photos by Daniel Muller
testimonial by Steven Ashford
When I was 2 years old, my parents bought me a full-sized acoustic guitar because I told them I wanted to play like James Taylor. When they put the strap around my shoulder, the weight of the guitar flung me to the ground. When I was 11, I went to my first concert at Sokol Auditorium, to see, um, 311. Since then, it’s safe to say that I have rampantly transgressed through many musical genres throughout the years, and my passion and appreciation for music has only continued to grow.
Last fall when I first sat down with Andy to speak about the opportunity to write for Hear Nebraska, I could immediately sense a great deal of dedication running through his veins. His drive to incorporate so many dynamics within the Nebraska artistic community initially seemed intimidating. Quickly understanding his ability to be extremely organized and structured, though, gave me the reassurance that I was going to be able to learn a lot from my Hear Nebraska experience.
SEE INTERNSHIP INFO
One of the most important parts of working with Hear Nebraska is the fact that interns are given the freedom to concentrate on their personal interests. For instance, my second interview that I conducted was with MURS, a Southern California underground hip-hop artist that was a big deal to me growing up. I’ve seen his shows a couple times in the past, but I never thought in a million years that I would one day be giving him a personal phone call to chat exclusively about his work, and this was within the first few weeks of being an intern, for crying out loud.
As I progressed through my tenure as a HN intern, I began to step out of my comfort zone of being solely a writer and to utilize tools that were foreign to me. I was taught how to get crafty with a camera, which led me to organizing a video interview/live performance that I shot and edited, and another live music video that I helped shoot and direct. Having the ability to branch out and learn different types of media was a very rewarding experience for me.
However, I would say the most rewarding part of working with Hear Nebraska is each time that I complete a task, I see the work published. It is a great feeling to see your work blasted on Facebook and up on the site. It’s even more of a thrill to see all of the “likes” and comments that are received when it goes public. It allows me to get a sense of appreciation knowing that my work is not going unnoticed and people are intrigued with what I have to say and write about.
After graduating from my “intern” status and becoming a regular contributor, I felt that my time at HN has given me the perfect exposure of not only publishing content for a fantastic website, but it has allowed me to meet and build relationships with amazing people that I plan on holding onto very tightly. When you work with Hear Nebraska, you instantly realize that you’re not working for an organization or a company, but you are working within a close family. There is something very special and unique brewing in the Hear Nebraska waters, and now is the perfect time to jump on in and get a taste.
INTERNSHIP INFO
Nebraska's nonprofit music media company is looking for crack-shot, enterprising, self-starting, multimedia content-producing interns. We aim to hire at least two multimedia interns, two editorial interns and one writing workhorse starting in August. We also have opportunities for editing, broadcasting and design interns should the right candidate apply.
Your computer will be your workplace, and you will help us cover, promote and document the state's music culture for 15-20 hours/week. Journalism, marketing or English majors are preferred, though others are accepted if they possess the following skills and attributes:
— Ability to produce quick, accurate copy or designed materials on deadline that, critically, do not bore;
— Understanding of social media and a proven ability to use it effectively;
— Diverse multimedia abilities (video, photo, audio, social);
— A knack for storytelling;
— Ability to communicate effectively and stay on task remotely;
— Desire to grow professionally and socially;
— Ability to generate engaging, compelling story ideas;
— Love of music (especially local).
The chosen candidate(s) will get:
— Tough edits that will make them stronger, more-skilled and -polished journalists;
— A portfolio full of dynamic multimedia clips;
— An opportunity to manage one of HN's social media channels;
— A flexible, production-focused schedule;
— The chance to be in the team and on the ground floor of a young, growing nonprofit;
— Free entrance into all HN-sponsored shows, and other concerts when possible.
MORE TESTIMONIALS
Bridget McQuillan, summer/fall 2012 multimedia intern
photo by Lauren Schoendorf
Rachel Steenson, summer 2012 education/classical music intern
Bryce Wergin, summer 2011 editorial intern
Matthew Masin, spring 2012 multimedia intern
photo by Matthew Masin
Steven Ashford is a former HN intern turned contributor. Ask him, our managing editor or editor-in-chief questions about the internship by emailing stevena@hearnebraska.org, michaeltodd@hearnebraska.org or andrewn@hearnebraska.org.
