Laura DelPrato, '14
Last summer, Laura DelPrato, ’14, landed a dream position as a photography and new media intern for Disney ABC Televison Group. DelPrato is a leadership studies major with a passion for photography and this internship gave her the perfect opportunity to combine the two.
Leadership studies majors in the Jepson School are required to have an internship the summer after their junior year. For this internship, DelPrato was determined to work at Disney. She applied to all of the positions she was qualified for and happened to find the perfect fit in the Photography Internship.
As a photography and new media intern, DelPrato had many different responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities included posting daily press releases, assisting with the archival process, retouching photos, and captioning photos. She also helped as a production assistant at photo shoots for TV shows such as Scandal, Castle, Back in the Game, Meet the Goldbergs, and Ravenswood.
Not only did DelPrato gain valuable photography skills from experts in the field, but she also learned a lot about what it is like to work for a large corporation. Working for Disney confirmed DelPrato’s desire to incorporate photography into the career she decides to pursue and gave her the work experience to prepare her for the future.
In addition to everything she learned, DelPrato felt like she made valuable contributions to the company, including developing a “how to post the daily press release” tutorial for future temps/interns and a presentation on light painting photography.
“The photo I submitted for the Career Services competition shows light paintings that my coworkers created at this presentation. The monthly photo challenge theme was 'light,' so I wanted to teach everyone a fun technique they could experiment with and use for their photos!”
DelPrato was determined to make a lasting impression on Disney ABC and made a call to the Office of Alumni and Career Services during her internship for some tips on how to do that.
“Knowing that Career Services was available if I had questions and needed support even while in California was very comforting! I hope to use the skills and techniques I have learned from Career Services to obtain and maintain a successful, professional career.”
DelPrato continues to pursue photography while at the University of Richmond is and is currently coordinating a light painting presentation and interactive workshop. She hopes that this workshop will give students, staff, and community members the opportunity to learn more about this art form and gain some new skills.