When I first started my internship with Q100 Atlanta and the Adam Bomb Show, I had no idea what to expect or even what I wanted to get from the internship. I did know radio had always interested me, but I thought I had my career path pretty much chosen. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from Adam Bomb and the crew at Q100, though, is to expect the unexpected and be willing to go with the flow.
Bombsqaud
I’ve been following Q100 on social media for a long time, so I knew what the “Bombsquad” was, but suddenly I was in the middle of it and I was doing the things they got to do every day. I started out with just the Adam Bomb Show in the afternoons; writing blogs, getting out in the street to give things away, occasionally helping with artist meet and greets, and doing podcasts on whatever random topic Adam Bomb had come up with that day. I didn’t know it then, but the more I did all those things, the more I fell in love with radio. Soon, I wanted to be at the station more than anywhere else, so I started interning with Rachel Ryan during the middays too.
When I first started my internship, I didn’t realize the amount of work that went in to every little detail. Radio isn’t for people who aren’t willing to pretty much be married to their jobs. Getting to see how the behind the scenes works for artist meet and greets was one of the coolest parts of my internship. There’s a lot of preparation that goes into everything and it isn’t something I got to see as a listener.
Throughout the course of my internship this summer, I realized that radio was now the career path I wanted to take. I mean, how many people can say that they work at a place where any given day, you could see your favorite artists, have penguins visit the studio, or go to a Braves game? Every day is something different and I think that’s one major reason why I’m so drawn to it.
Adam Bomb is also one of the coolest people I’ve had the privilege to work with- even though he absolutely loves to give me a hard time. He tries his best to keep all of us on our toes and to push us outside of our comfort zones. He’s been really supportive of the path I want to take and has done everything he can to help me get into the industry.
Friday Night Lights
Adam Bomb and Q100 do something every football season where Adam Bomb and the Bombsquad go out to a different high school football game every week. Friday Night Lights is something unique to Q100, and though it takes a lot of time and effort from everyone involved, it has been a growing experience.
(Check me out in the back looking really awkward)
I’ve been doing photography at the games this season, but we also have to have people running all social media (Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram) as well as people filming the game. FNL is not something that one person could do alone, it takes an entire team and every person on the team has a specific role to play.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen my photography improve so much. I started out as a beginner- not really all that comfortable with any of the settings, but I’ve come to recognize the right settings to use, which light would be the best, and which shots will be good ones.
As a college student, it was a bit nostalgic to go back to high school for football season- especially considering I only went to 1 of my high school’s football games. It’s been a real privilege to be surrounded by the amount of energy each high school brings to the field.
I’ve worked alongside a lot of really hard-working people this season and none of what we’ve done with FNL could have been possible had it not been for the team as a whole.
If you’re considering a radio internship and you live in the Atlanta area, I strongly suggest looking into Q100. I’ve made some really great friends and I’ve made memories that will last a lifetime. My time with Q100 and the Adam Bomb show has shown me what I want to do with my life, even though I was uncertain at the beginning. I was really lucky to have gotten this opportunity, and I can’t wait to see what other challenges Q100 and Adam Bomb throw my way.
