RAI Corporation Internship Program

The thing that impressed me since my arrival in New York is recycling.

If you don’t recycle, you are fined. Everything is so meticulous! Almost perfect.

However, everything changes when I go to the supermarket. They give you a lot of plastic and paper bags. Employers fill them only half full. Is it because they may

break? I don’t think so. I can understand cheap supermarkets, but the strange thing is that you are given a lot of plastic bags even for organic and biological food.

Ironically it can be read on the bags: "Reuse". It seems that they don’t know that using a lot of paper bags means to produce a lot of waste, even if it is better for the environment.

Laura

Tryng to learn how to put together the right words with the right images in the editing process - this remains one of the most fascinating aspects of this job for me, the moment when the research on the video footage meets with the contents of the journalistic work. Having the possibility to witness how this process works every day in the hands of professionals, and furthermore in such an incredibly exciting city as New York, is an unmatched experience for me . Also, a good work environment helps a lot - and how lucky to find such nice colleagues in this internship!

Exploring the city in my free time, from the centre to the suburbs, means for me trying to concentrate on details. Streets, faces, (good and bad) smells, sounds, cold and warm atmospheres, colours, full and empty spaces, ordinary or surprising shapes, amazing cultural mixtures...

I know these images will last in my memory more than those of the well-known monuments... a patchwork of people, places, music in the subway, shops, concerts, movies, sidewalks crowded with folks from all over the world...But we still have more than two weeks to fill with new pictures and sounds...

Viola

On Fifth Avenue, very close to the MoMA, there is a place which is not mentioned in the guides as a proper museum, but it permits me not to feel guilty if I haven’t visited the “canonical” exhibits of the city yet. It does not force you to leave the streets, so full of continuous stimulus, to enter a close silent place, and offers all the flavors of Manhattan: eclectic art, the constant contact with pop culture and the need of dreaming. At the same time, it gives you the most vivid and psychedelic portrait of the city itself.

Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury goods department store on Fifth Avenue offers pieces of arts in its windows, framed masterpieces where contemporary visionary artists are offered space to play with the creations of the biggest names of the fashion world. The results are stunning: postmodern ironic and iconic portraits, able to combine the stimulus of the contemporary culture and the city to the languages of the classically conceived works of art.

For the 2009 Holiday, the theme is A Compendium of Curiosities, inspired to Alice in Wonderland: in each windows, Lewis Carrol’s characters take life in a Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Christian Louboutin or Monique Lhuiller creations, portrayed in a psychedelic-Victorian world made of juxtaposed spaces, little infinite miniatures of staircases, dollhouses, gloomy embalmed animals, cards and roulette wheels.

The “exhibit” continues inside, in the upper floor of the shop (the Decorative Home department), where the most surreal and artistic (and expensive) Christmas decorations are: submarine or wild jungle themed ornaments for the tree, tabby and psychedelic socks for the cheminee, whreats in perfect Studio54 style.

Bergdorf Goodman’s windows change every three or four weeks. My favouirite masterpiece? One of November “sculptures”, a work from an Artist of the American Visionary Art Museum of Baltimore, featuring Oscar de la Renta: a sensual and cybernetic version of Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Theresa.

Valeria

At the beginning it was the radio. RAI, Radio Audizioni Italiane. Then came all the rest: tv, digital media, the Internet. But the radio still remains, able to engage the attention of the listener through the magic of sound.

For an intern, to assist in the making of radio pieces is an incredible opportunity. Personally, I discovered the value and importance of speech, too often subjugated to the power of the image.

The RaiCorp's radio team supports journalists in the packaging of pieces for various editions of Giornale Radio. They also provide assistance for everything that concerns the sound in any type of production (live, concerts, eventsetc). Everyone in the radio is visibly proud of their work.

They told us that "radio is still one of the more free and less-controlled spaces in order to spread information and culture". They also said that all three RadioRai still have a soul that distinguishes them and makes them special to the ears of listeners.

But the future of radio is not so clear. Experts fear that the digital revolution can make the radio channels too focused on one theme, losing their characteristic of generalists media. Will the radio survive that new revolution? After a century of success, the radio will still attract listeners?

Living RaiCorp, living NY is an amazing experience also for this. You can observe and capture the changing dynamics of the world media, as in anywhere in the world.

Fabio

 Ciao, sono Alessia..an italo-canadese film school graduate that has been lucky enough to be able to spend 3 months in the Big Apple working on the 25th floor of a landmark AT&T building for Italy?s official television network.

The chance to work at RAI and be in New York means the world to me especially since to my understanding, I am the first Canadian to do an internship here (and not the last I hope!)

So what has my New York experience been like so far? Well it all had to start with finding a home base, which turned out to be a darling studio apartment on the Upper East Side. The Upper East Side runs alongside Central Park and the East River and Mayor Bloomberg resides here.

I have a 4 floor walkup and a 15 minute walk to the subway each day (so that is my exercise!) I remember how great a feeling it was to wake up the first morning and realize that after months of hoping for it, I really was in New York about to start the internship.

So far at Raicorp I've worked in production on different stories for TG2 and TG3, finding footage for editing the stories, doing research for the journalists, getting in touch with different organizations, businesses and people on behalf of the producers. The summer season here started off slow, but we really got a taste of how things operate when a big story hits. The tragic helicopter accident that took the lives of 5 Italian tourists 2 weeks ago on the Hudson Rivers was a huge breaking story to cover. We helped out and watched as the 2 journalists Giovanna Botteri and Dino Cerri did live standups from the terrace with the Hudson in the background, we scrambled to find out new information.

This kind of story really allows an intern to see what the work of a journalist really is and the demands they face during a story this big that literally happened in Raicorp's backyard. I've also gone to the circus, helped on an interview with people from Woodstock and met Zucchero.

Aside from the office, we are all enjoying the city and trying out new locales, restaurants andattractions. We even played a company soccer game!

Living in New York is an amazing thing, an experience I believe is invaluable for a young person. I've met so many interesting people, seen so many new things and have been exposed to new ideas and cultures..

And the food is incredible!!! You can get any type of food you want... the stagisti from Italy are enjoying the "cibo americano". I am more interested in the dolci that New York has to offer. I am obsessed with cupcakes, there are several amazing bakeries here and there is a place called Max Brenner's that specializes in all things chocolate... I've had the chocolate pizza which is incredible. The gastronomia in New York is definitely my favorite part.

Alla prossima!

Alessia Sara

Working with Client Services here at RaiCorp, is an ongoing surprise...

You never know what big news you're going to cover, what show you're going to analyze... or even who you're going to interview!

THE SYFY/NBC CREATIVE AND MARKETING VICE PRESIDENT!!!!!!

Yes, I'm not kidding, I did an in-depth analysis about the Syfy rebranding campaign and I had the chance to conduct such a high profile interview!

I was very nervous but it went well, I set up the phone appointment with him and we recorded the interview with help from ourfriends at Radio Rai. I got 30 minutes of precious information all while speaking from "my" radio studio.

It is amazing how, thanks to Rai, it's so easy to get the possibility to speak with high-level personalities of the showbiz. The person I spoke with was totally available to give me an inside look of their marketing strategy and we had a very pleasant and enlightening conversation.

... now I just have to write my article!!!! 

A few words from L'Americana...

Ciao amici! Considering my time here is short and sweet I have decided to pen our first entry for the intern blog - a running account of our "esperienza di stagista" here alla RAI.

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In giro per l'ufficio oggi si sente dire: "Buongiorno Raga'!!!...  prendi questo per l'archivio...ma cara, quello che mangi è cibo?!?!? dov'è [inserisci un nome con piu' di dieci sillabe qua]?????????.

Ragazzi, benvenuti alla RAI Corporation - una finestra aperta sul mondo italiano nella citta' di New York.

Work at this miniature Italian enclave is truly a gift. This is a reoccurring realization that I have every morning as I sip a cappuccino and admire the view from our lovely "terrazza" 25 floors above the city streets.

During the school year, I attend school about 3 miles uptown from our little terrazza in another kind of oasis- Barnard College at Columbia University.  It's strange to think that my other world is just a few subway stops away. Italy has never been so close.

My fellow interns Aniello, Rosa, Fabio, Marco, Daniela, Alessia and I all concern ourselves with the proper stagista responsibilities:  loads of research, translations, archiving and opinions for TG1,TG2, Rai Uno, Due, Tre, Cinema, Media Notes, Voyager e 2012... if it's Rai it's here.

Around the office we have already begun the rituals of morning coffee, lunch on the steps of the terrace, and coming up with our own RAI Corp titles: i.e. "Fabio Forlano, Direttore Supremo". In terms of play, we've been to Coney Island, an art gallery opening in Chelsea, and in giro around New York experiencing the splendor of Times Square and the grandeur of Fifth Avenue.  Films, a muddy Coldplay concert, restaurants, bars, homemade cheesecake parties, Jovanotti, The Little Mermaid Broadway Musical, you name it.

And we've only just started. The coming weeks of this "avventura" will teach us much more than we already know and have already learned- which is a lot considering the short amount of time we have spent at 32 Avenue of the Americas.

Whether you hail from the Italian boot or the big apple... 

"Non si può scegliere un sogno non si può scegliere

Quando ti arriva ti arriva non c'è niente da fare

Le previsioni del tempo si posson prevedere

Ma un temporale che arriva non lo puoi fermare"- Jovanotti

A dopo, a presto, buon divertimento, e grazie mille raga!

Jenna Matecki,

L'americana con l'ombrello giallo.

New York: Summer 2009. A strange and mysterious sign has suddenly appeared on a Coney Island beach?

Who wrote it? Aliens? CIA? The Illuminati? Paris Hilton's new BFF? The RAI "Voyager" crew is ready to move from filming in Bermuda to unveil this thrilling mystery...

But WE, here at RAI Corporation in New York City, have the answer exclusively!

The sign has been written by the new group of RAI Interns... and they have just started to leavetheir mark in the Big Apple!

During these first few weeks, our favorite interns have spent their time house-hunting, eating hot-dogs and other American delicacies, learning by heart the NY Subway Map, searching to locate the cheapest supermarket... and of course.. completing their missions for RAI Corp.

Stay Tuned for more! New incredible adventure tales are coming...

and we promise, no commercial breaks!

Rai corporation, New York, in one week all this will be far away...

Avenue of the Americas 25th floor, almost the top - there's a 26th too -

the whole city within the reach of your eyes

and when you go out, down the streets are full of details, like in a close-up on the life

of the biggest american city.

Great opportunity to be here, to get in touch with great (a bit crazy) people.

I enjoyed it, from the very beginning - the first days living in Bay Ridge with friends, and looking for apartments after work, under a constant rain -

and now I feel at home, and I've started to look at my room in Williamsburg

trying to see it in the shape of a luggage.

Nicola

Busy days @RaiCorp… and what’s better than researching information about White House china?

Well, I found out that the choice of the china pattern is a tradition for every First Lady but, unfortunately, Michelle didn’t pick up one yet: she’s still using Reagan’s china, 14 sets of  320 pieces which cost more than 210.000 $.

Anyway, the most important thing, I found out that MichelleObama’s favourite dish are the strangozzi, typical Italian pasta from Umbria…interesting, isn’t it?

M.

It seems like NYC is the right place for close encounters not-so-likely in Italy.

Their NY tour is scheduled till the first days of august, so...

there will be time!

Enjoy some videos of the concert here!

L&M

A free concert just 20 min far from my house... a sort of midsummer night's dream!

And look who's hangin out at the bar...

Some of us love him, most of us don't.

Whatever.

L.

UPDATE: more videos here.

2 cornetti... 4 dollars

2 interns... PRICELESS!

Anna & Ele

Ma c'è amore un po' per tutti / (there's some love for everyone)

e tutti quanti hanno un amore / (and everyone has a love)

sulla cattiva strada / (on an awful way)

[...]

Anto&friends

Dear future Raicorp Interns…

we know how you feel…the 1000 things you have to think about when you decide to do an internship abroad, so far from home. We`ve been through it, and  would like to help you, so every question is very welcome!

Here`s a tip, suggested by a Rai friend, on a house available for the next 3 month, with contacts, just in case…

Apt east village lug-set

$ 1605

1 small bedroom buona x coppia o 2 amici

11 st between Avenue B e C

Contact info: Nicola Gregoretti

Tel + 1 917 767 2183

Email gregnik@yahoo.it

New York is waiting ...:-)

Serena

PS. mail us at raicorpinterns@raicorp.net