Employ.Ed on Campus Internships – intern reflections

Employed.Ed is a paid internship initiative for 2nd, 3rd and penultimate year students at the University of Edinburgh. We were delighted to be joined by Video Interns Sam Kennard and Connie Chen, and Digital Communcations Intern Freiza Djojosugito and are excited to share their work in the coming weeks. Here is an insight into their experience: 

Initial impressions 

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Sam: I have been a Video Production Intern at CBSS for the last three months. Outside of this internship, I am a Mechanical Engineering student who’s been making videos and silly short films with my brother since we were kids. On my first day, I was surprised and relieved to find out I wasn’t the only video production intern and would instead be working with Connie. Having someone to discuss ideas with and building upon video together helped to create content of much greater quality. 

Connie: The most challenging yet most rewarding aspect of this internship was learning to set up, film, and edit interviews. Coming from a background in vlogging and creating yearbook highlights, I was more accustomed to working with dynamic visuals rather than audios and still scenes of the interviewees. However, I am grateful for the hands-on opportunities and the freedom to plan and execute projects independently, which allowed me to learn through trial and error. 

Freiza: Before starting my internship, I expected that I would have a understanding of the job from previous experience as I enjoyed creating posts. However, I was nervous that I walking into a high-pressure environment where I wouldn't be able to meet the expectations professionally. 

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Favourite projects 

Sam: My favourite project was probably our first project where we interviewed an artist duo named Baum and Leahy. Because this was only a few weeks into the internship, it felt like we were diving straight into the deep end and gave us a chance to really learn from the ground up on how to set up, ask the correct questions and make them feel comfortable. 

Connie: What I enjoyed most about media work was staying behind the scenes—being involved without the pressure of the spotlight! Video production wasn’t just about filming and editing; it required a deep understanding of the subjects we were covering, particularly the research and projects of the academics. I learned so much about the interdisciplinary work that is going on at CBSS, leaving me feeling inspired everyday. 

Freiza: This internship is one of the most positive environments and rewarding experiences I've had. I learnt so much about how to brand, consistency, and being more conscious about creating accessible content through writing or visually. My favourite project was creating social media posts for all our platforms. 

More about Baum & Leahy (external site)

It has been fantastic having Sam, Freiza and Connie join our comms and engagement team at CBSS over the summer as part of the Employ.Ed Internship scheme. They’ve made a really positive contribution to the centre creating social media posts and producing wonderful videos. A huge thank you to them for all their hard work!

Jenny Bos

What next? 

Sam: Other than continuing my engineering degree, I plan on continuing video production as a hobby and hopefully find another internship in the same vein next year. This is all to build up my skill and professional experience in the industry to be able to continue that momentum after I graduate. 

Connie: This internship showed me how “changes always run faster than plans” through all the unexpected challenges thrown at me during the hands-on work. Working in media means capturing moments that can’t be redone, so I learned to adapt to work with the available resources and make fast decisions in times when the ideal scenario is not going to work out. These are the skills I’ll carry forward into my future endeavours. 

Freiza: Despite the numerous creative blocks to keep within guidelines and branding, the value from these challenges helped me learn how to adapt and think outside the box which I hope to take forward. I couldn't ask for a better first-experience into the work-life. Thank you so much to my supervisors, Miriam and Jenny, and all the interns. 

Learn more about Employ.Ed on Campus