Summer 2023 Internship

In Janauary of 2023, I applied to the Television Academy Foundation's Summer internship program under the Art Direction/Set Decoration category. In April, I got the exciting news that I was hand selected by James Pearse Connelly and his associates, the host of my internship. In June that year, I arrived to Los Angeles for the first time to begin the unforgettable eight week experience.

Most of my time was spent working with JPC associates, both on set and in their studio. While I had plenty of duties, I mainly helped source furniture and decor, organize JPC's warehouse, assist with concept art, and assist the art directors on set for productions like The Voice and Is It Cake?

The Kelly Clarkson Show (Season 5)

I assisted Miranda Friel with concept art for season 5 of The Kelly Clarkson Show. J.P. Connelly was looking to replace the set's beloved sunflower wall with a new version, following the show's relocation to 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

The Voice (Seasons 24 & 25)

I spent time at both of The Voice's sets, the main stage and the reality setting. I assisted art director, Brittany MacWhorter, and coordinator, Megan Scherner, during load-in for the back to back seasons. On a different day, I joined James Connelly for a final walkthrough of the reality sets with The Voice's director, producers, and other keys. 

Top Chef (Season 21)

While in the studio, I assisted Top Chef: Wisconsin's art director, Matthew Kornegay, in plating up potential decor options for the 21st season. Following JPC's presentation method was incredibly insightful, with easy to view options, prices, and dimensions. I would take a deep look at the 3D renderings provided by JPC's digital team and look for decor that was spot-on or extremely similar.

LinkedIn Studio (2023)

Similar to Top Chef: Wisconsin, I assisted Miranda Friel with sourcing decor for JPC's annual LinkedIn Studio project. I also organized and labeled smalls as they arrived to the design studio.

JPC's New Warehouse

Right before the start of my internship, JPC moved to a new warehouse. I spent several days across my eight weeks in LA helping design associate intern, McKenna Farlow, organize the facility. We racked furniture and decor and assisted JPC's leadman and set dressers as they came for dressing for The Voice and other shows.

The Goonies Home Restoration Project

Towards the end of my time with the JPC design team, I received my biggest task yet: researching the classic house set in 1985's The Goonies. The real life house had recently been sold to a businessman and massive fan of the film, who hopes to restore the house to the exact way it looked in the film. HGTV was interested in shooting the restoration process and filming a reunion special with the original cast at the house. James and his design team had been selected for pre-production and began drafting the house and sourcing period-accurate decor.

Miranda Friel taught me JPC's method of plating up design boards, a technique that I used for my own thesis film, Born This Way

One of my biggest responsibilites for this project was annotating JPC's drafts. Any blue lines/shapes represent the new construction that would be needed for the restore, as the classic house had gone through multiple rennovations since filming. Based on that, I described the construction that would need to take place and some key decor that would need to be sourced for all rooms in the house.