Field Notes: The Media School Travel Blog

At the end of September, the company I’m interning at invited me to my first-ever red carpet event for the release of its film, “Venus as a Boy.” I was thrilled – I get to dress up and walk the red carpet!? The location was right in the middle of Hollywood, at an old townhouse, covered with fairy lights and banners.

It took me a few hours to get ready. There was a lot of cellotaping and clipping and ironing involved. I wanted to look good, but in a way that an intern should. This was the actors’ day, but I was happy just to be invited. I finally landed on a white tank top and long black skirt and strappy heels. It was going to be my first time meeting the people at the office, because my internship is remote. I wanted to make a good first impression.

Seeing the actors up close, larger than life, was stunning. They were suave, in ritzy suits and sleek dresses, holding martini glasses, laughing, wearing sunglasses even though it was well past sunset. The movie was screened in the lawn, so the grass was covered with blankets, shoes and purses. The whole affair was very old school and charming. Everyone who worked on the set huddled together for pictures, speeches and interviews. I was tasked with taking suitable pictures for the Instagram page, and the actors had no problem posing and grinning for my camera.

As a marketing intern, I had almost nothing to do with the production of the film, but I did edit the posters and the web page for the movie. It was phenomenal to see something I designed displayed in large prints all around the venue for hundreds of people to see. It was the first time I had seen my work published in such an official way. Even though the internship is unpaid, it was a very validating feeling. It made me realize that this was indeed what I wanted to do.