Coordinating Podcasts for Veris Media

By Adriana Tardugno

Internship Reflection - Fall 2024

My experience as an intern at Veris Media LLC has truly changed my perspective about the journalism industry and has kickstarted my journey into the professional world. This was my first ever internship role at a media company and I have learned so much in only one short semester.

As podcast coordinator for the Modernizing Feminism podcast, I have gained a variety of hands-on skills that I can directly apply to my future career path. From day one, I was given the privilege to brainstorm and carefully pick each topic for Season 1. This responsibility allowed me to think creatively and critically about what social issues were most important to our listeners. I also was tasked with researching and contacting a wide range of experts well-versed in feminist advocacy to guest star on our speaker panel. Having such an influential role so early on gave me the confidence to contribute my own opinion and ideas for the overall success of our project.

Out of all the tasks I completed, one of my favorites was interacting with the various panel speakers during our scheduled interviews. Prospective guests ranged from all different ages starting at college level to older seniors. I thoroughly enjoyed working alongside my supervisor and sitting in on insightful conversations about real-life problems that affect vulnerable communities around the world today. I gained a better understanding of current event topics and how each generation tackles conflict resolution in their own unique way. It also made me appreciate our main podcast mission of bridging the gap between different generations of feminists and unifying for a progressive path forward even more.

Some areas that I improved on as a journalist through this experience were my ability to work under pressure and problem solve on a tight deadline. Just like any other instance when I am writing an article or filming a video package, there are scenarios where things do not go as planned. Coordinating such a large group of expert speakers — each from different jobs, schools and backgrounds — proved to be a difficult feat. At times my team and I encountered scheduling conflicts that jeopardized the production of our podcast, but that did not stop us from rising above and finding a concrete solution.

Encountering these obstacles taught me a valuable lesson about handling adversity in the workplace and how to adapt to unfamiliar situations. I especially think this skill is important to learn in my industry as reporting and writing will always come with its own set of unforeseen challenges that are out of my control. I now understand how to step out of my comfort zone and be a team player that my colleagues can confidently rely on.

Overall, throughout this whole internship I owe a large part of the amazing semester to Cassandra Skolnick, my supervisor and lead mentor. Receiving expert guidance, advice and reassurance every step of the way helped me not only as a student but also as a young professional navigating my way through my career. The welcoming environment she cultivated from my very first interview all the way to my last days of the semester provided me with an irreplaceable sense of community that is rare to find.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Veris Media LLC and felt that the work I completed truly made a difference to those who took the time to listen/read our content. I am proud of how much I’ve grown and changed not only as a journalist but also as a person. I look forward to bringing my newfound knowledge into my next role and recommend any intern interested in this field to apply because they will not regret it!