Hello everyone, my name is Natalia, and I am here to share my unique internship experience. For the past five months, I have been an intern at AVROTROS, the oldest Dutch broadcasting station. I was part of the Zin in Zappelin crew, which produces one of the most-watched children’s educational TV programs in the Netherlands. This internship allowed me to explore the world of television, providing an in-depth look behind the scenes at the production processes of one of the most significant media formats. I learned a lot about not only the work field, but also about myself. You want to know how? Let’s explore what a typical day at my internship looked like.
My internship was divided between days spent at the office and days in the filming studio. Let me start by describing an average day at our office. I usually began my day around 8 o’clock, commuting to the Hilversum media park, where our office is located. I arrived at the office around 9 o’clock and took a moment to review the tasks for the day. We had a weekly meeting every Tuesday to divide up the workload and discuss what needed to be done by the next week. These sessions set goals for me to work toward and provided a clear idea of what was expected of me each week. My tasks varied significantly, ranging from brainstorming ideas for our upcoming season to calling guests and inviting them to appear on our show. I also had the freedom to take my own initiative. For example, I pitched the idea of making an episode about Colombia. I am also proud to say that I wrote a few of the scripts performed in the series.
Filming days were a little more hectic. I was in charge of keeping all the paperwork organized and ensuring the parents of the kids who were guests on the show filled out the necessary legal forms. Additionally, I was responsible for setting up and organizing the props needed for the scenes, ensuring everything was ready for filming. This often meant running around the studio, setting up different props, and biking across town to find the needed items. As you may notice, there was a night-and-day difference between the office and filming days. While the workplace was organized and peaceful, filming days required flexibility and quick thinking. Despite the chaos, I enjoyed these filming days because they kept me motivated and provided a nice twist from my regular desk duties. It gave me the opportunity to experience the fast-paced nature of production.
I learned so much about what it means to be part of a long-term project throughout my internship. It was incredibly rewarding to work on the next season’s episodes and watch them premiere months later. However, beyond the knowledge I gained, I will treasure the enjoyable times I had with my colleagues. I’ll never forget singing “Never Gonna Give You Up” in front of the CEO at the bingo party. I grew a fruit family, started a friendly “soda can” competition to uplift the spirits of my coworkers, chatted with coworkers from various departments I encountered at the coffee machine, and we even had a summer party. These events added a lot of fun to my work and highlighted the positive, upbeat atmosphere my amazing teammates helped establish. Their friendship and unwavering support were crucial in making this experience meaningful. I leave this place with an abundance of knowledge, cherished memories, and, above all, a bright future.
