Sophomore film major, Anthony Decandia, discusses his busy life as an intern for “The Maury Show” and an involved full-time Quinnipiac student.
How did you get the internship?
I went on a school trip last year with Q30 to “The Maury Show.” They were taking applications, so I was like, whatever, YOLO, and handed it in.
That’s a motto a lot of people are living by these days. Were you surprised to hear back from them?
Kind of. I always had this image in my mind that internships are hard to get, but it really wasn’t.
Do you think any of the clubs you’re involved in helped you get the internship?
I learned a lot about television by doing Q30 News. As of right now, I’m web director for Q30, the associate producer for Q30 News Update, sports anchor for Q30 News, and I anchor for Hashtag That. I think I definitely had enough experience to kind of get their attention. I’m also a new member of Delta Tau Delta. I’m really involved and had plenty of clubs to put on my resume.
What kind of things do you have to do as part of your internship?
I’m interning as a production assistant. I do a different job every week. I’ve worked with the audience, I’ve worked with the guests and prepped them, I’ve done wardrobe for the guests, I’ve taken calls for people who want to be on the show, and I’ve done work backstage. I’ve basically done it all.
You seem to be really busy. How do you keep up between school and work?
All my classes are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So, I work at “The Maury Show” on Thursdays. I get a lot of my work done on Tuesdays; it’s kind of my free day to catch up. I also get a lot of work done late at night since my days are usually booked. But I’m good at balancing everything. It’s an acquired skill that comes with time. I may be scattered at some points, but I always manage to get everything done.
That definitely takes a lot of self-discipline. What would you say is your favorite part of the show?
Definitely working backstage and meeting the guests. I love meeting new people. I like moving around and doing all different kinds of things. I like how fast-paced television is.
You work with the guests often and the show is notorious for featuring obscure people. Have you met anyone out of the ordinary?
Oh my god. I answer phones a lot for people who want to be on the show and this woman called in claiming her baby daddy is also the baby daddy for her aunt, cousin and her sister. People are crazy. Some girl called today crying hysterically insisting that she dated Chris Brown and she wanted to be reunited with him. Her name was Jasmine and she called, like, eight times. Another woman called asking if we could help her get her tubes untied so she could have a baby and be on the show. Also one guy thinks his grandpa is his dad because his mom slept with his grandpa. There are a lot of interesting people who call in.
What would you say is your least favorite part about working on “The Maury Show?”
The commute. I have to wake up at 6:45 and drive to Union Station in New Haven to take the train to Stamford to make sure I get there by nine. It’s a very long day, but I like working there a lot. It gets better and better every week.
Do you have any advice for others who are interested in getting an internship?
I would definitely recommend getting ahead of the game and trying out an internship early on like I did. The experience helps a lot and, even though I’m not being paid, it’s a great addition to my resume and I’m learning a lot that can’t really be learned in the classroom, especially for TV production since there aren’t many TV classes offered for film majors.
