January 04, 2024
Fall 2023 Campus Ambassador Brooke Sauer shares her experience shadowing Galco’s media manager and video production editor and how it shaped her career goals for the future.
I had the amazing opportunity to shadow Charlie Cooper, Media Manager, and Dylan Scott, Video Production Editor, at Galco. Galco is a distributor of industrial and commercial electrical and electronic control products, headquartered in Madison Heights. Before I share with you how incredible it was, let me tell you my thoughts before the experience began.
Let’s start off with me sharing what the opportunity was. My mom, Carolyn Sauer, was filming short episodes of a new series being produced called “Find Out How… with Schaltbau” for Galco TV. Cooper and Scott’s role was to set up the cameras, record the episode while coaching my mom along the way, and then edit the different clips together to make the best possible episodes.
Once I knew this, I immediately thought of a studio like the ones you see in movies. A microphone from above. A camera inside the glass. People standing outside of the small box listening to what was being said and giving feedback. But the more I thought about this, the more it seemed less realistic. Then I thought, perhaps it’s just a chair with a camera in front and a mini microphone that clips onto a shirt. No matter what I pictured the interview might look like, I was excited about about how much I was going to learn and how stoked I was to have a real hands-on experience.
Brooke Sauer
I learned so much information that I thought my brain would explode. As for the set-up, I was right about that aspect. There was a chair with two cameras in front, along with three lights around the set and a clip-on microphone that attaches to clothing. I wish I could share with you every little detail about what I heard and learned, but here’s a summary of my key takeaways.
The Importance of Connections
It’s all about who you know! Connections are way more likely to get you jobs than searching on websites like Indeed or Linkedln. For example, Scott not only works for Galco but also films weddings on the weekends. He was introduced to this opportunity when a family member of his connected him with a guy who started his own wedding company. I, too, have experienced this very thing already. I learned about Let’s Detroit’s Campus Influencer program because my mom used to work with the organization’s manager. I also have gotten to know some of my mom’s colleagues, which is opening doors for possible internships in the future.
Be Vague in Your Job Search
The second thing I learned from Cooper is to “be very vague” in your job search. When I first looked at summer 2024 internships on Linkedln, I looked up “social media management internship.” Do you know how many searches fit that exact description? None.
Instead, I should have been looking up words like “media,” “communications,” and “videographer.” This not only applies to internships, but also applies to future career searching. It’s important to be vague in your search and then weed out the jobs you don’t like based on their description.
Internships Provide Real-World Experience
Lastly, in my opinion, experience can be more beneficial than your coursework. You’ll learn how to do things in classes, but the real teacher is internships. Putting yourself out there and learning from people in your field is crucial and teaches you what your job will actually look like.
Cooper and Scott also noted the importance of starting at the bottom. Perhaps you begin as the person moving around equipment on a set. Even if it doesn’t pay, you are still touching the equipment. You are still learning something. You don’t always have to be behind the camera to learn about the camera.
They emphasized to me that you have to put yourself out there. My ultimate dream is to work in sports videography. They both shared the advice that I should get in touch with the sports department at Oakland University and ask one of the videographers if I could move around equipment. It’s all about the little things that add up to the bigger picture.
Overall, I learned what I want to do with my major and developed career aspirations. I want to be in sports social media production. Before this opportunity, I thought I wanted to be a social media manager for some company. Now, I want something bigger. Thanks to this special opportunity, I know more about my field and what to do with the next four years as I go through college.
