Blog #4

I have done more this summer than I have probably done in the past two years. From the responsibilities I was given to the responsibilities I gave myself I truly was the busiest I have ever been in my entire life. I created an entire new filing system & binders for all things current and past. Additionally one of the first things I decided to undertake was cataloging all the artwork in the building and gathering all information and paperwork for each piece. Considering there are more than 50 noteworthy pieces in the building I didn't know what I had gotten myself into. I definitely learned first-hand knowledge about contemporary art and dealt with everyone from Bangkok to London, to Paris in seeking information on the pieces. That entire project took me the whole 8 weeks pretty much considering how much work was needed to put into it. I created a massive spreadsheet for each piece in addition to a binder that is meticulously organized by artist's last name with all the artwork's documents in a sleeve behind a printed picture of the piece. The whole purpose of this project was to get an appraisal for insurance on the pieces.
In addition to the art, I was in charge of writing all checks to all celebrities, PR companies, employees, etc. This gave me an in-depth knowledge that not many people get. I saw all money coming in to the company and all money going out- and know exactly what each payment was for. I had (and still have & operate) my Talent Resources email address which aided me in being received as more professional as opposed to being an "intern". At all events I was introduced as "assistant" as opposed to "intern" which was really nice. I worked with The Teaologist as a bartender for a Kelly Bensimon jewelry sale event. Additionally I attended the 2011 Kemba Walker NBA Draft After Party and was in the VIP with Chris Paul, Rudy Gay, Stephen Curry, Jared Dudley to name a few. I was able to attend a private showing of the Broadway show Priscilla Queen of the Desert for a fundraiser for Governor Cuomo. I also went to a private charity fashion show at the Gansevoort Park hotel with model Jaslene Gonzales and designer Stephen Mikhail. I organized the entire transportation for our biggest event of the summer: Piaget Charity Polo Classic hosted by Nic Roldan. I rented our SUV for Talent Resources employees to get to and from the Hamptons, in addition to designing information cards about our company for all guests in attendance. I also rented and drove the Uhaul in Southampton in order to transport all the stuff for the Polo event to the next event on Sunday. I also was in charge of the door/guestlist so I was in charge of turning people away and letting them in. Since the event was a charity event I set up all the forms of payment. I was in charge of setting up and maintaining our PayPal account in addition to figuring out an on-site payment system so people can donate money on site with their credit cards. I used the app Square-Up and brought my iPad and used the small card reader to swipe everyone's credit cards to make donations for the charity: Rally for Kids with Cancer. Among those in attendance was Miami Heat's Chris Bosh & his fiancee, Asher Roth, Kelly Rutherford, Meeka Claxton, Deena Lohan, Kathy & Richard Hilton among others. I also attended the Svedka After After Party hosted by Rob Kardashian at the Yotel. Celebrities in attendance were Theresa Guidice & her husband, Angelina from Jersey shore, Adrianne Bailon, Denise Richards, Melissa Gorga & husband. I met Shenea Grimes in the office she was really nice. I also attended the Rue La La NYC Launch party at the Rivington Hotel in SoHo. Additionally I was in charge of posting job listings, hiring and interviewing candidates to replace my position. This part was probably the most interesting for me because I was able to see hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of resumes and cover letters. This part alone gave me SO much confidence because the resumes and cover letters were absolutely TERRIBLE. Maybe I am extremely anal when it comes to that but ideally a candidate would have both resume & cover letter in PDF form, and one page each. You could not imagine how many people sent in resumes that were 2 pages long with basic formatting and in .doc form. A lot of people sent in pictures (which was not asked of course) which I thought was really unprofessional considering this is not a modeling job. Matthew actually informed me that we cannot hire people who attach pictures to their resumes because it is considered discrimination.
I feel this internship has given me a ton of confidence and a deeper knowledge of myself. I was able to see my work ethic in comparison to the other interns in the office and how I am able to work in a setting where I am essentially an employee instead of an intern. I definitely am interested in working for Talent Resources in the future and am going to schedule a meeting with Mike Heller & his mother in Los Angeles since they asked me to aid in opening their Los Angeles offices and oversee our house in Malibu that we hold events at.
I have a lot I need to improve on but I know what I need to work on therefore I feel like I have completed half the battle.
I had an amazing summer and made so many new friends and contacts and definitely a job offer for the future!