They Have Sriracha, So It’s Meant To Be

Where do I even start? This whole time has been crazy. My head has been all over the place thinking about my past, present, and future. But lets start from the very beginning, Monday, June 20^th. I walked in and the receptionist was so sweet. Before she even set her stuff down, she was already handing me my stuff and making me feel as part of the team. She showed me to my desk and then walked me through the whole office. Oh my, it’s such a beautiful place to work at. White walls, big windows, and spacious meeting rooms that made my jaw drop. After, I met everyone as they walked into the office. I honestly felt relief running through my body because they all wanted for me to not feel shy. Before I even started figuring out where to start with my day, everyone made sure to remind me the following: ASK QUESTIONS! I immediately knew they wanted to make sure that I not only have fun, but to also use this opportunity to learn and grow.

I met the TV agent and his assistant maybe half an hour later. Both walked in and immediately asked the other intern and me about our lives and what not since they were not around when making introductions. After everyone settled in, he called his assistant and me into his office to speak to us. He introduced himself and told me about his career and the company. He reminded me that I’ve been given one of the most competitive spots in the entertainment industry. Creative Artists Agency is the biggest talent agency in the world that is always looking for talent. No exaggeration. The fact that I’m witnessing this with my own eyes is unbelievable. After the talk, he broke the news to me: I’m the TV intern of the office. I didn’t apply for it and was never told about it, but I sat there and told myself that this is a huge opportunity. I love music and am very knowledgeable about it, but I can grow professionally by learning about TV. It will prove my flexibility and dedication. I’m naturally curious and figured this will be a lot of fun. Well, that day consisted of conducting research that ended up lasting until Wednesday morning. Since then, I’ve been working on projects that need major attention. Throughout these, I’ve been enhancing my understanding of television’s transformation and digitalization. I know TV connects communities, but it’s been interesting going in depth and seeing data that clarifies such links.

It’s been great working in an office and company that believes in each one of their employees. CAA is willing to do anything to see everyone succeed no matter what your position is in the company. This is me coming clean: all this time I’ve been wondering if this is even the right career for me. The second half of last week I felt so lost, confused, and sad. It’s a tough industry and once it hit me, I got discouraged. Don’t get me wrong, I knew it for a long time, but seeing and experiencing it is a different story. It’s not easy, but I’ve been finding more strength, willingness, and passion through the incredible staff around me. CAA has done nothing but enhance my knowledge about entertainment. Every tool possible, from projects to meetings to books, has been made available to me. It all has empowered me for my career to take off. Yesterday we had a meeting with Rob Light, one of the most powerful men in the industry, and he said we’re a special group. Over 1,300 applicants and only sixty interns were chosen. I’m one of the sixty interns this summer. I’m a first-generation college student. Why give up now? I know what I need to work on and am more confident than ever. I’ve proven to myself that this is possible. I’ve made it so far and am not looking back. Let the work begin.

Key note: ALWAYS BE HONEST…and they have SRIRACHA IN THE FRIDGE!!!

Life in Miami: Day 2

Tomorrow, June 20th, I’ll be starting my internship at Creative Artists Agency, one of the top three talent agencies in the world. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been offered an intern position in the music department in their Miami office.

The purpose of this blog has shifted a bit since this opportunity came into my life. Instead of starting a new blog, I will be using this one to share both music news AND my experiences throughout the summer. The latter will include interning at CAA, living in Miami, and traveling around Florida.

I left Houston Thursday afternoon with mixed emotions. I was excited because I’m naturally a curious person; the fact that I was going to be living in Miami by myself was thrilling. I love road trips and the new experiences they provide. Plus, I’ve heard nothing but great things about Miami. On the other hand, I was sad to leave the people that I love the most. My family and friends have always been supportive of all of my decisions and actions no matter what the outcomes are. But to add to that, my mom and I got in a fight the day before I left so we didn’t say a last goodbye before I left. No words were exchanged. Saddening, but I had to leave.

I arrived Friday afternoon and met Cal, the owner of the house where I’m staying at. I’m using Airbnb because it’s convenient. He was very friendly when we first met and has been very encouraging since then. Anyway, back to the story. Friday I arrived a little after 3PM, came to my room and took a nap. I was exhausted from all the driving. As soon as I woke up, which was around 7PM, I drove down the street to get a sense of the neighborhood. Let me tell you, I was terrified. It seemed like a low-income neighborhood where stores had gates around them for extra security. This added more to the sadness and nervousness so I called my mom in the middle of a Walgreens’ parking lot and told her that I loved her. Yeah, you might think that it’s too emotional, but here’s a little secret no one knows about me: I’ve only been outside of Texas four times. 7th grade for a week-long class trip to Boston, 2014 for a family visit in Virginia, 2015’s spring break trip to Colorado with friends, and a day trip to Colorado again about a month ago. During those trips, I was with friends and/or family. I hope this puts into perspective the amount of fear and loneliness I was feeling Friday after I arrived.

Saturday I woke up feeling way better. I woke up feeling confident and ready to explore. I slept great the night before so maybe that’s all that I needed. I started by driving around the opposite side of the neighborhood and GEEZ! HUGE DIFFERENCE! I definitely felt safer and more at home. I then drove to the office I will be working at to familiarize myself with the roads and went shopping to make sure I had everything ready. The office is about 10 minutes away from where I am staying and is centrally located in Miami Beach. The location is beautiful! I was screaming in my car from all the excitement running through my body. I drove around there for a bit and then decided to run errands to get on with the rest of my day. I drove to Aventura Mall and WOW! I read that morning that it’s the third largest mall in the United States and they were not kidding. I was getting exhausted from all the walking. At the end of the day, I jokingly told the friends I was texting to never remind me again of the emotional mess I was the day before.

Today was calmer. I woke up, laid in bed most of the morning and then drove around in the afternoon to do some last minute shopping. Let me tell you the following things: Walmart is not popular in Miami, Publix is Florida’s HEB, Office Depots are EVERYWHERE, and the Whole Foods are so small down here. Seems like I’ll have to adjust ASAP if I want to survive. But wait, there’s more to the list: people down here are crazy drivers, it randomly rains every day for maybe 20-30 minutes and then the sun comes out again, there’s absolutely no southern hospitality, and everything is expensive! I’m in for a treat this summer! :~)

Anyway, it’s time to start the new season of Orange is the New Black and then sleep for the big day tomorrow. Keep coming back for more updates!

–BWC