A STUDENT-CENTERED CAMPUS - Curry College

SeniorScoresInternshipat VancouverOlympicsFresh off an internship that had him workingin the London bureau of NBC News, seniorMichael Prazmark, a Sociology major with aminor in Communication, scored anotheramazing internship to cap off his college career,working at the Vancouver Olympic Games.Prazmark interned with NBC Sports for theduration of the 2010 Winter Olympics andkept us updated on his internship dutiesthroughout.After an official orientation, Prazmark wastreated to an unofficial orientation dinner withsome big names from the TV world.“Our dinner last night allowed us the opportunityto meet with several television personalitiesand learn how they got into the business,”reported Prazmark on February 8. “Mary Carillo,Sam Flood, Peter Alexander, and LesterHolt all came and chatted with each of us personally.”Prior to the start of the games, Prazmark wasinvolved in a range of duties from setting uptalent rooms for on-air personalities like BobCostas and interview rooms for the athletes, tomounting a satellite to the roof of a productiontrailer in the late evening hours.Once the games were in play, he observed cameramen,editors, and sound personnel who hadbeen fine tuning the production facilities. Personally,he worked with producer Rob Hylandand director Drew Esocoff doing practice runsfor the upcoming events.He also quickly learned how the weather couldwreak havoc with the event locations, and inturn, production schedules and logistics.“Weather remains an issue here at CypressMountain where freestyle skiing such asMoguls, Aerials, and Ski Cross are takingplace,” described Prazmark on February 13.“Whistler is seeing the exact opposite effects ofthe storm and has a record breaking 200+inches of snow this season. Due to the lack ofsnow here at Cypress, snowboard practice hasbeen cancelled and moved to the Whistlerpipes and big air.Michael Prazmark '10 in an NBC production truck at the Winter 2010 Olympic Games“With the lack of snow being an issue, anNBC affiliate was sent to do a story on thedumping of snow from one mountain to theother via helicopter,” he noted. “The sheeramount of money the VANOC committee isspending on the operations is creating controversyamong locals. I escorted the NBC crewto the dump site via snowmobile, and I alsoattended a press conference regarding theissue.”His escort duties continued in service to a crewfrom NBC’s Today Show. He accompaniedcorrespondent Jenna Bush and crew to thefamilies of the U.S. athletes competing.“The Today Show got great interviews with[U.S. Women’s Snowboarders Hannah] Teter,[Kelly] Clark, and [Gretchen] Bleiler beforethe start of the big event,” said Prazmark.“While watching the interviews take place, Igot a great perspective on how to approach themothers and fathers that are watching theirchildren compete on such a grand stage, notknowing what the outcome may be.”The progression of the games provided progressivetechnical opportunities for Prazmarkas well during some of the most visually excitingevents that the Winter Games had to offer.He started to do more work in the productiontruck where the director, producer, and variousothers work together to coordinate what yousee at home.“On February 20, I was lucky enough to sit inthe production truck for the qualificationrounds for Aerials that knocked down thenumber of athletes to only 12,” Prazmarkrecounts. “The production truck is a veryintense high-paced place to be—especiallywhile broadcasting a live event. In the productiontruck, the director, producer, technicaldirector, assistant producer, and a recent additioncalled “stromoter” all work together to createwhat is aired. The truck is equipped with30 or more monitors that are used for varioussituations, and headsets that the cameramen,talent, and correspondents all get their cuesfrom. Variables such as timing directly affectthe airing of athletes’ actual runs, their results,replays, commercial breaks, montages, and onsiteinterviews that are used carefully to create‘The Big Show’.“The high intensity is mostly felt when on-thespotchanges occur that interfere with whatwas originally discussed in the regular meetingsheld prior to the start of each event,” heexplains. “More than just weather, athletestaking big falls in need of medical assistancecan generate the unexpected delays that productionmust quickly adapt to. Announcersneed to be ready at any moment’s notice tojump right back into discussion, as does everyoneelse involved. My short description of theway the production truck runs does not do justiceto the amount of things that need to betaken into consideration when building such alarge show.”The conclusion of the games and his return tothe US provided Prazmark an opportunity toreflect on these valuable experiences - the latestin a series of three internships he has done withNBC - and share some words of wisdom withfellow students.“From putting together production trucks, tohelping athletes and their families unite at thefinish lines, my job as a “runner” was boundless,”sums up Michael. “I was fortunateenough to work with anyone from the directorof the events, right down to the people who laythe fiber cables that reach the cameras at thevery top of the mountain. It was hard work,but a lot of fun with everyone.“My advice to anyone who may want to findwhat they are best at, or simply enjoy the most,is to take advantage of the many resources thatare available at Curry. Find interesting companiesto spend a semester with. You may learna lot and love every minute you are there, orfind out that you would never want to work inthat particularly industry for as long as youlive! These are important questions thatinternships are able to help answer. You mayeven have the answer to the question you getoh so often – ‘what do you want to do whenyou graduate from college?’ I did.Story by Fran JacksonSpring 2010 / Curry College Magazine 5