Shreeya Sinha was an intern at MediaStorm. Shreeya grew up in India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. She received her master’s degree with honors from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor’s in Politics and international relations from Brandeis University. She spent months reporting on violence against women in India as the sole international journalist for MediaStorm. She wrote their first text story and single-handedly shot video, conducted interviews and field produced ‘Undesired’which featured on the front page of MSNBC.com and at Visa Pour L’image, the international festival of photojournalism at Perpignan, France.
VS: How was your internship structured?
Sinha: “This wasn’t a typical internship at MediaStorm because of ‘Undesired’ by photographer Walter Astrada about violence against women in India. In May, MediaStorm asked me to go to India to report, shoot video and interviews and field produce the multimedia project. When I came back, two months later, I was helping produce full-time and we screened the project on September 30, 2010.”
VS: Who was your supervisor or mentor?  What did you learn from that
person?
Sinha: “Eric Maierson is the producer of ‘Undesired’, my mentor and friend. He’s an absolute genius at what he does and I think he’s at the forefront of the wave of multimedia storytelling. Eric taught me the art of editing, patience and intuition. Just figuring out his next move was exciting.
Because MediaStorm is so small I had the privilege of also working directly with Brian Storm, the executive producer of ‘Undesired’ and the founder of MediaStorm. Brian is a thought-provoking storyteller. He helped me understand the art of photography, the humanity and simplicity required to tell stories and the possibilities of multimedia. ”
VS: What was your favorite assignment and why?
Sinha: “‘Undesired’ was my main assignment and it really shaped me for several reasons. Firstly, the story was shocking and as a journalist and Indian woman I felt strongly about shedding light on this complex and media dark issue. From birth to death women are threatened with violence because they are considered a burden and 40 women are ‘missing’ from India’s population. I hope this project will raise awareness about these crimes.
Secondly, the project was thrilling to work on because of the creativity required to weave Walter Astrada’s compelling still images with video, audio, music, text and a narrative.”
VS: What was the most important thing you learned?
Sinha: “To take informed risks with my work which will propel me to achieve greater success and creativity. I developed my own vision and creative identity and as a result I’m a more visually sophisticated journalist and multimedia producer. ”
VS: Talk about what you think makes good multimedia.
Sinha: “Good multimedia storytelling is a cinematic narrative that includes some combination of photography, audio, video, music, interactivity, animation and text but is always grounded in a powerful journalistic humanity-driven story. Multimedia storytellers must be able to distribute their work across multiple media platforms to reach a larger audience.”
VS: What helped you get the internship?
Sinha: “I think it was because of my multimedia thesis at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, which awarded me honors. I spent 7 months reporting on psychological trauma in gangs and its effect on high-crime communities. ‘Ricocheting Bullets’ incorporates a compelling story about Jason Davis, the gang leader of the Bloods in Harlem with text, photography, video and audio.”
Sinha received the highest honors at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism for her thesis, Ricocheting Bullets- a multimedia project incorporating photography, video and audio on psychological trauma in gangsters and their effect on communities.
VS: What’s the best and worst part about this internship?
Sinha: “The best part of the internship was the responsibility and trust they had in me to report in India to add a vital element to ‘Undesired.’. The worst part was saying good-bye to such amazing people.”
VS: Describe the environment/dynamic at MediaStorm?  How did you fit in to that environment?
Sinha: “MediaStorm is the best place to work. It’s a family and I was treated like a member. I developed great friendships there. Professionally, I was treated as a team player. My ideas and opinions were always addressed and I learned so much being part of a collaborative environment.”
VS: Did you set a goal for your internship?  Did you achieve that goal?
Sinha: “Yes. I wanted to do the best work in India for MediaStorm so that we could tell a visually powerful story that would make people more aware about the issue of violence against women in India. In the studio, I kept an adaptive, open, creative and committed mind.”
VS: What was the most difficult part of the internship?
Sinha: “Dealing with ‘Undesired’ was the most difficult part of the internship because violence against women in India is such a shocking and disturbing issue. The producers, Walter Astrada and myself were affected by the story in different ways. I was processing my own position in Indian society and how I felt about it.”
VS: Describe your personal and professional growth during the internship.
Sinha: “I have grown a lot both personally and professionally during the internship. Personally, I’m more confident, creative and I have a vision of how I can effect change through multimedia storytelling. Professionally, I have more storytelling tools at my disposal, I speak the language of multimedia, understand the art of photography and understand the possibilities of multimedia.”
VS: What surprised you about the internship?
Sinha: “It was better than I thought it would be, which is surprising since I’m quite optimistic.”
VS: What will you do next?
Sinha: “I’m looking for a job that allows me to apply my skills as a visual journalist and multimedia producer. The best way to reach me is at shre...@gmail.com or through my website at www.shreeyasinha.com”
Fore more information on the MediaStorm internship, go here.
