Don't Make Me Leave

It's been almost two whole weeks since my last post and things at my internship just keep getting better. It's really great to work in an environment where everyone is really happy and ACTUALLY wants to be there. Plus, as an intern, it's amazing to work under people who genuinely want you to learn about their field. Today one of my bosses basically quizzed me on a conference call I had the privilege to sit in on- and interestingly enough, I learned a lot from a ten minute phone call.

Every day is different - there isn't really a typical day at the office. One morning I'll be at the studio signing in actors for their recording sessions and the next I'm scheduling cars and makeup artists for Comic Con. I'll prep for auditions, sit in on meetings, watch animatics of shows in their very first stages of development, do casting research for roles, put together end-of-series gifts, and sometimes I'll just hang out and watch the actors do what they do best.

I'll break down TODAY for you just so you can get an example
I had to be at a recording session this morning in Studio City by 8:45am and honestly I was afraid I wasn't gonna make it. Luckily I was three minutes early and anyone who I wouldn't want to know that I arrived late didn't show up until a lot closer to 9, so that was good. The session was for a brand new show called Wander Over Yonder (I googled it and it's already all over the web so this isn't confidential information or anything) and honestly, it looks really funny. The first session was with April Winchell (who does so much voiceover work holy Clarabelle Cow [this is a funny joke because she voiced Clarabelle Cow]) and Jack McBrayer, or Kenneth from 30 Rock. Jack arrived a bit early so we chatted a bit - he's definitely a nice guy. Once everyone showed up and Jack and April popped into the booth, I was clutching my sides in laughter. The episode they recorded was so hilarious I cannot WAIT to see it. After they finished, Tom Kenny and Keith Ferguson came in and I handled all their paperwork. Usually we only record one person at a time (which I asked my boss about today and he said that that has to do with scheduling conflicts) but they prefer to have the actors play off each other in the booth aka record with more than one person. I took off after that because it was already 11:45 and I was trying to make it back to the office so I could head over to the intern lunch. Every Thursday there are "intern lunches" and I have yet to make it to one and I wanted today to be THE DAY. Unfortunately, as I was driving back, the only other intern in my building (who I haven't even had a chance to get to know yet) texted me saying that she would have to bail and therefore we couldn't walk over together. I realized that I probably shouldn't go either because I wanted to be back in the office by 1:00. I grabbed some lunch once I got back and ate super fast because by the time I got my food it was already 12:30. I had been sitting in on some auditions for a new pilot and my boss (I have 6 bosses so I'm probably never talking about the same one) had asked if I wanted to sit in on a conference call with the creators about the actors they saw. Obviously I said yes, so two of my bosses and I sat in a small conference room and called these dudes to discuss their thoughts on the auditionees. Honestly I had a few people in my mind and I was a little shocked when they didn't say a single one of them! But as I mentioned before, I definitely learned a lot from the exchange. Afterward I took care of some Comic Con stuff (there is so much to do every day it's crazy) and then I prepped for the Mickey Mouse Shorts record (side note: WATCH THE PREMIERE OF THE FIRST EPISODE TOMORROW, FRIDAY JUNE 28TH! I don't know what time it's on, but keep an eye out tehe). The first guy who recorded was hilarious and, upon looking him up on imdb, has an extensive list of voice over work. Next was the voice of Goofy - it was so cool to watch him record Goofy's lines. After that, the voice of Tigger, Winnie the Pooh AND Cat from CatDog recorded and although he didn't record as any of those characters, it was still really awesome to watch him work. I realized though that it was already 5:30 and since I got to the studio at 9 this morning, I had to get ready to go. I got back to my cubicle, responded to a bunch of emails, and updated my Comic Con files. I checked in with my boss on my way out and, like every day, I was sad to go. I really love my internship and I look forward to waking up at 7:30 every morning because of it. Every day is different, but almost always fun and exciting, and I really don't want it to end. It seems really early on, but I want to know if and how I could stay on throughout the fall - I know I should experience another new environment and company and department, but I love it here and honestly I could see myself working in Disney for my entire life (surprise, surprise).

Some other highlights of the past two weeks include: meeting/signing in Wayne Brady, putting end-of-series gifts together for Rachel Dratch and Jennifer Coolidge, watching Blake Anderson and Danny Pudi audition, hearing Bobby Moynihan audition (over the phone), hearing Linda Cardinelli record for Gravity Falls (also over the phone, still cool though! She still sounds like good ol' Lindsey from Freaks and Geeks), watching Vincent Martella (the voice of Phineas from Phineas and Ferb) and Ashley Tisdale record, getting free sushi for lunch at the studio, directing the mock audition and then getting critiqued on my critiques (so interesting!), passing Johnny Knoxville in the hall at the studio and not realizing it was him until after he said hi to me, listening to a speech from the co-presidents of Disney Interactive, getting my first paycheck, and realizing how hard it actually is to come up with ideas for animated characters within very narrow parameters.

Please don't make me leave.