Two students will intern for major companies in their career fields this summer.
Spencer Gualdoni, music theater junior, has a casting internship with Telsey + Company in New York City. Hudson Moore, mass communications sophomore, has a buying internship with Anthropologie in Philadelphia.
Telsey + Company is a New York-based casting agency. Gualdoni will work as an assistant in their Times Square office.
“Telsey is currently casting Hamilton, The Color Purple, The King and I, you name a Broadway show, and they’re probably casting it,” he said. “The amount of connections I will gain is incredible.”
The internship will last from mid-May to mid-August. Gualdoni is one of five unpaid interns selected to work for the summer. His duties include attending casting sessions as a reader, collecting headshots and resumes, making Starbucks runs for various directors, and general administrative duties.
“I’m most excited to sit in on casting sessions and see what real Broadway auditions are like,” Gualdoni said. “My job description isn’t very specific, so I can’t wait to meet people and find out exactly what I’ll be doing.”
After sending in a coverletter and resume, Gualdoni was selected for a Skype interview. The interview was short, lasting only 10 minutes, he said.
“They wanted to make sure I knew a lot about the industry, so they asked about my current two favorite actors on Broadway,” he said. “I said Brian Darcy James, who is currently starring in Something Rotten, because he’s humble, and I admire actors who are the same on stage and off. I also said John Tartaglia, who was “Pinocchio” in Shrek and “Rod” in Avenue Q because he’s my type. I was immediately going to say Kelli O’ Hara, but they said actors, so I thought maybe they wanted guys.”
Telsey + Company will provide Gualdoni with a small stipend, which he will use for travel expenses. He plans to sublet an apartment from a music theater alum.
The internship and a chance to live in New York City are invaluable to a theater career, Gualdoni said.
“My dream is to perform, but I truly have a love for the management side as well,” Gualdoni said. “It’s hard when your heart splits right down the middle. We’ll see where God tells me to go and where my heart is pulling me. You never know, after this summer, I might decide casting is my dream.”
In Anthropologie Corporate Office Headquarters, Moore will sit in on corporate meetings where staff select product for future seasons.
“It’s all very group-oriented, and that’s what’s fun about their corporate offices,” Moore said. “There are no walls, and the CEO sits in the same room as the workers. They have an open dog policy. People bring their dogs to work, and it’s super casual.”
Moore discovered the internship while looking for job opportunities in August with Career Services staff. Initially, he sent in a video explaining his style: historic pieces with a modern twist. Then, he went to the corporate office to interview in January, where he presented a portfolio and created an inspiration look for Fall 2017.
The photos are from Moore’s portfolio. He designed the rooms in his parents’ home.
“The lady actually asked to see my Pinterest, so I pulled out my phone, and we went through it,” Moore said. “It was like speed dating. They had me meet a lot of the buying team.”
Anthropologie often hires corporate positions from the pool of previous interns, Moore said. His interviewer was an intern once.
“This buying internship is exactly what I want to do,” Moore said. “Being in a store is so exciting for me, and I love the idea of curating that feeling for a shopper.”
The internship pays a full-time salary and lasts from June to mid-August. Moore had to find his own housing, which he said he plans to fully decorate like he did for his room at home and dorm at school.
“I’m very excited but nervous about being in a big city for that long by myself,” Moore said. “I can’t wait for the new adventures.”
If students have summer internships or jobs they would like to share, please email Student Publications at stupub@okcu.edu.
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