Notes from the Field: Barbara Olachea '19

Barbara Olachea '19 interned with the Brave New Films Foundation for the Summer 2017 term. The following is an excerpt from her internship report.

During the summer of 2017, I completed an internship with the Brave New Films Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to capturing the stories of individuals negatively affected by public policy, turning their narratives into thought-provoking films, and seeking to make local community members and national audiences agents of change in their communities. As a “shorts” production intern, I had the opportunity to work directly with a team of producers on the different stages of development of these short and informational films that Brave New Films has become famous for on YouTube and other channels of information. The Foundation is cognizant of the importance of utilizing media as a medium through which to educate viewers who may not have considerable knowledge or background about current issues that are plaguing our society, such as mass incarceration and our immigration system.

My responsibilities largely consisted of carrying out a variety of tasks, in order to contribute to the various projects that were in different stages of completion. These tasks included preliminary research on statistics and historical context, pulling relevant historical footage from the web, creating string outs of relevant video clips for editors, cataloguing videos and images into the foundation’s database, and overall streamlining the process that goes into creating a film, but on a smaller scale. I attended weekly meetings with producers and editors during which we discussed various projects in progress. Any upcoming legislation that could potentially have an impact on communities was discussed. We also discussed identifying individuals who could be subjects of upcoming films with important stories to tell and planned the next stage which is brainstorming for story development in terms of shooting and editing.

In conjunction with the editing and shooting experience I gained during my time at the Rockefeller Center, as well as with Brave New Films, I hope to be an asset to the new team I will be joining this fall: the Media Production Group on campus. The opportunities that the Rockefeller Center has given me with its student programming, such as the Management and Leadership Development Program, alongside the workshops for student staff, have given me insight into my character and working style. This has allowed me to adapt to whatever collaborative environment I find myself in, in addition to being intentional about my actions as a professional and an individual. Navigating a professional work environment in instances, such as an internship, can be nerve-wracking for a college student. I find that Rockefeller student programs allow you to acquire new ways of thinking and habits that prove useful later on. I came into my internship confident of my abilities to communicate efficiently with my supervisor and co-workers, as well as empowered to make the most of my time in the office by advocating for myself and showing initiative, especially at the beginning. These skills prove useful in any working environment, regardless of whether you are in a creative field or in a more traditional office setting. I would encourage any Dartmouth student looking to develop themselves and get ahead on their professional journey to participate in Rocky programming, as well as seek funding for opportunities such as conferences or internships. My internship has inspired me, given me meaningful connections to professionals whom I aspire to be like in the future, and put me on the path to success. Without the financial and professional support of the Rockefeller Center, I would not have been able to take advantage of this opportunity, and, for that, I am deeply grateful.

Click here to view a video that Barbara helped produce on "Immigrant Prisions"