Earlier this week during my internship, Wiz Khalifa came to our offices to do some recording in the Jamn' 94.5 studio. When I found out that he was there, I obviously got very excited and wanted to run upstairs to the studio and see if I could get a glimpse at him (not embarrassed to admit this) or maybe even snap a picture. People in my office deal with stars and famous people on a semi regular basis, and I think they forget that the interns actually do get excited at the thought of interacting with the artists.
During his visit, I was sent upstairs to bring paperwork to someone coming in to collect prize tickets. I obviously took the scenic route which coincidentally brought me past the Jamn' 94.5 studio. I did my best to peer through the 1x1 window on the door of the studio, but my efforts were fruitless. Besides a few body guards and some sales team members hanging around in the hallway, I did not see anything or anyone special. It seems as if Wiz and I were not meant to meet at that moment. Some other time, I guess.
What this experience has taught me is that it is important to act professionally and coolly all the time in the media industry, even, or especially, as an intern. The promotions department will be judged and remembered by the artists as a collective unit, meaning that it is essential for every single person to act with tact, and not as typical fans. It is important to distinguish ourselves as business people, for we promote their music and organize their concerts. They want to be able to trust us to act professionally if they are going to put us in charge of promoting their concerts. Over the course of the summer this has made an impact on me as I see how the experienced employees regard artists through a firmly business perspective, as these artists and their work are the defining component of the industry and those employees' careers.
Actually, I also would have done the same thing that you did! But yes, it is important to keep a professional manner around clients even if you are a big fan of them. Sometimes, just remembering that clients are ordinary people can help with keeping calm and collected! Hope you do get to meet a great artist soon :D!
ReplyDeleteI have never really had a job that has dealt with famous people. However, I have always wondered what that might be like. At some point, I imagine that the people who work directly with these famous individuals actually stop viewing them in such a magical light. I would expect that when you work with these stars, you might begin to see "behind the curtain" and realize that they have flaws just like us. I think that this is actually quite necessary when dealing with celebrities because it allows you to treat them objectively and in a professional manner. Still, that doesn't happen immediately! So, I guess that it starts out with a balancing act of being both professional and respectful. Nonetheless, it is so cool to work with people who have such a strong influence on our music and pop culture world!
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience at my job. One of the hosts of the show I work on used to be a cast member on Saturday Night Live and has done a few movies so naturally on my first day of work I was nervous to meet him! It turned out though, to my surprise actually, that he was completely normal and by the end of my internship he was just a normal guy at work. I don't think it is bad to have those initial jitters, but again keeping them in line to remain professional is what is most important
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