The Academies opened up a new program this year for students in the Arts and Global Perspective Academies, where three students would be able to intern at the Showtime television show, Inside the NFL, for four months. Students were required to apply and be interviewed in order to be eligible for the internship. One student would intern as a part of the social media aspect of the show and learn about public relations. The other two students would be a part of the production team and help out in the studio and the control room. However, earlier this year, the plans were adjusted for the internship – it was changed from an internship to an observational program, the student’s roles would be revised, and the time was cut down to less than three months. Despite this, the students, myself included, are still having a great time.

The students involved leave every Tuesday until December 20 after third period and go to the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan. We sit in on the production meeting for the first hour and then proceed to the studio for the actual filming of the show. For the first few days, we took turns switching from the studio and the control room. The show is mostly ad-libbed by the talent – Adam Schein, Boomer Esiason, Phil Simms, Michael Irvin, James Brown, and Brandon Marshall – and accompanied by tag lines and introductions from a teleprompter. Boomer, Phil, and Michael are former NFL players, while Brandon is the starting wide receiver for the New York Jets; Adam and James act as the mediators of the discussions. The men are given general topics to speak about and are allowed to take it however they please. Guest stars, such as former linebacker Bart Scott and kicker Jay Feely, appear on the show to fill in when necessary.

The workers and the talent have been incredibly nice and helpful since the beginning. They take time to show us what they do and even let us try it out. We have been able to step into the stage manager’s role and become a stage manager in-training. Likewise, we are able to observe in not just the studio, but also the audio room and the control room. I have the wonderful opportunity of being a part of this program and I am continuing to learn a lot each time that I am there.