By Caleb Stallings

“An internship at an environmental consulting firm? Really?” This was my reaction after my third week of living in Los Angeles. I had come out for only a semester at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, and I had to do an internship. From the school, I found out EcoSet Consulting had just started an internship program. While I was interested in what the company did, I was never into environmentalism that much. It was an odd place for me to wind up, but I knew this was where I needed to be. At that point in my life, I was looking to grow and expand my life experiences. Now that I’m back home in Tennessee, I can definitely say that was the case.

My internship at EcoSet was a unique one. Many of the students from the school were interning for agencies and production companies, but my internship was different. I wasn’t some underling who was there to make copies and get coffee. I was welcomed into a new community that I had previously not known existed, the green community of the film industry. I was so inspired by the EcoSet staff, who have such a passion for the green movement in the industry. They are some of the warmest people I have ever met. I was able to learn a lot about recycling and composting. I was even inspired to start greening my home in Tennessee! Another thing I didn’t expect to get out of my internship was on-set experience. Most interns from the school worked only in offices, but I was able to get  hands-on experience on actual commercial sets. As the semester progressed, I began to feel more comfortable and confident working in such a professional environment.

EcoSet Intern Caleb Stallings (left) helps donate a set wall to a local donation partner

Overall, I can definitely say that my internship at EcoSet was life-changing. It fostered new relationships and gave me a new perspective of the industry. I had previously worked on productions that wasted so many materials. I have worked in the craft services department a lot, and the bottled water the crew went through was phenomenal. EcoSet showed me that the industry doesn’t have to be environmentally damaging. Change is possible. I was so lucky to be the first intern at EcoSet, and I am excited to see what the future holds for this extraordinary, new company.

Email jobs@ecosetconsulting.com for information about internships at EcoSet Consulting.