Tonight was my first time back at the theatre since auditions for Shrek the Musical. I finally received the rehearsal schedule and script, which made everything start to feel more official. Even though my physical presence is not fully required during these early rehearsals, I decided it was important to attend so I could discuss expectations and better understand my responsibilities moving forward as assistant stage manager.
During rehearsal, I spoke with the production team about scheduling and communication. We agreed that for now I would mainly stay in reserve unless additional help was needed. However, I officially took over one of my main responsibilities for the production, which is managing cast and crew conflicts. Because of this, I drafted an introductory email that is scheduled to be sent out tomorrow morning now that I have access to the contact and scheduling documents. The goal of the email is to have everyone resend any previous conflicts directly to me so I can organize everything clearly and accurately myself.
Right now, the plan is for me to fill in for the stage manager this upcoming Thursday as well as the following Thursday. I also got the chance to see the full cast list for the first time tonight, and after seeing everyone involved, I am very excited to start working on this production and continue gaining experience throughout the rehearsal process.
Monthly Archives: May 2026
IWER – Video Editing Internship
Week 1 (5/18-5/24)
Orientation
I thought I would start off this post with context on the internship I am fulfilling considering that this is in fact, my second rodeo. In Spring of 2026, I was employed at IWER as a Video Editing Intern. Throughout the months, I completed 2 videos for them; a documentation on the Aquatic Center Mural and a Senior Student Spotlight. My boss, Megan Brinton, had expressed that she would like me on board to help her with conceptualizing and executing more video ideas throughout the rest of my Stetson journey due to a professional synergy we share. This summer position blossomed because of said expression.
We treated this first week of the course as an orientation. On 5/21 we got together over our usual Teams meeting to setup a loose goal sheet for what IWER was hoping I could accomplish this summer. I had already been briefed in my previous semester on what the video ideas were but due to their scale and importance, we thought it would be best to make sure this process was documented in an organized manner.
Project Planning
There are 2 projects that I am being tasked with covering. I actually haven’t discussed how much I am allowed to share about one of them due to their sensitive nature, but I will get further confirmation that I am allowed to talk about details in future posts as I think the project is extremely impressive and exciting. To keep it vague, there is construction for development on Stetson property that I am crafting a video for. It previously had a video made but IWER deemed it unfit which is where I step in. Over the next few weeks, I am tasked with gathering new footage and working with the IWER team to ensure that their concept is being executed correctly this time around. The due date for the final video isn’t until mid-Fall, but we plan to use every week ambitiously to ensure a perfect feature.
The second project is smaller in scale but just as important. At Stetson, we have gorgeous campus buildings designed with highly reflective windows. While they are beautiful in aesthetics, they are a danger to the avian life as birds have a harder time distinguishing between what can and can’t be flown through. Window decals are a preventive measure that can help birds make that determination. These decals have already been implemented at the Aquatic Center and have been proven highly effective. The video I am tasked with making is to help advertise the decals’ importance and effectiveness both to share awareness on the issue but also to promote Stetson as a fitting candidate for the grants needed to fund more decal implementation.
Conclusion
I am elated to be working on such large-scale projects and am eternally grateful for the opportunity. Not only do I think the professional experience will help propel me into a career, but I am extremely passionate about the projects that I have been handed which only add an entire other layer of gratitude.
My Previous Works as an IWER Intern
May 11th, 2026 | Auditions | Cody Desrosiers
Although attending auditions was not technically required as part of my internship responsibilities for Shrek the Musical at Little Theatre of New Smyrna Beach, I decided to be present because I viewed it as an important opportunity for professional exposure and networking. In theatre, especially in community and regional environments, many opportunities develop through relationships and consistent involvement rather than only through assigned responsibilities. Since I am serving as a stage manager for this production, I wanted to begin establishing stronger communication with the creative team as early as possible.
I already knew the director through a previous summer camp experience, but auditions gave me the opportunity to formally exchange contact information and discuss expectations for the production process. During our conversation, I requested several materials that I believed would help me prepare more effectively for the internship, including a preliminary rehearsal schedule, a copy of the script, and additional contact information outside of email communication. I also asked whether I could be included in conversations regarding casting decisions. My interest in this came from the fact that I have recently been given the opportunity to direct a production in Daytona next year, and I want to better understand how directors evaluate performers during auditions and callbacks. Unfortunately, I am still waiting for a response regarding those requests, which has highlighted how important timely communication is within theatrical production teams.
One of the most interesting aspects of the audition process was seeing how many performers I already knew personally. Many of the actors auditioning are people I have worked with before and whose talents I already respect. Watching auditions from a more observational and managerial perspective made me think carefully about the challenges directors face when casting productions. If I were directing, I think one of the hardest parts would be separating my previous experiences with actors from what they specifically bring into the room during that audition. There is also the concern of how casting choices may appear to outside observers. Favoritism is something I have seen discussed frequently within community theatre spaces, including at this theatre specifically, and it made me think about how important transparency and fairness are during casting decisions.
Overall, attending auditions was valuable even beyond my required internship duties. It allowed me to begin building stronger professional relationships, observe a critical stage of the production process, and reflect on leadership and directing challenges that I may encounter in the future. I am looking forward to seeing the final cast list and officially beginning work on the production.
Week 15 (April 20–26, 2026) & Week 16 (April 27–May 3, 2026)
Creating a Custom Player of the Week Graphic
One of the main projects during these weeks was designing a new ASUN Player of the Week graphic for lacrosse. While the athletic department already has a standard template for these posts, they reached out to see if I wanted to create a version that better matched the Stetson lacrosse Instagram theme and overall visual style.
When designing this, I pulled inspiration from other graphics I had already created this season, including senior day, takeover, and game day posts. Using those as a reference helped me keep the design cohesive with the rest of our content while still making it feel elevated and specific to the award. This project reinforced how important it is to design within an established brand style, but also how you can build on that to make something feel more tailored to a specific team.
Record Graphic Adjustments
I also worked on a record graphic using the template I created earlier in the season. Instead of completely redesigning it, I made small adjustments, especially with fonts and layout details. Even though I stayed within Stetson branding, these subtle changes made the graphic feel more refined and aligned with the direction my designs have been moving in.
This showed me how design is often about iteration rather than starting over. Small changes can make a big difference in the overall look, and it’s important to keep improving even when working from an existing template.
Hattermy’s Award Posts
Another set of graphics I worked on were for the Hattermy’s, which is the athletic department’s end-of-year awards ceremony. Because there were a large number of winners to post, these graphics were designed using a much more simple and efficient template style.
The focus here was less on creating highly detailed designs and more on consistency and speed. Even though the templates were basic, they still needed to look clean, on-brand, and professional when posted together. This experience highlighted the balance between creativity and efficiency, especially when working on high-volume content.
Lacrosse Prospect Camp Graphics
I also revisited a previous lacrosse prospect camp graphic and updated it to better align with current Stetson branding. The original version used fonts that are no longer part of the athletic department’s brand standards, so I adjusted the typography and layout to match what we use now.
Even though the updated version is more on-brand, I still think the older design had some stylistic elements that I liked more. This was an interesting challenge because it showed the trade-off between personal design preference and maintaining brand consistency. In a professional setting, staying consistent with the brand is always the priority, even if it means adjusting elements you personally prefer.
Conclusion
These weeks focused on refining and adapting my designs rather than starting from scratch. I continued improving my ability to work within a system while balancing creativity with consistency, which is key in sports marketing.
Week 14 (April 13–19, 2026)
More Individual Achievement Posts
This week, I continued creating individual achievement graphics like the “hattertrick” post and career achievements. These focus on highlighting player performance while still staying within the team’s branding. I used strong action photos, bold typography, and multiple images to make the designs feel more dynamic and impactful.
Win Graphic Template
I also created and used a reusable win graphic template that allows me to quickly switch out the player, opponent, and final score. The design is simple but strong, using a large “WIN” text and clean layout to clearly communicate the result. This made the process much faster on game days while still keeping posts consistent and visually engaging.
Lacrosse Instagram Takeover
One of the most unique projects I worked on during this week was an Instagram takeover for Stetson University’s main social media account. Their social media team had been trying to expand takeovers across different areas of campus, including study abroad, music, and business programs, but they had not yet featured athletics. Because I am involved in both Stetson Athletics and the lacrosse team, they reached out to me to lead the first athletics takeover.
For this, I decided to make the content a “day in the life” style takeover while traveling to an away game. I also asked one of my teammates who is very comfortable on camera to co-host with me, which helped make the content more engaging and natural. While I was given some general guidelines, the creative direction was completely up to me, which made this project very different from my usual graphic design work.
To organize the takeover, I created intro/cover slides for each day to keep everything structured and cohesive. Instead of posting a high volume of short clips, I was asked to focus on creating longer videos or photo collages, which resulted in about 6–8 posts per day. This approach would help tell a more complete story and make the content feel more intentional rather than random.
This project challenged me in a new way because I had to handle every part of the process including, coming up with creative ideas, filming, editing, and posting. Unlike graphics where I usually start with a clear visual direction or templates, there was very little prior inspiration for this, especially since it was the first athletics takeover. I did look at other schools and teams for general ideas, but nothing directly matched what I was trying to do, so a lot of it came down to experimenting and figuring it out as I went.
One of the biggest challenges was balancing this project with being an athlete at the same time. I was responsible for filming and posting in real time while also attending practice, watching film, preparing for the game, and competing. Because this was meant to be a live, ongoing story, timing was important; however, on game day, I was away from my phone for several hours.
This created a gap in posting, where there was little to no content during the game and then a large amount of content afterward once I had time to edit and post everything. Even though the Stetson social media team understood this limitation, it still felt slightly off from a content flow perspective and showed me how challenging real-time content creation can be in sports.
Another challenge was editing. I used Instagram Reels to edit everything because I thought it would be the easiest option, but it ended up being time-consuming and limiting. It also did not produce as polished of a final product as I had hoped. Looking back, I would have used a more advanced editing platform to improve both efficiency and quality.
Overall, I was really happy with how the takeover turned out. I received a lot of positive feedback, and the Stetson social media team was very pleased with the final result. It was a completely different type of project compared to my usual design work, and it pushed me to think more about storytelling, content flow, and audience engagement.
If I were to do it again, I would focus on using a better editing platform and planning content more strategically around game-day timing. This experience showed me how much work goes into social media beyond just graphics, especially when it involves real-time content and balancing multiple roles at once.
Video Links:
Conclusion
This week helped me grow both creatively and professionally by balancing graphic design with real-time content creation. From building efficient templates to leading the lacrosse takeover, I gained a better understanding of how important planning, adaptability, and storytelling are in sports marketing. It showed me how much goes into creating engaging content, especially when working in a fast-paced, live environment.
Week 12 (March 30 – April 5, 2026) & Week 13 (April 6 – 12, 2026)
Building on Templates & Expanding Content
During these two weeks, a lot of my work focused on building off templates I had already created and turning them into finished posts. For record and milestone graphics, I used the templates I designed earlier in the season and filled them out with updated player stats and photos. This made the process more efficient while still keeping everything consistent with Stetson Athletics’ branding.
Athletic Training Month Post
I also created a post for Athletic Training Month. With this design, I intentionally kept it simple while still making it visually strong. Instead of overcomplicating it, I focused on clean typography, a strong photo, and clear messaging. This helped highlight the importance of athletic trainers while keeping the graphic professional and easy to read.
Lacrosse Senior Day Graphics
Another key project was designing senior day graphics for lacrosse. These posts are more meaningful than typical game content because they highlight individual athletes and their time with the program. I focused on making each graphic feel personal while still keeping a consistent layout across all seniors so the set looked cohesive when posted together.
Tournament Template Creation
I also created a tournament template that will be used by both men’s and women’s tennis, as well as men’s and women’s golf. Even though the current version uses placeholder athletes, the goal was to build something flexible and reusable across multiple teams. This project made me think more about designing for long-term use rather than just a one-time post.
All-Academic Template
Lastly, I designed an All-Academic template that can be used by all spring teams at the end of the season. Similar to the tournament template, this was built with adaptability in mind so different teams can easily plug in their athletes. It reinforced how important it is to create designs that are not only visually appealing but also practical for others to use.
Conclusion
These weeks helped me continue improving my efficiency while designing within a system. Reusing templates, creating versatile designs, and knowing when to keep things simple all played a big role in my workflow. It showed me that strong sports design isn’t always about starting from scratch, but about building resources that can be used across an entire program.
Museum of Art Deland
This week I spent more time working on the 3D Model – added more details, windows and the staircase. This is using Blender 3D. I am planning to close this out and submit this weekend. Still a bit unsure what the best viewing/printing software for a file created by Blender 3D is.
Also spent considerable time cleaning up photos I took during my internship and uploading them to the Museum server as instructed by my supervisor.
Lastly, my supervisor asked me to assist the Museum shop in taking some nice photographs of the shop. So I spent a few hours this week to document the Museum shop in photos. The Museum Store is a popular stop for unique gifts and artistic displays. This one-level gallery is bursting with fun and quirky gift ideas and is a must-visit shop in the middle of the city. Customers are happy with the attractive arrangement of items and the friendly and helpful sales staff. The choice is huge and there is something for everyone on your list. In fact, many people end up buying gifts for themselves too. The store is often compared to the best art stores such as MoMA’s in NYC, with its nice atmosphere. I was trying to capture this in my photos.
