And Now, a Word from the Intern

We asked our summer intern, Christian Rusli, to write a blog summarizing his time here at bk and some of the lessons he learned while working with us. While we’re not sure about the “dysfunctional” part, we’re happy that he viewed his time here as being as valuable as we did.

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I suppose it’s a little late for introductions seeing that in just a few days, I will no longer be working here, and that makes me sad. I’ll explain why, but first, I guess I should tell you who I am.  My name is Christian, I’m 18, and for the past few months, I’ve been bloomfield knoble’s resident intern. By the time you read (or skim, I won’t judge) this, I will be a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in Radio-Television-Film. I enjoy watching football, American football, and Formula 1, and I love trying new, interesting foods. Also otters, I love otters. Okay, so now that we have the boring stuff out of the way, I can delve into my real purpose of writing this blog post: remembering my time here at bloomfield knoble. Also, putting off packing for college. But that’s just an added bonus.

Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege and the pleasure of working with the creative team here at bloomfield knoble, and I’ve learned and experienced a whole lot. It’s certainly been a journey, and I’m more than a little sad that it’s coming to an end.

When I first walked through the door, I was nervous, and just between us, a little frightened too. This was my first internship and having heard and seen so many horror stories about the cruel and unusual things that interns are subject to, I didn’t know what to expect. But right off the bat, I was welcomed with open arms and treated (for the most part, I am still an intern) as an equal. Not limited to doing things like getting coffee or cleaning supply closets, I was given the opportunity to actually get involved in various projects around the office.

My main task was a fly fishing video, for one of bloomfield knoble’s clients, Temple Fork Outfitters. The goal of this project was to create a complete guide to the art and science of fly fishing. Doing so involved watching hours and hours of footage of all types of different casts, tips, and analysis. I reckon that I’m a better fly fisherman than a good number of people and I’ve never even held a fly rod. Also in editing this video, I was exposed to a whole host of programs I had never used before like Premiere, After Effects, and SpeedGrade. In this industry, learning things from a textbook will only get you so far, which is to say, not far at all, so having the opportunity to learn about editing hands-on has been invaluable. I’ve loved getting to apply my creative touch to the project instead of being handcuffed to a certain way it had to be.

In addition to the fly fishing video, I also got the chance to work on a short video for bloomfield knoble and I got to go on a video shoot for Nationstar Mortgage. All the work I’ve done here at bk are things that students my age don’t typically get to do until much later down the line.

And as much as I’ve loved the work that I do, I daresay I’ve loved the work that I don’t do just as much. The team here at bloomfield knoble are like a family. A weird, sort of dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless. From afternoon Ping-Pong tournaments, to Fish City Fridays, to Rodeo Ball, and our very own Fantasy Football League, the office culture here is something that I will truly miss. Surely this isn’t the drab and dreary adulthood that I’ve been warned to prepare for all my life, right? At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment while it lasted.

In just a few short days, I’ll be packed up and headed off to UT, ready to start the adventure that is college, but I’ll never forget my time here at bk. I won’t forget the work that I did, the fun that I had, or the things that I learned. No, those are things that I’ll take with me down to Austin, then wherever else I go later in life. Because of my time here, I am now squarely ahead of the competition, and better prepared to start my future.

I’m starting to get a little misty eyed now so I think it’s time to wrap this blog up. Besides, I’ve got to finish packing now.

– Christian Rusli
University of Texas Class of 2018