I want to start off acknowledging how appreciative I am of the opportunity to work with Greyline Media. Personally, I did not know exactly what I was getting into when I first started. I thought I had a general idea of what goes into sports production but this internship has allowed me to fall in love with what goes on behind the camera. Greyline Media has shown me life lessons that I will never forget as well as what it takes to become a professional in the sports industry.
It has now been almost two weeks since I left Queens, New York and I have had time to reflect on my time at the U.S. Open. When I got offered the opportunity, I was ecstatic. With my background, not many people get to see or experience occasions such as this one. Many people would have treated this opportunity more like a vacation but I knew that I was there to work and learn the industry I have been trying so desperately to get into. Honestly, I learned enough information and skills, that I could write a book but I will try to be as concise as I can.
Professionalism. If there is one trait I could stress to anyone interested in joining Greyline or any company in the sports production industry, it would be professionalism. It is clear. Once you experience what it feels like, anyone or anything that is unprofessional, sticks out. I had the opportunity to work with many people during my time at the Open and it became easier to identify who was professional and who was not. We worked with Boardwalk Productions during my time at the U.S. Open and each of them taught me different ways of being professional. How they talked, dressed, treated their equipment, and treated others stood out amongst the rest of the production crews at the site. Ms. Lesley Young is always professional when I work with her but I appreciated her in a new way after experiencing how differently some people work. She is great at creating a balance that is way harder to describe but once you experience it, you can tell how she is different from others.
Familiarity. One thing I noticed is how being familiar with your crew and gear, helps with the overall process of getting the job done. Lesley was great at analyzing crew members strengths and weaknesses. This is super important and is something that may go overlooked in sports production. Putting people in the right place to succeed creates a strong and positive group environment. It will decrease tension and allow crew members to shine. Halfway through the trip, I became more familiar with each crew member. This helped me a lot because I knew who to go to for information. I probably asked at least twenty questions a day when I first started. As the weeks went on, I started asking more meaningful questions and was able to help out a lot more. This made me feel appreciated. This leads me to my next point.
Trust. Being able to depend on someone means you have trust in that person to succeed. Trust is so valuable because in this industry, you can’t do everything alone. Everyone has a job to do and if one person fails, it can slow down or completely stop the progress. I knew that each of my crew members had faith in me to do my job. Once I became familiar with gear and my overall job, their trust grew in me. Trust is very important in many different ways. Cameramen trust their ability to get the right shot and not miss it. Editors are trusting the crew at the grounds that they are getting footage that is useable for the show. Everyone is trusting the production assistants to make sure their crew is ok and most importantly, not losing footage and ingesting cards properly.
Adaptability. There is a lot of pressure in this industry. Those that cannot adapt will not be successful. Times and places are consistently changing. Schedules get rearranged. I learned how to move and adapt quickly. The sports industry is fast because you never know what is going to happen. That is why we love sports. There is a certain amount of unpredictability that forces you to be quick on your feet. There were several instances that we had to grab gear and move locations for different reasons. Our crew knew how important this trait is because you never want to miss a shot or an opportunity because you were late.
Communication. In order to possess these traits, you must have good communication. Our team was constantly communicating throughout the day so we never missed a moment. Lesley is a great leader but in order to maintain a successful group, communication is a must. She was great at communicating directions and creating schedules that were easily adaptable that made for an easier experience for the crew. It’s a two-way street when it comes to communication. The crew was also good at communicating to Lesley what was working and what wasn’t. Without good communication, we would have failed.
There are a few things I would change if I had the chance to do this opportunity again. I thought that I had done enough preparation heading into the U.S. Open but the first few days taught me that I was not prepared enough. I had a lot on my plate heading into the event. I had one of the more unique experiences at the Open because of my circumstances. I wish that I had a little less to worry about during the trip. I am currently in college and my school has a big workload. Other smaller issues occurred during the trip as well, and I wish I could have managed them better. I wanted to be able to bring my best each day.
This experience was definitely a positive one. A few people questioned me about why I was doing this. Even more people wondered how I was able to manage everything that I was doing. The most simple answer I can give to them is Greyline Media. Learning how important it is to have good communication, adapting to situations, putting trust in your team, familiarizing yourself with your environment, and becoming a professional, is everything I could have hoped for when I applied to join Greyline Media. I never thought I would ever cover tennis. I do give myself a bit of recognition for adapting to a sport I knew very little about. This opportunity gave me a chance to appreciate sports production fully. I wasn’t as focused on who was winning and more about how we can create the best product. I got to learn the process of how the product is made and it made me appreciate where I am at in life a little bit more. Thank you Greyline Media and Boardwalk productions for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime.
Sincerely,
Aca Anderson