It\u2019s 4:30 a.m. when Taylor Brittain\u2019s alarm goes off on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.<\/p>\n
Ahead of her lies a nearly 2 \u00bd hour commute into New York City, which includes about 25 minutes of driving and almost two hours of sitting on a train.<\/p>\n
When Brittain, an East Stroudsburg University senior from Upper Back Eddy, Pa., majoring in communication studies, finally arrives at Penn Station before making her way to Chelsea Studios where she\u2019s an intern for the Rachael Ray Show, she\u2019s braced for a day filled with anything and everything. She could be swapping out sets, getting new props ready that will be inserted at commercial breaks or venturing to the Upper East Side to pick up wardrobe changes. She may even find herself face to face with some big wigs.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a fast-paced environment that requires confidence, promptness, accuracy and strong communication skills, all components that were emphasized during her time at East Stroudsburg University.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will leave without breaking the bank, but I have learned a lot at ESU and decided I would from the beginning,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are so many things on campus that you can get involved in. If you do, then it will be super helpful. There is so much at your disposal, and if you take advantage of it while you\u2019re there, then it can help you in the real world tremendously.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brittain has seen that first-hand. Of the approximately 30 interns for the Rachael Ray Show, she is one of only a handful getting to the chance to spend time in three departments, which she said are as different as night and day. She\u2019s with the art department on Tuesdays, field production on Wednesdays and regular production on Thursdays.<\/p>\n
Helping Brittain through all the aspects of her internship are the experiences she\u2019s been involved in at ESU and the well-roundedness of the classes in her major. Since her first semester as a freshman, she worked with Sports Information Director Greg Knowlden. She was responsible for dealing with coaches, referees and media members. She\u2019s also worked at WESS, the campus radio station; last year she even co-hosted a show called, \u201cVooDoo Child.\u201d<\/p>\n
For some of her broadcast journalism classes, she wrote briefs for the radio, most of which were five-minute breakdowns of the news and would be broadcast weekly. Brittain also was a floor manager for ESU\u2019s televised athletics auction in the fall as part of her TV\/Studio Production 2 class.<\/p>\n
\u201cESU does a great job of getting you to try out different media,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Rob McKenzie, ESU distinguished professor of communication studies and Brittain\u2019s adviser, has had her in class and has witnessed her doing special things behind the camera and when working on audio projects. As he helped her prepare for her interview with the Rachael Ray Show last December, he was never more convinced that she could handle the challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s extremely calm and doesn\u2019t get rattled,\u201d McKenzie said. \u201cShe\u2019s very humble but doesn\u2019t have an insecurity that comes through. Her speaking voice just reeks of broadcasting when you hear her talk and her whole demeanor is very pleasant.\u201d<\/p>\n
And her whole schedule is hectic. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Brittain leaves campus at 5 a.m. and doesn\u2019t return until 8:30 or 9 p.m. Since her internship is for six credits with no financial reimbursement, she travels about an hour home every other weekend so she can waitress at the same restaurant she\u2019s been working at since she was 15. Plus, she\u2019s taking three classes at ESU. She\u2019s thankful they are all online.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always thought I was a good communicator before,\u201d Brittain said. \u201cI pride myself in being able to talk to lots of different people, but even more-so now. I talk to pretty high-up people from time to time when they need me to do something, and I keep my cool. I feel more confident in my work. I used to second guess everything and ask someone I was comfortable asking. But now my confidence has increased.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Brittain gets quick glances of the super-busy Ray darting by her, she has yet to have a one-on-one conversation or picture with her. That, she said, would just be a bonus.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s very friendly,\u201d Brittain said. \u201cEveryone there is super, super nice. It\u2019s more than I would have expected. Being such a fast-paced environment, you would think people would be more stand-offish, but they\u2019re not. She\u2019s a busy lady; she\u2019s in and out. But every time I\u2019ve come in contact with her, she\u2019s been nothing but nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
What about getting around New York City, which is just a tad bigger than Upper Black Eddy or East Stroudsburg?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m getting the hang of it for sure,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m able to make my way around, which is cool. They are throwing you on the subway, and I had never been on a subway. That was nerve-racking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something that doesn\u2019t have Brittain, a 2010 Palisades High School graduate, unnerved is her career path. Television it is.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know more now than ever,\u201d Brittain said. \u201cI did think I wanted to be on camera. I\u2019ve changed over the years\u2026from anchor to sports broadcaster. Now, actually being in it, I am more interested in the behind-the-scenes aspect of it. I love seeing what it takes to make a TV show. It\u2019s cool to see it behind the scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also cool to see just how much Brittain has accomplished.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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