Spotlight: Gina Gonsalves
Spotlight: A "Day" in the Life of a Lakers Intern - Gina Gonsalves
A Day in the Life of a Lakers Intern -
Gina Gonsalves shares her first hand experience....
Immediately upon being selected for the Los Angeles Lakers Public Relations internship the work began. Of approximately 200 students who applied, I was selected as the “Monday” intern. I later found out there were five interns, one for each day of the week. With Monday being the first day of the week my boss warned me that I had a huge responsibility and very large shoes to fill. Nonetheless, I was willing and eager to accept the challenge.
My Monday duties in the office consist of several very systematic jobs. Initially when I arrive I begin the “daily clips” process. I search a series of news websites for any and all information regarding the Lakers as a team, individual Lakers players, as well as any Lakers coaches or staff. Considering that I am the “Monday intern” and am responsible for all Lakers-related material from Friday afternoon through Monday morning, it takes me roughly 2 hours to complete this task. Following, I assist the Public Relations Coordinator in preparing for the next game of the week. If there is a game the next day we compile packets with Lakers statistics, NBA statistics, player feature articles and so forth. It is then my job to deliver these packets to the appropriate media. Ultimately, I assist our coordinator in seeing that the media have all tools necessary to write or broadcast for that particular game.
I also attend each home game at Staples Center and perform a whole new set of tasks. There are a series of jobs that the interns rotate between, each game. Four of the interns distribute Lakers and NBA statistics to various sections in the arena to the media attending that game. The Fifth intern is responsible for taking statistics to the broadcasters, the Lakers coaching staff, as well as the opposing team’s bench; this intern repeats this task at every time out.
As the end of the game approaches, our night is just beginning. Upon the final buzzer, all five interns rush to the underground tunnel. One intern is in charge of faxing all statistical information to outside media, while the other four interns take turns collecting quotes from Lakers players and coach, as well as the opposing teams’ players and coach. Once this is complete we transcribe the quotes and see that all media receive this information so that they can complete their pieces by the end of the night.
All in all this is a lot of work but I would not change it for the world. Interning for the Los Angeles Lakers Public Relations department has been the most challenging and rewarding experience of my life. I have the utmost appreciation for the people that I work for and have learned so much from them. I would certainly recommend this internship for anyone who is up for a challenge in such a fast-paced industry. While this has been an incredible accomplishment for me, I am hoping that the connections that I have made through networking in this internship will enable me to further succeed in the sports industry. I am so very thankful for such a rewarding internship and strongly believe that with the right amount of effort and willpower any other student from LMU could accomplish an internship as fulfilling as mine.