|
 How
many students have the opportunity to spend
a summer with a professional sports team?
Not many, but between
May and August of 2009, Danielle Burkhart
spent the majority of her time with the
Pittsburgh Pirates Organization,
specifically the Pirate’s In-Game
Entertainment Department.
Burkhart is a senior at Lock Haven
University, majoring in Communication Media
with concentrations in broadcasting and
also advertising and public relations.
For 14 weeks, Burkhart went to work at PNC
Park on the North Shore of Pittsburgh. This
ballpark was recently built in 2002 and is
an impressive state-of-the-art venue. She
spent most of her time in the control room
located at the top of the ballpark.
“When I started my internship with the
Pirates, I thought I knew a good amount
about media. Little did I know, almost
every company’s operations are different
from the next,” said Burkhart. Major League
Baseball organizations are very unique when
it comes to their media departments.
Throughout Burkhart’s time with the Pirates
In-Game Entertainment Department, she
learned about the duties and
responsibilities of the department and the
duties and responsibilities of the
individuals who make every game possible.
“I had the opportunity to learn the majority
of the jobs that go on during a game, said
Burkhart. “The jobs that I learned over the
summer were operating the Thunder Video
Server, the Deko Character Generator, and
the small and large Fascia boards, technical
directing, keeping a score card, operating
camera, and field producing.”
Throughout the summer, Burkhart was the
only intern in the In-Game Entertainment
Department; however, she did work very close
with the other employees in that department.
One specific employee who took Burkhart
under his wing was, Matt Walker, the
Graphics Producer for the Pittsburgh
Pirates.
Walker was also once an intern for the
Pirates and worked his way up through the
years to his new position. He had a lot of
insight and advice for Burkhart during her
internship, considering he had been in her
shoes.
Throughout college Burkhart was unsure of
exactly what she wanted to do after
graduation. Always having had an interest
in technical directing, she decided this was
something that she wanted to try while at
the Pirates. Technical directing was just
one of the many jobs that Burkhart held at
the Pirates.
“Now I not only have more experience with
technical directing, but also running a
camera, working with programs that are
essential for ballpark entertainment, and
experience as a field director for a major
league baseball team,” said Burkhart.
This internship was connected to Burkhart’s
academic experience because many of the
skills and techniques that she had learned
at Lock Haven University have been polished
and refined while she was with the Pirates.
Specific classes at Lock Haven University
that have helped Burkhart while she was
interning at Pittsburgh, were Video Workshop
and Broadcast Journalism: Television.
“I could not ask for an internship more
related to my career goals,” said Burkhart.
“I loved what I did, the experience and
skills that I walked away with, and the
people that I worked with. The best advice I
could give is to intern. How else will you
decide if you like a career until you try
it?”
As a result of her internship, Burkhart has
been offered a position with the Pittsburgh
Pirates. She plans to return and work with
the Pirates after graduating from Lock Haven
University in May.
Danielle Burkhart found her internship with
the Pittsburgh Pirates through networking;
however, the Career Services Office is a
great place to start your internship search.
If you’re unsure about where to begin
looking for an internship, contact Anita
Casper, Internship Coordinator for Career
Services, at 570-484-2247 or
acasper@lhup.edu,
or visit her office in the Career Services
Office at Akeley 114.
Back to Overview of Internships |
