Environment & Initial Impressions at CONAN

Environment/Initial Impressions

I am now ending the first week of my production internship at CONAN and it has been amazing thus far.  I have to admit it was surreal driving for the first time to the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank and walking onto the stage where CONAN is filmed.  While the stage itself was new to me, I was surprised to learn that the office at CONAN is much like other offices with cubicles, a mailroom, kitchen, etc. 

Upon arriving on my first day, I met with my boss, filled out some paperwork, and was then given a tour of the office, stage, and other significant places on the lot by a couple of veteran interns.  The dress code at the office is very casual-- jeans and sundresses.  However, while the dress code is more casual than other places I have worked and suggests a relaxed environment, people are still very serious about running a successful TV show.  

The office is very diverse with employees of various ages, races, backgrounds, etc.  It seemed like there are a lot of younger employees (20s and 30s), however there are also older employees, many of whom who have been with Conan from the beginning- when he first hosted Late Night in 1993.  I would also say that there is a relatively even distribution of males and females on staff.  I think this diversity is especially beneficial to the show as it lends to the creation of content that is relevant and humorous to a wide demographic. 

There is also a lot of diversity among the interns with people coming from various colleges, majors, interests, etc.  This surprised me as I assumed most of the interns would be from Southern California.  However, in addition to me there are two other interns from Michigan, both of whom go to Michigan State.  While we go to rival schools, we have become fast friends and it has been awesome to experience living in a new place with them!

I am still learning many of the rules and protocols at Conan, however there are some important ones I have been informed of so far.  One rule involves confidentiality and interns and other staff must be careful about taking pictures at work and posting them to social media. I thought I would mention this in case anyone wonders why I am unable to post pictures of the studio to this blog.  Another rule is that interns should refrain from bugging celebrities for photos, autographs, questions, etc.  I completely understand the importance of keeping a low profile among stars, as I am at my job, and thus I should treat celebrities as important, respected clients instead of acting like a star-struck fan. 

So far it has been amazing to witness and take part in the many different tasks that are involved in producing a late night talk show.  I am excited for next week and can’t wait to share more with everyone.  Also, I thought I would include this video, which is a remote of Conan and the spring interns from a couple of months ago, incase you want to see the kitchen/area where I work.  -- Kathleen 

P.S. The picture below is from an after-work trip to the Warner Bros. Museum's Harry Potter exhibit.