Sports Journalist and Communications Instructor at Sonoma State University, Amy Gutierrez knows the benefits of internships firsthand.
Gutierrez, an in-game reporter for NBC Sports Bay Area, got her first hands-on experience in a newsroom while interning at KCRA in Sacramento as a junior at U.C. Davis. “I interned for the five o’clock news, and I hated it,” said Gutierrez, who described her first boss as a wreck. She had a hard time understanding why her producer was yelling about submitting scripts and making demands before going on-air.
“It was so stressful, the environment of a live newsroom,” admitted Gutierrez who made her first attempts at writing news stories at KCRA. At the time, Gutierrez thought, ‘oh, help me if I am ever an evening news producer’ and yet almost five years later, she found herself working as a news producer for Channel 50, in Sonoma County. “After multiple applications and denials, I landed a job as an associate producer on KFTY's morning show.” This ultimately, over the course of five years, led Gutierrez to be hired as a features producer at Fox Sports Net Bay Area before starting her on-camera career.
“I didn’t have the perspective and the time in life to realize how valuable that (first internship) experience was going to be,” she said. “I was getting a bigger picture of how everything worked. I should have been a better intern because now I know what she (my internship supervisor) was going through, and I will never forget that experience.” Gutierrez learned what a producer’s job entailed and why her supervisor was so intense. With deadline pressure, the producer didn’t have the time to explain in depth her various needs.
As a junior, Gutierrez also interned for CNN in Washington, D.C., where she realized the value of all she had learned from her KCRA internship. She began to meet reporters, camera operators, and producers. She went on shoots and was entrusted to do tasks, such as going to the Library of Congress to do research for a reporter.
“When I went to D.C,” she said, “I ended up making some really good relationships with people who worked on the Larry King Show.” It was due to Gutierrez’s drive and enthusiasm, while interning for CNN, that she was able to forge strong connections with reporters who ultimately invited her out onto prized shoots. This gave her the experience to land her first job at KFTY's morning show on Channel 50.
When it’s time for Gutierrez to choose interns to work with, she seeks students who are proactive, flexible, and positive. Additionally, she always looks for interns who are humble. “When you find a good intern, they fly to the top,” she said. Gutierrez warns interns to avoid looking sour and irritated when they get asked to get the coffee as it can be part of the job. Gutierrez has firsthand experience. After all, she had assumed as an intern she would be on camera, when instead she was fetching coffee and scripts. Gutierrez advises students to put in the maximum effort into their internships, but also make the experience fun. Furthermore, students must exhibit flexibility as broadcasting schedules are rarely convenient and news can break at any time.
Even though internships require students to show humility, Gutierrez says it is the best way to learn about the industry. Through interning, she found her love ofr storytelling. “My ultimate passion is telling a great story whether I write it, or I say it.”
In fact, Gutierrez actually found her zest for storytelling and broadcast media through her various internships. She says that you can find your passion by being proactive, “The best thing you can say is, ‘bring it on. I want to learn more. I want to be a sponge. I’m here.” Gutierrez encourages students to make the most of their time by asking questions. And even though you will have to put in countless hours, it’s important to show up on time and be reliable. “It's a lot,” she admitted. “But the experience pays off because it will always benefit you in the future.”