By Danyi Ji
This semester I worked in MVC Management Production as a communication intern. No girl can say no to pretty clothes, so I’ve always wanted to work in the fashion industry since I was a little girl. When I received an introduction for an internship in the fashion industry in my school mailbox, I immediately submitted my resume. Within two days of submitting my resume, I had a short interview with my supervisor Crystal Taylor and received an offer that evening. It was an exciting moment to receive the offer, which brought me one step closer to my dream job! MVC Management Productions Inc. is a New York based fashion production and management company since 1997. MVC, founded by fashion industry veteran Tai Chunn, has become a household name in the industry and beyond. Through MVC, Tai Chunn has worked with top fashion houses and numerous celebrities, including Beyonce Knowles, Liv Tyler, and Heidi Klum. MVC has successfully managed the runway productions of such notable shows as Brooklyn Fashion Week, Midwest Fashion Week, Caribbean Fashion Week, and BET’s Rip the Runway. During New York Fashion Week, MVC was also deeply engaged in backstage production.
As a communication intern, all I needed to do was to assist Crystal and other staff with the production of on-air programming called A Fashion Moment with Tai Chunn. Also, I had to write reading and research materials for radio hosts and create graphic designs to promote programs. I had a great time doing the internship. All my work was done remotely. I had zoom meeting with Crystal once a week. Both Crystal and the founder of this company, Tai Chunn, are very nice people! When I had the first zoom meeting with Crystal and Tai Chunn, I still remember that I was very nervous, but I had to pretend to be calm. Tai Chunn saw my inner nervousness and said you don’t have to be nervous, we just want you to learn something new through this internship or gain a good experience. If you have any questions during the work process, you can ask us. We are here to help you.
The internship is the application of the theoretical knowledge we have learned to the objective reality, so that our knowledge can be useful. In my four years as an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University, I received a rigorous academic education that gave me solid communication skills and the ability to tell a great story using both verbal and visual language. During the internship, I did lots of research and wrote several stories, such as the stories of three well-known deceased fashion designers, new designers for New York Fashion Week, and new collections of the major brands for the year of the tiger. It gives me a sense of accomplishment when the supervisor recognizes my story.
This internship taught me a lot about fashion and that producing a radio show is not easy. Every step of the project from the poster design, intro and outro editing, social media platform promotion, to choosing the background music to match each story. Although I had a little experience in recording shows from my previous studies with JRN390 and JRN438, I still encountered some difficulties, such as how to use Streamyard and how to connect to Tai Chunn’s radio channel. But with Crystal’s help, I was able to complete it and learned new skills.
In short, I’m grateful for this internship opportunity. I learned a lot of hard skills during the internship, but I also developed some soft skills as well, including time management, emotional management, and working under pressure. Since this is my last semester at stony brook, I have lots of work and need to balance my academics, my internship, and my graduate school applications. The process may be a little tough, but the good news is that it all turned out well. I am also very glad to have had a very fulfilling last semester at Stony Brook! In closing, as a final word to fellow students, as well as myself, try to do whatever you want. You have been braver than many others.
