i got a call from nickelodeon last tues telling me the speed interviews were scheduled for wed – fri, and they needed me there for 3 full days. there were to be 10 or 11 interviews; one on one interviews with writers and creators, and also group interviews with executives in charge (eic’s), line producers, writers, and other people.  each interview was to last 10 minutes. the interviewers will be given a sheet of paper where they’ll score us 1 – 5 in different categories. this is the final step! after these interviews, you either become a fellow, or you’re right back where you started from.

DAY 1

when i got to nickelodeon, i waited in the lobby and met the other finalists. there were 4 including me. i thought it might be a little awkward but actually everyone was really nice and friendly.  i found out there were 8 semifinalists, then after the phone interviews, it was cut to 6. then after the face to face interviews, it was cut down to us 4 finalists.

wed was our light day. we only had 2 interviews scheduled, a one on one, and a group.

i wasn’t really worried about the one on one interviews, but i was a bit nervous about the group interviews. speaking in front of a lot of people isn’t easy for me, plus my voice isn’t very loud so i had to remember to project. i had rehearsed a little intro spiel about myself, including my education, how i got into writing, my accomplishments with films and so forth.

for lunch, all of the finalists went out to lunch together. nickelodeon picks up to 4 fellows per year, so i’m hoping all 4 of us get in. they all seem like great people and it would be fun to work with them.

DAY 2

day 2 was a rough day. i barely got any sleep the night before. i was still in interview mode and i was up all night just thinking about possible questions i might get asked. also, i kept thinking about how enormous of an opportunity this is. it would completely change my life if i got in. i think i got about 3 hours of sleep.

we had 4 interviews scheduled today, 2 group and 2 one on ones.

we were told to not feel self conscious about repeating the same stories over and over again. they don’t know you just told some story to the interviewer right before, so you have to repeat yourself but also make it sound fresh.

DAY 3

i got a good night’s sleep and felt much more energetic on friday. we had 4 interviews scheduled, and then later there was one more added. by day 3 i was in the groove. i was used to speaking in front of the groups and i knew what kind of questions to expect. i was feeling pretty confident, and was also relieved that the process was coming to an end.

i asked what happens now? the director said she will tally up the totals from the interviews and read over our scripts again. she was going to meet with several people we interviewed with and see what their feedback was. some of the interviewers also wanted to read our scripts. then by tuesday, we should be getting phone calls with either good news or bad news.

i’m relieved the interviews are over. these last 3 days were grueling, not to mention the rest of the month leading up to this. now i can finally relax a little bit. i did my best and it’s out of my hands. i just have to wait and see what happens. wish me luck!

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