An Internship in the Bahamas
By: Danielle Rebel, Marketing & Communications Intern
While many college students spend their summers lounging at the lake and working two jobs to pay rent, Katherine Beneby returned home. To the Bahamas, that is.
But she didn’t spend her summer lounging at the beach and soaking in sunlight – or all of it anyway. Beneby received an internship with Baha Mar – a $3.5 billion resort that opens its doors to the public in 2014.
“I saw it and was like, wow, this would be such a great opportunity for me,” Beneby said.
After her interview, Beneby submitted a video sample from her time on Campus News. The production team at Baha Mar, located in the city of Nassau, was impressed, selecting her as the sole videographer interning with them for the summer.
“Being able to get that real time experience, that’s something you can’t pay for,” Beneby said. “At MSUM I get the practical part. In the workplace it’s different.”
While MSUM faculty in the multimedia journalism department have taught her the fundamentals, Beneby says they also foster confidence and adaptability, which are both essential in the industry.
“They have definitely made a difference, not only teaching us theory but hands on as well,” Beneby said. “Although the camera might change the function doesn’t. Those fundamentals are key.”
The team at Baha Mar kept the interns busy. Beneby says one of her favorite projects was creating a human “40” to celebrate the Bahamas 40th year of independence.
“To see all that come together was so fun, and to have that spread all over social media was so cool,” she said.
Katherine took the candid shots surrounding the “40” while her supervisor took the center photo. A graphic designer compiled the final product.
Beneby and her team also produced a video during their six-week internship. Two were attempted, but due to time restraints the second remained unfinished.
Beneby helped her supervisor with an additional video as well. It was filmed in an unfinished construction zone. Not knowing what to expect, she showed up at the construction site, where muck and mosquitoes abounded. This didn’t stop her from getting what she needed.
“If you want real quality product, you’re going to have to take a risk,” Beneby said. “This job gave me that opportunity.”