Author: Heawon Kang

Since last week, my main task was to bring images and datas from off-line servers to on-line cloud server. This task is easy but very time consuming work, so the staffs abandoned this server for two years. Now, since our theater’s show season is over and every projects aren’t too time sensitive, I figured this can be my little goodbye/thank you present to the marketing department who gave me this amazing opportunity to work at Symphony Space.

Although, this server costs a lot of money to purchase, it was not one of the best cloud data server service out there. But since we are not Google or Spotify, we had to find something within our budget.

I’m still working on this task and my goal is to reach 2000 images by tomorrow, my last day at Symphony Space. I am almost done with 2017/18 season pictures from various events including literary programs, music shows, and Gala show.

I am glad that I could be a part of this place and helpful.

I am always thankful to my supervisor.
Her kind-hearted, sympathetic, and understanding personality motivated me to work beyond her expectation. I don’t consider myself as a kind-hearted person. I’m rather little moody and only kind when I want to be kind. But when I was working under her, I realized how important it is for a subordinate to have a boss who trusts her and understanding. That personality is something that a subordinate CAN to take advantage of. But if the boss has limits like my boss has, it can be a great motivation and provide more comfortable work environment. Being robotic is not bad. But we’re human after all.

I need to learn how to balance between strict and kind.

I think one of the biggest collaborative project I’ve worked on as an intern was the 2018 Gala show. This project was handled by the Development Department, whose office is right next to our department.

This picture is one of silent auction 38 posters with images and texts constantly being revised, changed, etc.
When my boss first assigned me a design project to design an auction poster, I came up with a handful design, and she picked one. There were many design revision while text edits were going on. It was a multi-tasking project. And I love to multi-task. It refreshes my head and keep me interested through out the day.

Marketing department and Development department communicated with threads of emails, which went up to more than 100. The project itself was not a uniquely creative design project, but the fact that I was communicating with other departments’ directors directly made me feel like I am actually helping and working.

This revising, cutting, putting into the frames of this project went until a day before the Gala show. It was great and I felt good!

When I think back, I think I made a annual “wedding registry” for the theater.

 

I used to be in charge of rotating show posters for the theater.
The rotation happens everyday at the most, and twice a week at the least.

However, I stopped working on poster rotation because our department has a new intern! I did enjoy doing poster rotations because it helped me to refresh my head and also was a chance to give myself some break from computer. But sometimes I really didn’t want to do it, when I have a lot of stuff to do, feel lazy, bad weather, etc.

Even a small task like this has an up & down.. I hope in the future when I get a job, the upside always outweighs the downside.

When I first got this internship, neither the supervisor or the internship coordinator mentioned on the dress code. I figured that it would be business casual or casual. Although there isn’t a dress code everyone must follow, all staffs wear courteously. It is certainly little more strict than regular school, but more loose than private schools where you have to wear the uniform every day.

The atmosphere of the office also pretty casual. Only directors get a room with doors, but the door is always open. There is no separators between each work section. What’s interesting is in marketing department is that, even if we don’t have actual separators or cubicle walls, iMac’s 27inch screens do the job.

Typical office hour for Symphony Space is Tuesday-Friday 9am to 7pm. It seems like long hours, but it’s can be great who wants 3-day weekend. I think people here won’t have to suffer from “Monday Syndrome”, perhaps “Tuesday Syndrome.”

For today’s journal, I want to talk about Symphony Space as a non-profit organization. This entry is strictly based on my opinion while I work there.

Before I started working at Symphony Space, I didn’t get a chance to think about what non-profit organization is, how it works, how it’s ran, etc. In fact, I didn’t know anything about the field before looking for an internship last winter. I didn’t know how much money a graphic designer make, what kind positions(in a company) a graphic designer can aim, how to write a cover letter, what kind of job I will be doing, and what I will learn from internship. After a few months working there, I learned not just skills and how to work as a designer, but what kind of jobs are there in the field, especially a in-house graphic designer in a non-profit organization.

During weekly all-staff meetings, I learned that many non-profit performing art organizations can’t be ran just from ticket sales, but donations. They highly depend on donations from people who appreciate the organizations work. For example, Gala Show is one of the biggest donation event an organization can have. A ticket for a Symphony Space Gala show cost about $400 in 2018. One of the Silent Auction item’s starting price was $1500 which ended up being sold for about $3000. Other than the Gala Show, there are donations from the board members.

Weekly meetings taught me a little bit about how a non-profit organization can survive in capitalistic society.

 

Hi all,

As you, who read my first entry already know, I intern in the marketing department of Symphony Space. I create show posters, social media images, flyers, monthly calendars, house program booklet, and poster rotations. We have weekly marketing meeting, all-staff meeting, and all-intern meeting. All my work and performance is supervised by the Senior Graphic Designer.

When I was looking for an internship last winter, I looked through internship postings on Google, Glassdoor, Indeed, etc. I had interviews with two places, a training school and Symphony Space. When I saw the the 17/18 mid-season booklets and lobby wrap, I felt “this place can inspire me and teach me a lot of skills and help me to explore colors and patterns.”

(This is an example of one of Children’s show design)

(2018 Gala Show instagram image)

At the interview, I was interviewed by the Senior Graphic Designer and the Senior Marketing Manager. During the interview, I was asked if I knew about Symphony Space beforehand, and why I want to work at Symphony Space.

Unfortunately, I’ve never heard of Symphony Space before I learned about this internship opportunity. So I answered honestly. They laughed and understood. They also told me that it’s not an rare answer when they get interviewees. For the second questions, I explained how much I love print designs and the amount of print designs Symphony Space work on, and colorful graphics Symphony Space‘s have led me here.I It took a little less than a week to get a email from the Internship Coordinator that I am chosen for the internship.

Since then, I very much enjoy my time working here. I feel that I am very lucky to be here.

Hi all,

I’ve been working at Symphony Space in Upper West Side of Manhattan. I got the internship in February of 2018 and have been working since. I am one of approximately 20 interns in the site. We have weekly intern meetings on Thursday, all-staff meeting on Monday. There are approximately 70 employees and about 10 departments. I am a part of the marketing department, supervised by the senior designer.

Symphony Space is a non-profit historical performance arts theater established by Isaiah Sheffer and Allan Miller in 1978. Two founders and the theater is known for its first marathon concert, “Wall to Wall: Bach”. It was a 10 hour long concert and eventually became one of the biggest annual even of Symphony Space. This years Wall to Wall event celebrated Leonard Bernstein’s 100th anniversary, and an article about it can be found here:  https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Symphony-Space-Celebrates-40-Years-With-Wall-To-Wall-Leonard-Bernstein-20180510

The theater offers various programs in literature, film, music, and dance. The primary audience is people in all age range. There is a program called, “Just Kidding” which targets children and regular programs targets adults in all age range. Moreover, Symphony Space rents theater space for events. For example, a pianist Klara Min is having her concert in June 26th to celebrate release of her new album. An article can be found here: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Pianist-Klara-Min-to-Celebrate-Album-Release-at-Symphony-Space-20180530

 

Thank you for reading.