Two Days as a ‘Colbert Report’ Intern

Four SMPA students went behind-the-scenes with Stephen Colbert at Monday’s taping.

December 10, 2014

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SMPA students got a chance to intern during "The Colbert Report."

When Stephen Colbert ran onto the Lisner stage in all his bespectacled glory, Comedy Central devotees scrambled to their feet and burst into a thunderous applause faster than you could say “truthiness.” It was enough for most aficionados to be in the same room while the political satirist turned his acerbic wit on President Barack Obama—but four students from the School of Media and Public Affairs were able to get even closer to the suited-up simpleton Mr. Colbert plays on his show.
 
Seniors Julie Alderman, Asha Parker, Raphael Burne and Jeffrey Pawling were chosen to work as production interns for the special episode of “The Colbert Report” taped Monday on the George Washington University’s Foggy Bottom Campus.
 
The show reached out to SMPA last week to get a few extra hands on set. SMPA sent an email blast alerting production-savvy students, who replied with their qualifications and experiences. “The Colbert Report” contacted interested candidates and held brief phone interviews before selecting four helpers for the taping.
 
Ms. Alderman was one of the people on “The Colbert Report’s” shortlist. During her interview with the show’s New York office, she talked about her SMPA classes in digital media production and her time interning at radio station WAMU. Her phone rang again just hours later. A rep from “The Colbert Report” instructed her to wake up bright and early Sunday morning for the show’s setup.  
 
The four students shuffled into Lisner Auditorium at 8 a.m. Their first order of business was to move equipment that would eventually transform the stage into the glitzy studio audiences saw on their televisions Monday night. Throughout the day, they carried out other intern responsibilities: They picked up coffee, took catering orders and pieced together Mr. Colbert’s signature blue desk. 
 
“That desk was maybe the heaviest piece of furniture I’ve ever lifted in my life—it had to be at least 150 pounds,” Mr. Pawling said.
 
He added that he was most surprised by the manpower it took to put together the 30-minute episode. More than 50 crewmembers milled around the set, moving boxes, tweaking sound equipment and hanging diaphanous portraits of Mr. Colbert dressed up as American presidents. The students worked for about 12 hours, staying well into the night. They arrived back at Lisner the next day for the final show run-through.
 
Ms. Parker, who aspires to work in TV production, had a special task while prepping the Lisner stage. The crew asked her to sit in Mr. Colbert’s chair so they could adjust lighting. Just then, the lanky show host came over and plopped down next to her. 
 
“We laughed about the random things that were put in his desk for him to use on the show, like a mirror and Advil,” Ms. Parker said. Mr. Colbert even joked to her that he keeps a knife in his New York studio desk—but that he was forced to leave it behind since he’d be interviewing the president.
 
Ms. Alderman was surprised that despite his contagious sense of humor, the comedian was all business on set. She watched star-struck as he finessed his lines with the writers of the program.
 
“He was perfecting the script right until show time and telling people down to the syllable when a certain graphic should come up,” Ms. Alderman remembered. “That was the most interesting part—seeing someone that important so involved and caring so much about his work.”
 
The Secret Service arrived on campus at 10 a.m. to do a final sweep of the auditorium before the president arrived. Mr. Pawling went into the writer’s area to wait until they finished when Mr. Colbert stepped into the room.
 
“He walked in and said, ‘I’m Steven—thanks for all you’re doing,’” Mr. Pawling said. “He was an incredibly nice guy, and you can tell his staff loves working for him.”
 
When the cameras started rolling at 3:30 p.m., the students watched the action from the production room on the ground level of Lisner. They could hear the roar of the audience as President Obama and Mr. Colbert exchanged the one-liners they’d heard the writers testing out during rehearsal.
 
“It was definitely amazing to experience all that goes into creating the final product of a show we see on television. I learned that the job is never easy, but that it is fun and certainly rewarding,” Ms. Parker said.
 
When the show ended, Mr. Pawling ran into Mr. Colbert just as he was coming off the stage and got to congratulate him on the successful episode. 
 
Ms. Alderman called the event the highlight of her senior year. In addition to newly acquired TV production skills, she’s holding on to another small vestige of the event.
 
“I shook Colbert’s hand, and I still haven’t washed it—and I don’t plan to for quite some time,” she joked.