Mark Ostermeier had been following the Indy Eleven, Indiana’s professional soccer team, since 2014, so when it came to finding an internship during his senior year at the IU School of Informatics and Computing (SoIC) at IUPUI he took his shot.
Ostermeier chose the School and the Media Arts and Science program because he observed media production was an ever-growing field. “With media production growing at the rate it is I knew I would be able to find a job quickly. As someone who spends time on the internet I have always been fascinated by content creation and wanted to learn how to do that myself,” he said.
When he saw the opportunity for a media internship at Indy Eleven posted on a job site he applied. His duties included being in charge of capturing content—mainly video—for pre-season, practice, and regular season activities for the team and also shot interviews with different sponsors. “This experience has helped me take what I have learned in the classroom and use that knowledge in a real-world setting,” Ostermeier said. “I feel as though what I have learned in my past three and a half years at IUPUI has been vital, but it is a different skill to transfer the knowledge I have acquired into a professional setting.”
As a student Ostermeier was selected to receive an RJE Knoll Internship Scholarship, open to SoIC undergraduates who pursue an internship that is not otherwise financially supported. “I chose this scholarship because I knew it would be a great learning experience from being behind the camera to being in full on marketing meetings that I can actively participate in.”
Since Indy Eleven does not have a position open in the field he is in, Ostermeier plan to find a job in the media marketing field.
“One main piece of advice I would give to students seeking an internship is do not be afraid of the commitment. When I first started I did not know what was expected of me, nor did I even know what I would be doing. The first day of my internship I went through my previous work with everyone on the team and they helped fit me into their system and it was a blast. It did not feel like work because I enjoyed what I was doing and who I was around,” Ostermeier said.
Media Contact
Joanne Lovrinic
jebehele@iu.edu
317-278-9208