I would like to begin by expressing my sincere thanks for the Max Stern Internship in Art History Award, which allowed to complete this rewarding internship opportunity. My name is Emma Cordonatto, and I am a Cultural Studies major with a minor in Communication Studies, entering my final year at 涩里番. This summer, I had the opportunity to intern at T毛nk Canada, an independent streaming platform dedicated to authored documentary films.
Before my internship, my knowledge of this particular genre didn鈥檛 extend much beyond what I had learned about Agn猫s Varda鈥檚 The Gleaners and I in my Intro to Film History class two years ago. Still, I remembered it being one of my favourite films from the syllabus, and my introduction to Varda鈥檚 work sparked my interest in documentary cinema, which I was excited to learn more about while working at T毛nk. Through this internship, I wanted to gain more experience in social media strategy, as well as insight on how a small, independent online streaming service like T毛nk operates within the local documentary film scene.
As a communications intern, my role involved developing new social media strategies aimed at attracting an Anglophone audience, as T毛nk鈥檚 current audience is primarily Francophone. This included creating posts for their English social media accounts, as well as setting up a TikTok account and a Letterboxd HQ account, which I had a lot of fun with. I also attended most team meetings, which gave me an overall view of the various projects they were currently working on. One major project was the creation of a film catalog specifically designed for post-secondary schools across the province. I was impressed by the amount of work involved, from organizing meetings with a board of professors to deciding which films would be included in the catalog and securing the rights for them. Additionally, another project was planning T毛nk鈥檚 5th anniversary. This was a more creative task that I particularly enjoyed, as it involved collaborating with a graphic designer and brainstorming ideas for new logo designs.
A highlight of my internship was contributing to the curation of a week dedicated to student short films. This involved reviewing a pre-selected list of films made by CEGEP and university students, which I then discussed with T毛nk鈥檚 artistic director, Naomie D茅carie-Daigneault. Talking to Naomie reminded me of the discussions I had with my classmates and professors in my cultural studies classes, and the film analysis skills I developed in that setting were definitely helpful for this project. The films we had selected were on the platform a few weeks later, which was fun to see!
One slight challenge I faced at first was the switch from English classrooms to a fully Qu茅b茅cois workplace. I very quickly got accustomed to my new environment. Working with my coworkers was always so enjoyable, and my experience overall was fantastic. I was able to gain hands-on experience in film promotion and communication while also deepening my appreciation for documentary cinema and getting to learn more about Montreal鈥檚 vibrant cultural scene, which I hope to remain connected to in the future.
Once again, I am grateful that I received funding for this internship through the Max Stern Internship in Art History Award. I would also like to extend my gratitude to my coworkers, who made these past two months so wonderful. Thank you!
