Communication Major Finds Her Career Aim On the Small Screen

Imagine being an intern working in a control room amidst the pandemonium of a live 2006 FIFA Soccer World Cup match where people shout orders across the room and everything revolves around a time-sensitive schedule.

Imagine running the teleprompter for ESPN Deportes (the Spanish outlet of ESPN Sports), where the slightest error could distort the message or ruin the reputation of the person on screen.

Imagine researching famous International athletes and writing questions for their live television interviews.

Now, imagine being a Texas A&M University undergraduate responsible for accomplishing all of these tasks.

Many Texas A&M students participate in internships or study abroad during their college education, and a handful earn internships abroad, but few students can claim the experiences that Evelyn Guillen ’06 does. Guillen, a communications major and Spanish minor graduating in May 2007, has already put her education into practice, such as the examples listed above when she interned with ESPN Deportes. But this experience was her third such opportunity.

Her internship odyssey started during the summer of her sophomore year, when Guillen participated in the MSC L.T. Jordan Institute for International Awareness and Living Abroad Program (ILAP). ILAP hosts study abroad trips where students are immersed in a culture by living and working in a foreign country. Guillen spent her summer in Sevilla, Spain, where she interned with LZ Producciones film company. Already skilled in technical editing and production due to a media class and a high school job, Guillen was able to work on a movie, help with pre-production of a documentary, and edit an animated film. Her Spanish minor proved useful when she acted as a translator and liaison between the mostly Spanish-speaking company and various contacts in New York.

Guillen was born and raised in Mexico, so living in Spain for a semester wasn’t too much of a culture shock. However, she learned a lot during both the living and working experiences. A fast-paced television production studio helped her learn how to work well under pressure. Life in Spain, which is more relaxed than in the U.S., helped her do just that – relax and enjoy family and friends more.

“I don’t stress out as much when it comes to tests or projects,” says Guillen. “It [the internship experience] has removed a lot of pressure and made me look at the bigger picture.

After graduation, Guillen aspires to work as the video editor for a TV sitcom or ultimately, direct an entertainment news program. These career goals come, not courtesy of her Spain or ESPN Desportes experiences, but rather from her second internship in the research department of “The Late Show with David Letterman.” It was here that she was able to see all aspects of television production.

Guillen says most television viewers have no idea of the work that goes into airing their favorite show. For example, David Letterman does not sit down with a celebrity and simply begin an impromptu interview. Staff personnel conduct countless hours of research to ensure the most current information is noted and nothing old is repeated.

A typical day for Guillen began by developing and distributing an internal daily entertainment news and gossip package. She spent the next hour perusing and filing new magazines articles mentioning celebrities who were potential or scheduled guests. These celebrity files were used to write pre-interview notes and possible questions for the interview. During the taping, Guillen took notes on the actual direction of the interview to make sure that a celebrity is never asked the same question twice.

Her most memorable moment happened the day that actress Debra Messing was scheduled to appear. The research team discovered that Messing’s mother was in a singing group at age 18; so, the team frantically scoured all possible outlets for any information about the group. Guillen found a song title from an album the group had recorded, which lead to tracking down the album in New Jersey. Guillen had someone play the song over the phone for a producer, and a few minutes later the song was aired during Messing’s interview.

“I believe you will succeed if you work hard every day doing something you love, she says. “Hearing that song during the show made me feel appreciated and like a real part of the team.”

Back in College Station, Guillen continues to use her editing and television production skills by working for the College of Veterinarian Medicine Media Resources and 12^th Man Productions.

In each of her internships, Guillen says another key to her success was not being afraid to fail. “After all, you never know what you are capable of until you try.”

####

Contact: Blair Williamson, 979.458.1347, bwilliamson@libarts.tamu.edu