Like many journalism students with no plans for the summer, in January I sent out applications to every local magazine, newspaper, and radio station I could find that offered internships, hoping to gain some valuable experience and keep myself busy during those few months between semesters. I hadn’t heard from any hirers come March, so I took to job searching again and came across Kindling Group. As a student of writing and reporting, the world of documentary filmmaking was unfamiliar to me; but I was intrigued and wanted to know more, because documentary film was a storytelling medium I hadn’t yet been exposed to. I applied and was hired two months later.

 

My duties as the outreach intern ranged from managing social media news feeds to drafting emails and editing grants, all tasks having to do with Kindling’s current project about homelessness, @home. I was welcomed as member of the team from day one and trusted as integral to the process of getting the film off the ground. Throughout June and July, I generated and posted online content about @home’s debut screening, researched upcoming film festivals to apply to, composed emails and blog posts about the status of the film and its campaign, and offered input during the post-production process.

 

Too often in journalism, I find, stories tend to be rushed and underreported. After spending a summer with Kindling, I fully understand and appreciate the great amount of time and work that goes into telling an important story, as documentary or otherwise. And to be deeply engaged in that work, to navigate the steps that lead to a film being seen and recognized, is a wholly rewarding experience that I feel privileged to have been a part of.

 

- Nate Evans, Summer 2013 Outreach Intern