For my LINK Internship, I went to Telluride, CO to learn about media, and journalism. I was hosted by the Telluride Daily Planet and I was able to contribute to 12 out of their 17 publications in the time that I was at the Planet. My mentor; Andre Salvail gave me total independence in dealing with projects. Independence was a huge part of my LINK process, and I thrived with every minute of it. I was set up with my own work station, and my own telephone extension. Andre gave me an assignment, or a project, and let me figure out how to get it done before the deadline.
My internship was all about being a new person, in a new town, in a new job. I established myself as a writer in Telluride, and I am so glad that I did. I was 100% independent, I stayed on my own, and I got all of my work done in the way that I arranged my schedule. I was able to 'play house' in a sense via LINK. I had a trial of independence, and it was one of the most influential experiences that I have had as a writer. |
Telluride News is a company that releases several publications for the San Juan // San Miguel region weekly. On Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday they release the Telluride Daily Planet, which covers news in the Telluride area. On Wednesday, they release the Watch, which covers news for the western San Juan region. On Friday, they release the Norwood Post, which covers news for Norwood and Wright's Mesa.
In 1898, the Telluride Times was established, and later, the Telluride Journal was established. In the late 1980's the two newspapers combined to form Telluride News, a media source that now reaches 60,000 readers both online and on print, every week. The Planet is an independently-owned, locally operated newspaper that, in 2014, earned a record number of awards from the Colorado Press Association.
In 1898, the Telluride Times was established, and later, the Telluride Journal was established. In the late 1980's the two newspapers combined to form Telluride News, a media source that now reaches 60,000 readers both online and on print, every week. The Planet is an independently-owned, locally operated newspaper that, in 2014, earned a record number of awards from the Colorado Press Association.
Preparing for LINK
The first thing that I did in preparation for LINK, was to make a resume and a portfolio. The first semester POL was designed to teach us how to make a resume and a cover letter when applying for a job.
Resumé Before Link |
Resumé After Link |
I looked at the possibility of doing my LINK Internship at four different places; The Linfield Review at Linfield College, the DU Clarion at Denver University, The Durango Herald in Durango, and the Telluride Daily Planet in Telluride.
My contact at Linfield did not respond to my email at all, my contact at DU could not administer an internship, because the month of May at DU was for final testing. My contact at the Durango Herald did not respond, and my contact at the Daily Planet was able to confirm, and help me complete an internship.
My contact at Linfield did not respond to my email at all, my contact at DU could not administer an internship, because the month of May at DU was for final testing. My contact at the Durango Herald did not respond, and my contact at the Daily Planet was able to confirm, and help me complete an internship.
On a Sunday night, I got a call from Telluride. I spent about half an hour explaining the LINK program to Andre Salvail; my prospective mentor. That night I confirmed my internship at the Telluride Daily Planet.
I had been pursuing an internship at the Planet since February, and I was excited for the possibility of doing an internship in a different town, with different people, and a different vibe. What I was looking for in my internship, was to establish myself in a new community as a writer, to see if it was possible. I had never actually seen how writing could be translated into a career until my LINK internship, and it was so exciting.
I brought my sense of responsibility, and my desire to act independently to the Daily Planet. My mentor sensed that immediately, most of my assignments and projects were given to me with a brief description of the project, and a deadline. It was up to me to figure out how to make everything work. I hope that I was able to leave an impression of Animas High School students on my LINK mentor, and my LINK company. I hope that my LINK mentor realized that high-school-age kids are capable of making meaningful contributions to companies, and organizations. LINK internships are evidence of that.
I had been pursuing an internship at the Planet since February, and I was excited for the possibility of doing an internship in a different town, with different people, and a different vibe. What I was looking for in my internship, was to establish myself in a new community as a writer, to see if it was possible. I had never actually seen how writing could be translated into a career until my LINK internship, and it was so exciting.
I brought my sense of responsibility, and my desire to act independently to the Daily Planet. My mentor sensed that immediately, most of my assignments and projects were given to me with a brief description of the project, and a deadline. It was up to me to figure out how to make everything work. I hope that I was able to leave an impression of Animas High School students on my LINK mentor, and my LINK company. I hope that my LINK mentor realized that high-school-age kids are capable of making meaningful contributions to companies, and organizations. LINK internships are evidence of that.
LINK PROJECT
My project is a portfolio of all of the work that I did at the Planet, I was published in twelve out of the seventeen publications released while I was at the Planet.
The color red corresponds with content/information that I updated or changed |
The color green corresponds with content that I shadowed/assisted with |
The color blue corresponds with content that I created, wrote or photographed |
The Summer Guidebook is a Daily Planet-Released book that aims to assist tourists get familiar with the Telluride region. In the Guidebook, every restaurant, and every art gallery near Telluride is listed. Each listing has contact information, website information, and a company description. I was in charge of updating every single business listing, and every single event picture in this year's edition of the Guidebook.
The Adventure Guidebook is very similar to the Summer Guidebook, it helps tourists and visitors understand what the region around Telluride has to offer. The Adventure Guidebook has listings for museums, fishing locations/companies, rafting companies, golf courses and country clubs, jeeping companies/jeep rentals, hiking trails, climbing locations/companies, and campsites. It was my job to make sure that every listing was correct, and up-to-date. I also was in charge of getting event/festival pictures for the Adventure Guidebook.
The Norwood Post is one of the three weekly publications that the Daily Planet releases. It covers news in the Norwood/Western San Miguel County region. I shadowed Regan Tuttle - The Norwood Post Editor on every story in the May 16th edition of the Norwood Post. This newspaper is released once a week, on Fridays. Regan makes her stories incredibly reader - friendly, my mentor thought that it would be a good idea to shadow her in order to help me understand the importance of readability.
The Watch is the second of three weekly publication that the Daily Planet releases. It is released on Wednesdays and it covers news for the Telluride/Ridgway/Ouray/Nucla/Montrose/Rico/Norwood region. I shadowed one story in the May 11th edition of the Watch about the renovations at the Ouray Hot Springs.
The Telluride Daily Planet
The Telluride Daily Planet is the final of three weekly publications that the Daily Planet releases. It is released on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and it covers news for the towns of Telluride and Mountain Village. I shadowed reporter/writer Jessica Kutz on every story that she wrote in my three week internship period. I also wrote several briefings, and one story. I also took pictures for the front page for almost every publication of the Telluride Daily Planet released while I was there. Each edition of the Telluride Daily Planet has a Quote of the Day, and an Everyday Life photo. The Quote of the Day is a portrait of a person on the streets of Telluride, any blurb or statement can be a quote of the day. Everyday Life pictures are landscape pictures of people in action around Telluride. Be it tourists skipping rocks at the river, or construction workers putting tarps on projects before snowy weather.
The editions of the Telluride Daily Planet that I was in, were the majority of the workload that I was assigned during my time at the Planet.
The editions of the Telluride Daily Planet that I was in, were the majority of the workload that I was assigned during my time at the Planet.