How to B: Life as a Barkley Video Intern

This summer I'll be working at Barkley, an advertising agency at the heart of Kansas City. Here's what life looks like.

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Week 9: Pancakes and 3D Printing

This week had to be the busiest week I’ve had in a very long time. Finals week had nothing on it! The week consisted of early mornings, late evenings (practically sleeping there), lots of short interviews, photo shoots, a talent show, meetings meetings, and more meetings. Was it stressful? Probably the better question: Was it rewarding? Barkley is all about asking the more beautiful question. Whether it’s asking for specific direction on a project, an interview question, or simply how to figure out how to pop popcorn correctly. The more beautiful question always is more rewarding. And that’s exactly what this week was, rewarding. I learned a lot about the ad agency life this week. -I learned that the CEO really wants to meet with you, and will take a moments notice to actually invest in your life. -I learned that if you are even partially unsure about something, ask (the more beautiful question of course). No one wants to have to reshoot something. -I learned the history, current state, and future of 3D printing in an original way. Joe, who works in the innovation lab, decided to put on his apron, get out his skillet, and make some pancakes while the rest of us sat and learned. Pancakes and 3D printing, I’d say it was a pretty nice Thursday.  

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Week 8: “Big City”

After a long weekend traveling with the Marching Cobras, it was nice to be back in KC this last week. However, the craziness continued Monday evening. A group of guys and myself took to the water to film footage for a companies upcoming kickstarter video.  We arrived three minutes late to rent a boat, and we were turned away. We then found an old man chilling on the deck of his boat, and convinced him to drive us around the lake while we filmed. A few guys were filming from atop “Big City” (the man’s boat), while I was onboard a sailboat getting action shots from there. The process was going smoothly, until our drone took an unexpected turn into the sailboats guide wire, and tumbled down into the dark waters. Before I knew it, my shirt was ripped off and I tumbled into the lake, bright orange cargo shorts and all, alongside our captain. We dove down under for a while, ultimately realizing it was to no avail. RIP Robert Droney Jr. Later on during the week, I turned into a photographer, shooting stills for a client’s social media posts later this month. Five other interns were the lovely models. This was a fun day because I finally got to shoot some photos for a client. Typically I work mostly with video, but I do enjoy the art of stills as well. There are two weeks left in the internship, and it all feels to real to be true. The intern class is wrapping up our group project, and we are getting prepared for the intern talent show and showcase later this week!

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Week 7: A Weekend I’ll Never Forget

This weekend was quite the experience. As a part of a documentary I'm working on as an intern at Barkley, this weekend required some travel. The Marching Cobras were traveling for a drill competition, and we decided to take the trek with the Cobras. My partner, Trent, and I arrived at the Cobras gym at 11:00pm Thursday night. After a while of waiting we finally rolled out around 12:45 and started the journey up to Michigan City, Indiana. Immediately after the bus took off, we could tell we were up for quite the weekend. The tour-style bus was extremely rickety, almost to the point of danger. Even going on the smooth highway, the whole bus was bouncing around. Once we hit a bump, everyone would be flung upward. We looked like bobble heads, and it was super uncomfortable. About an hour and a half into the trip, the AC decided to stop working. In effort to not overheat, someone climbed up and opened the top emergency window forcing it downward so that the breeze could enter in, and it felt great! And then it decided to storm. If that wasn't enough, the bus hit something along the side of the road, completely busting one of the tires. For some reason the driver still was set on driving on it for a bit, until we finally had to pull over at a truck stop. We stayed there for thirty minutes or so, and then drove another 30 minutes into town and stopped at a walmart were we were informed that the bus was broke, and we couldn't travel any further. It was 4:00 am, and we had to wait over four hours for another bus to drive up for us to take. Trent and I killed time filming, editing, and eating a shake in steak & shake. 

Four hours later we were on our way, still with a six hour drive left. Oh, and of course I hadn't had any sleep throughout the whole process. Finally arriving in Michigan City Friday late afternoon, it was time to unpack, and then go the the beach area. That was a lot of fun, especially with the nasty storm that came through. Perfect for filming! After a much needed rest, we woke up Saturday morning ready to do some more filming. The afternoon rolled around, and we found ourselves in the middle of a gym were the competition was taking place. Another storm came though, causing power to go out a few times. Oh and then the fire alarms decided to go off. We had to evacuate the building, stay outside for a little while, and then finally went back inside to start the already delayed competition. The drumline and drill teams performed, (you'll find out what happened when you watch the final documentary) and we left back to our sleeping area. Now, around 12:45 am, we finally got a chance to have a sit down interview with Don, the current Drill Sargent. 2:00 am rolled around right as we were finishing up the interview. We still had to go back and transfer the footage to our hard drives, so you could say it was a long day and night. We then woke up bright and early and started the trek back for Kansas City where we should get in around 9:00. All in all, it was a hectic, surprising, and sleep deprived weekend where we were able to capture a bunch of stories for our documentary. We are very pumped for it, and will be spending the next three weeks cranking it out hoping to have it done in August!

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Week 6

One man, a camera, two lenses, two go pros, two wireless mics, and one timelapse camera. That was the setup for filming last week’s portion of the documentary. I’m sure by the end of the night I had just as much of a workout as the drumline did. Nevertheless amidst the hustle, it was very fun to push myself and see the hard work coming together.  Beyond just filming for the documentary, I went on a different shoot every day. Monday was especially fun due to the storm that came through the KC and surrounding areas. The one that carried a tornado, hail and flooding rains? My friend and I were headed out to film, and ended up taking cover in a Wendy’s, waiting out the storm. I didn’t get a frosty and fries, but definitely regret not doing so! On Wednesday morning, Barkley hosted a free t-shirt mad grab, where employees could line up and make a mad scramble to grab free t-shirts. Genius idea and a great way to take a break. 4 weeks left at Barkley, let’s add some good.

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Week 5

One of the nice things about an internship is the freedom it can bring. Sure I work with clients and do my share around the office, but I’ve also been given time dedicated to growing my skills as videographer and give back to KC in the process. A lot of this time will be spent creating a documentary over the Kansas City Cobra’s drill team. It will be about Willie Arthur Smith, the founder of the Cobra’s who has had a major impact on the community and the Cobra’s in general. I’m very pumped for this, and can’t wait to tell this story! More updates coming in the future :)

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Week 4

Meeting makers. 

Last semester, while at college, I was planning on driving back to KC to have lunch with a guy who worked for a production company. He asked me to send him a meeting maker, and I froze. I had no idea what one was, or how to create one. So I asked around. Students, professors, janitors…all who were unfamiliar with the term. Needless to say I figured out what it was, and started off into the path of more efficient scheduling. Now at Barkley, I’d say I’m becoming a pro at meeting makers. The rest of the week was filled with client work, brainstorming sessions, and swimming. Yup. I have never been a swimmer, but I became one for Barkley’s swimming corporate challenge. It was tiring, exciting, and a good chance to bond with some coworkers. On a final note, I’ve been hard at work developing new ideas for some neat stories I can tell around the KC area come later this summer. So be ready for some sweet vids :)

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Week Two

Keycards. When you have them, you can go places. When you don’t, ya don’t. After nearly two weeks of borrowing a fellow partners card to use the restroom, begging the security officer to let you in after hours, and getting stuck out on the roof, finally my intern experience will change forever (Cue “I’ve Got The Power). 10 things I’ve learned: -Jamming does not refer to “improvise with other musicians, especially in jazz or blues” but rather a meeting with two or more individuals. -How to file an expense report (the correct way). -What putting out a fire means in relation to quick video turnaround. -The outdoor speakers on the roof work, and the work very well. -Corresponding to the above comment, BBQ’s are a must. -Meeting Makers are a must. -One should not attempt to take an online course will interning at Barkley. -Partnerships with local coffee shops are delightful -Fly the drone as much as possible. -Don’t say ten things when nine is good enough.

In interest of #9.

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Week One at Barkley

The smell of coffee, the colorful artwork, the polite man behind the desk. Be confident, firm handshakes, remember names. First impressions are huge, and I’d say there were at least fifty different thoughts running though my head when I stepped into Barkley the first day of June. From that moment, I knew this summer would be different. The word culture is thrown around a lot here. Many people say it’s the reason they stay, and the reason they love their job. It is really something special here. From the pool tables and shuffleboard, to the soda machines and hammocks on the roof, this is a work environment I would have never pictured myself in. It’s not only the amenities that make it great, but the way people view you. I’m not just an intern with potential, destined for menial tasks, rather someone who can really add good to the company. The smiles are authentic, the praise genuine. My first week consisted of free lunches, training, actual video work, innovation, new friendships, First Friday’s, music, dancing, crapes, stop-motion, and mini drones. For my first video project, I teamed up with Moonshot, our innovation lab, and filmed a short video on a recent experiment with propellers. Basically we got to drive around on the roof and have the wind tear some propellers to pieces. NBD. We also had our annual all-company meeting at Union Station and it was incredible. While it sounds boring, the leadership team went out of their way to make sure we know where the company is heading, and we had some fun while doing so. There were performances from the Cobras (energetic drum line), spacesuits, breakdancing, and a guest speaker. Barkely’s creed is to add good, and I can’t wait to see that happen in the weeks to come.