Bag Kulissen: Cecilie, FTP elev
I don't want the safe choice.
As my time at the boarding school was drawing to a close, my friends and I had to make decisions about what to do with our lives next. The discussions revolved around which high school was the best, which had a good reputation, the best subject offerings, too many distractions, or too low of an average on the list of the best general high school programs.
For many, high school was the right choice, and it seemed like the sensible thing to do. My parents, teachers, and friends had all said, “It’s the safe choice, so you’ll always have something to fall back on.”
Just the thought of going to high school drained me. Three more years of learning about things that weren’t relevant to my goal of entering the Film and TV industry. I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be, but I knew I wouldn’t learn how to become a structured producer, an aesthetic cinematographer, a rhythmic editor, an outgoing communicator, or an employee in a creative company there. I was hungry to get started on getting better at what I was passionate about.
For many, high school was the right choice, and it seemed like the sensible thing to do. My parents, teachers, and friends had all said, “It’s the safe choice, so you’ll always have something to fall back on.”
Just the thought of going to high school drained me. Three more years of learning about things that weren’t relevant to my goal of entering the Film and TV industry. I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be, but I knew I wouldn’t learn how to become a structured producer, an aesthetic cinematographer, a rhythmic editor, an outgoing communicator, or an employee in a creative company there. I was hungry to get started on getting better at what I was passionate about.
How I got the internship.
Afterwards, the work began. I started on the educational foundation course and had 0.5 years to find an apprenticeship position, or I would be expelled. I applied for 5-day internship programs at over 50 companies to showcase my skills. Six companies took me in, but by the end of each week, I received the same response: “It’s been great having you, but we don’t take apprentices.” Or, “You would be a great apprentice, but we only hire people with driver’s licenses.”
I was about to give up when I had my last week of internship at CPHLIVE. I had asked my mom if I could just skip it, say I was sick, and go to school. But she pushed me to do it and reminded me that every opportunity was a chance.
So I headed to Enghave Plads, showed up at the office, full of confidence, thinking, “The worst that can happen is that they won’t want me either.”
“Hey, CPHLIVE, what’s going on?” I said when I arrived. It was a small office where everyone sat in the same room working as you walked in. “We’ll be right with you in two minutes, we just need to send this out,” Fia said. I felt a bit awkward just standing there, so I told them I’d take a look around – and proceeded to show myself around. It was a different place from the other companies I had visited. CPHLIVE’s office was like a little apartment, homey, quirky, and cozy.
Right away, CPHLIVE and I were on the same wavelength. They approached me with curiosity and interest, making me feel like I had a lot to bring to the table. They wanted me to stay, and 8 months later, we got the paperwork sorted. In August 2020, I signed a contract with CPHLIVE.
I was about to give up when I had my last week of internship at CPHLIVE. I had asked my mom if I could just skip it, say I was sick, and go to school. But she pushed me to do it and reminded me that every opportunity was a chance.
So I headed to Enghave Plads, showed up at the office, full of confidence, thinking, “The worst that can happen is that they won’t want me either.”
“Hey, CPHLIVE, what’s going on?” I said when I arrived. It was a small office where everyone sat in the same room working as you walked in. “We’ll be right with you in two minutes, we just need to send this out,” Fia said. I felt a bit awkward just standing there, so I told them I’d take a look around – and proceeded to show myself around. It was a different place from the other companies I had visited. CPHLIVE’s office was like a little apartment, homey, quirky, and cozy.
Right away, CPHLIVE and I were on the same wavelength. They approached me with curiosity and interest, making me feel like I had a lot to bring to the table. They wanted me to stay, and 8 months later, we got the paperwork sorted. In August 2020, I signed a contract with CPHLIVE.