Skillman Video Group as a place to explore what video production actually means and to develop your own sense of a professional self.

.