Self Publish Be Happy Internship

As mentioned previously I applied for an internship at Self Publish, Be Happy and met the founder for a short interview in May. After this I was asked to produce dummy posts for the site in order to see if I would be suitable for the placement, these included Book to Come, Book of the Day, Self Publish Be Happy Hearts, Self Publish, Be Naughty and various other posts to show I was capable of the array of things the site offers. These were well received and I was asked to come into the office next time I was in London which would be the start of May.

Holy Ghost and Protein present: SIX SIX SIX

Below is a poster for first show I was involved with through Holy Ghost, six photographers were picked and each given a roll of film to shoot, we then took the films back, developed them and exhibited all 36 exposures from each artist before they had even seen them.  The exhibition itself was very last minute as Protein contacted us two weeks in advance with a weeks space to fill in their 18 Hewett Street Gallery.

I made it down to set up the show and finally meet my colleagues, my assumption was that I may be doing odd jobs but from the start I was involved with everything from getting things printed to curatorial decisions and hanging the final show. The show itself received nearly 300 visitors on it's opening night and is the largest event I have been involved with outside of an academic environment.

I also made contacts with the six photographers involved and others that had come for the show, this has lead to possible assisting jobs and further networking.

While in London I also managed to meet up with Bruno Ceschel, founder of Self Publish, Be Happy. I had originally contacted him based on an internship for summer and due to being in London at the time I managed to meet him for coffee and a short interview, this will be explained in further detail later.

Holy Ghost

Prior to the Live Project I contacted Holy Ghost about an internship and/or work related learning, upon receiving a response I have been working alongside its two founding members. Matthew Ritson and Alexander Mcluckie, to curate the website, organise and curate events and write interviews.

This was mentioned previously on my PPD blog but I feel now that I can reflect on the work I have done and the events I have contributed too. I have learned what Holy Ghost is and the kind of photographic work they print, promote and support. I have also used my status as part of the team to contact otherwise unreachable professional photographers, essentially treating the interviews as research.

Through exhibitions I have made connections with many photographers and people that I otherwise would not have known, leading to a a summer internship and possible assisting jobs, explained later.

Now the Live Project has finished I have been given a reference from Matt, can be shown upon request, and a full time position as part of the team at Holy Ghost. This means that I will continue to produce content for the site and organise exhibitions, including a show currently being arranged in Leeds for September and work towards their quarterly printed publications.