Niagara Falls Community Development

Summer 2017

During the summer of 2017, I was invited by the director of Niagara Falls Community Development to work as a social media intern.

The internship was heavily guided by the discussions that he and I had. NFCD was looking for ways to promote city assets through their social media accounts, and wanted a fresh take on city parks.

We both decided that the best route to take was for me to make a series of brief informative videos displaying certain features of parks. While certain events, like the opening of the new 70th Street park, were set to be featured well in advance, the majority of the video work was conceptualized by me.

The director of NFCD specifically chose me to produce videos based on some previous material that was floating around online. While NFCD could have secured some minimal equipment for me to work with, I was able to convince them to let me use my personal equipment. By using editing software and cameras that I was already familiar with, I skipped the learning process and went straight into production. This made it incredibly easy for me to work.

One of the facets of this particular internship that I loved was the lack of schedule. I was able to record and edit videos on my own time. Already having the equipment, I was allowed a significant amount of control of the design of the videos. This level of freedom could be daunting for some, but I personally loved the ability to be creative with my work.

One of the most interesting videos that I made was a result of circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Since my videos focused on outdoor activities, weather was a always a factor. The summer of 2017 was marked by long periods of rain, making promotion of a park difficult. To plug the gap, I created a children’s craft video. This video showed kids how to make their own miniature version of Hyde Park out of things like popsicle sticks and construction paper, and was one of the funnest things I’ve ever made.

One thing I was always clear of in this internship was the laws of consent for video and right to publicity. This is something that often goes unnoticed until an incident boils over.

In a video I made of the public pool, I was explicit to only film city employed lifeguards in the shots. The pool supervisor initially went down her chain of command, having one of the lifeguards call me to tell me the video was in violation of city laws. Knowing the laws, and knowing that I had explicitly avoided breaching those laws, I was able to have the video cleared and posted.

Sometimes, plans you had at the beginning don’t always come to fruition. One of the first videos that both the director of NFCD and I wanted to film was a featured of the new skate park at Hyde Park. Unfortunately, trying to work around not only the our respective schedules, but the schedules of the skaters we wanted to feature, the video stalled. The director and I have plans to re-attempt the video in the spring, when the skate park will pick back up after the long winter.

This internship was tailored for me, and therefore was something that I could see myself doing in the future. The director of NFCD was adamant that he does not like internships that consist of fluffy busy work. He likes his interns to have something that can show to employers, something that many internships don’t take into account. As a result of this internship, I now have a portfolio of videos that I conceptualized, shot and edited to show to companies. I can let my work speak for itself, which fits right in with my other work as a writer in the Niagara Wire newspaper and WNIA Radio show host.

If any students are looking for a customized internship, do not be afraid to reach out to local government. I knew the director of NFCD, which made it easier to set up an internship, but I know that local organizations are always looking for interns to help them with social media and video creation. The best part of these internships is that they often lack the rigid structure of pre-fabricated positions. If you are a creative person that likes to work on your own time, you would benefit greatly from these types of internships. The lack of schedule also helps when unexpected events happen. This summer turned out to be more complicated than I expected it to be, and my personal schedule was turned on its head. Having the ability to shape the internship to my quirky schedule was something that worked so perfectly for me. If it wasn’t for that freedom, I might have been forced to drop the internship. Luckily, that never had to happen.

An important note would be to make sure that you have a level of self-discipline if you want to attempt an internship of this style. When there are no set deadlines or schedules, it is incredibly easy to lose control. I find it helpful to self-impose deadlines to prevent yourself from pushing off a video until it’s too late.

Even after this internship has ended, I still plan to do some freelance video work for Niagara Falls Community Development. My passion for Niagara Falls aligns well with NFCD’s goals, and I think it’s important to show off the excellent work the department is doing for the citizens of Niagara Falls.