This week, we said farewell to our fantastic cohort of Fall 2015 interns. Nikki King, Sam Simcox, Megan Heinowski, and Avery LaFlamme became key members of the KG family in just a short time. To celebrate all they have done this semester, we gathered together for a showcase of their work to learn more about what they do in their creative lives. From fiction films to documentary shorts, it was great for us to get some insight into the vision of a new generation of up and coming filmmakers. 

Before they left, we asked them for their reflections on the internship experience at Kindling. Here’s what they had to say:

Avery LaFlamme
“Working at Kindling this fall was a great experience for me. I have been interested in documentary filmmaking for a long time, but only now have I really gotten the chance to experience what it's like to work on these projects every day. Just being in the office, surrounded by so many different professionals with different skill sets, was hugely inspiring and helpful. The doc-production world is so collaborative, and it draws so many interesting people. Working at Kindling gave me a chance to start to understand what my place in the doc-world might be. On top of that, being able to work so closely with a recent release really gave me a hands-on feel for the kind of work that is needed to ensure the success of a project after its been completed. I really enjoyed being able to use the film to create a larger dialogue in the real world around the issues, which I think is one of the most powerful potentials of the documentary form. My main goal for this internship was to connect with filmmakers and to get a sense of how the doc-world functions in Chicago, so I'd say this experience was a success.”

Megan Heinowski
“Learning about the steps of making a film in the classroom doesn't even compare to being a part of the process. Jumping into the field with a small production company like Kindling really allowed me to get my hands dirty with several different aspects of production and post. The skills I gained as an editor will help me immensely with my own personal film work and are awesome to put on my resume in the future.” 

Nikki King
“I really enjoyed interning with Kindling Group. My favorite part of the internship was being able to pick projects I wanted to work on. The Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) screening was my absolute favorite. Another intern and I had the privilege to attend the festival for free and get behind the scenes footage for the company’s blog. I really enjoyed this event in particular because I was able to see the rewarding results for documentary filmmakers. Overall, this internship has taught me a lot. I learned the business aspect of social media and how much work goes into even scheduling a post. I was able to get real-world experience of working in an office environment with people who are different from me. I learned how to adapt to a new boss and balance multiple projects at once. I am now optimistic about the future in my chosen career path because of my internship experience with Kindling Group.”

Sam Simcox
“There is always something new and interesting happening around the office. The people here are very kind, generous and will answer any question you might have. As a Post-Production intern, I learned a lot about how to maintain a very organized and efficient post-production process, which is something that is very useful. I very much enjoyed my experience getting to know people around the office, especially my fellow interns.”

It’s bittersweet to see our interns move on to new ventures after they became such an integral part of the Kindling Group family, but we’re so grateful for all of the work they’ve done and we know we’ll see them around in the doc film and impact world, telling new stories and igniting their own visions for change.