Fashion Shows and White Paint

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted! Life in NYC continues to be busy, but in the best possible way! I finished editing the video about the West Point trip and it is posted here:

West Point

The most exciting part about the past couple of weeks was New York Fashion Week. Everyday on my way to work I passed the tents at Bryant park and watched the groups of photographers following socialites and fashion insiders arriving at the shows. I even got to go to a couple of the shows with Miss USA and Miss Universe. I saw AZ Araujo, Boudoir D'huitres, and Venexiana. Venexiana was the biggest one I went to and since I was with Miss Universe I even got a seat with her in the front row! Can you find the camera girl in these photos?

I got some amazing footage at this show, but I'm not sure if anything will be made of it for the website. My boss said they sent me more for fun than for the footage. I didn't notice any famous people there. The only person I saw was a former contestant from America's Next Top Model, but that's someone that I probably shouldn't admit that I recognized, haha.

I also saw my first Broadway musical last week. My friend Larin and I went to see Chicago and loved it! Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child played Roxy and was surprisingly strong against the other characters. It took about a week, but I finally got "All That Jazz" out of my head.

Other highlights include seeing the Frick Collection which is now my favorite museum in New York, seeing a parade in Chinatown, shopping at Bloomingdales, and searching for books at Strand bookstore (I came home with six). This week in the office we have been preparing to switch rooms with another employee by painting the walls in what will be our new office. As the film/web team, we need to have white walls because they make an easy background to light when shooting interviews. Here's some pictures of Andy and I painting. Please admire the beautiful white wall behind us... it took 4 coats.

Between two days of painting and a yoga class I started going to my muscles are not very happy with me right now. I am extremely excited for tomorrow because Beth is flying in with two of our friends, Katie and Amanda. They are my first visitors and I cannot wait to show them around the city!

Loving NY

Life here in New York is still very busy! I have been following the three title holders around to all kinds of charity events, appearances, and volunteer trips. So now I am working hard to catch up on all of the editing work that needs to be done in the office. Here are links to two videos that I edited. The first is from the Fadil shoot that happened last week and the second is a promo video for the Same Sky trade initiative. Andrew and shared the camera work for both of them.

Fadil Shoot
Same Sky

On Thursday of last week I got to go with Miss USA on a trip to West Point, which was amazing! The campus was beautiful and filled with history. The cadets led our tour and told us all about what life is like at a military academy. It was very inspiring, but it also made me happy that I go to a normal university and not a military one. One of the highlights of the trip was the train ride up the Hudson river. It was refreshing to get out of the city and to see all of the beautiful scenery that surrounds the academy. Video coming soon!


More Photos

The other cool event I went to last week was the Viennese Opera Ball, which was the fanciest event that I will probably ever go to in my life. Held at the Waldorf Hotel, there were all kinds of foreign dignitaries, debutantes, and celebrities there. Even some of the cadets we had met at West Point the day before were invited. Right now, I'm working on a video about Miss USA learning how to waltz for the event. The night was filled with ballroom dancing and performances from opera singers and ballerinas. I even got to snatch a steak dinner from an empty seat at Miss USA's table. It was fun, but I hope to one day go to a ball as an actual guest and not the videographer so I can dance too!

Photo Album

My sightseeing for the weekend included the Natural History Museum and the Guggenheim Museum. I went to the Natural History Museum primarily to see the planetarium show because I hadn't been to one since a grade school field trip to the McKinley Monument where I believe Heather hosted the show, haha. The New York Natural History Museum is where the movie "Night at the Museum" was shot so I also spent some time walking around the other exhibits which looked exactly like they did in the film. After that I walked through Central Park and then met some friends at the Guggenheim which is a modern art museum with some really cool architecture. Sunday we got some amazing Chinese and watched the Superbowl.

I hear that everyone back in Ohio got covered in snow last Friday and then again today! We luckily missed the first snow storm, but we definitely got hit today. The MUO office had to close early so that everyone could make it home safely. The snow is still falling, so let's hope that tomorrow I can still make it to work. So much to do!!

Busy Busy

This has been a week full of shooting! The past two days I have been following Miss Universe around to different soup kitchens she has been volunteering at. I met some great volunteers with an inspiring passion for helping others, especially those suffering from Aids. Tomorrow will be a lot of fun because I am following Miss USA to West Point Military Academy to visit the students there. I'm sure they will go crazy over her, which will make for some great footage! Friday is another exciting day because in the evening Miss USA is going to the Viennese Opera Ball at the Waldorf Astoria ballroom and, of course, I will be following her with my camera! The event is extremely fancy! I've never been to a ball before, so I'll let you know how it goes, haha. Here's a link to the website with a video about it. Very intimidating... too bad I don't know how to waltz.

Viennese Opera Ball

I am also excited for next week, which kicks off New York fashion week! I know the title holders will attend a few shows, but I'm not sure yet if I'll get to go. There will definitely be tons of celebs there! Some possible trips in March include Puerto Rico, Panama, Columbia, Bahamas, Russia, and the Czech Republic. Again, not sure if I'll get to go... I've learned in my short time with MUO that nothing is decided until the last minute so we'll see. I'll keep you updated!

Back in Athens, my school wrote a nice article about Andrew and I and our internship. Here's the link. The picture is ridiculous...

Ohio University Outlook

That's all for now! It was very cold last weekend so I didn't get to go ice skating like I had hoped, though I did spend quite a bit of time at Lord and Taylor.

Miss you all!

Miss Universe

The interns and Miss Universe

Hello Hello!!

Hello, hello! Sorry it has been so long since I posted last. Things have been very busy at work, which is great! Last Wednesday I attended two charity events for Haiti with Miss USA and Miss Universe. The first was at a night club called Arena and Mayor Bloomberg was there! I got to shoot and edited a video about it that I posted on the website today. Here is the link:

Hearts for Haiti

The second event was at a bar called SPiN New York, which is known for its ping pong tables. The event there was hosted by Susan Sarandon who walked right past me! She kind of looks like a hippie in real life. Did you know that she has a tattoo on the back of her neck? The other celebrities we saw were Judah Friedlander from the show 30 Rock and Russell Simmons. The pictures I took there are posted at MissUniverse.com.

Tuesday was also fun at work because I got to go to a big photo shoot with all three girls. The photographer was Fadil Berisha who has shot all kinds of celebrities. Andy and I were there shooting video all day and got a lot of great footage, which will hopefully be made into a video soon! I took these pics with my phone:



There was also a lot of press there. Check out this video from Telemundo. I'm in the background wearing red on the first shot right in the center of the screen.

Fadil Photo Shoot

Here are a couple of more articles about the shoot:

NBC New York
TMZ

Another project of mine at work has been editing Video Blogs that we have been shooting with the girls. Here is what I finished today:

Miss Universe
Miss USA
Miss Teen USA

As for the part of my life that doesn't revolve around beauty queens, I am still loving living in New York! This past weekend I went to a flea market in Brooklyn that was really cool! It was in an old bank that was beautiful and part of it, Dad, was even in the old vault (couldn't find the word Diebold on it, but trust me I looked, haha). We spent the rest of the day walking around the area, shopping in vintage stores, and exploring a beautiful park. I have also been to New York landmarks like the top of the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Grand Central Station, and the Museum of Modern Art.

The Brooklyn Flea and me at the Empire State Building

Grand Central Station

I have not traveled yet for work, but there are a lot of trips coming up in March and April. Plus, I might be going to West Point with Miss USA sometime next week. I am excited to travel soon, but also happy to be in the city!

Wednesday Night with Celebs

Where I was Wednesday night:

SPiN

Hearts for Haiti

Miss USA and I

Videos!

Here's the links to a couple of videos we have been working on.  Much more to come soon!

The Pose Off

Miss Teen USA's Music Video

Miss Teen

Me, Miss Teen USA, and Andy in the office.

Surviving Week One

Good news, I survived an entire week of living in New York City, and I love it! The Webster is a great place to live and I had fun this past week exploring the city. Work is already extremely busy. I am almost finished editing two videos that will soon be posted at Missuniverse.com so I'll let everyone know when that happens. Tomorrow at MUO we are shooting a music video with Miss Teen USA in Central Park and also a funny office video with Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, so that will be a lot of fun! Here is a picture of the view from the MUO office.

The picture on the right is of the office I work in. My boss is on the left and Andy, the other intern, on the right. Here are some more pictures of things I have seen:


These are both from Rockefeller Plaza. The girls in the picture on the right all live at the Webster too.


One night we went to a bakery called Magnolia which was sooooo good! I pass it on my way to work everyday and am always tempted to go in, but so far have been strong, haha. The photo on the right is from a bar we went to on Saturday night. We also went out to the Beauty Bar that night where for under $10 you can get a drink and a manicure. It was fun! The girl to the left of me in the picture is Kelly who is also from OU and interning with the Today Show. I want to go and stand in the crowd of the Today Show on my way to work sometime soon. Any suggestions on what my poster should say? I want get Al's attention, haha.

Good night!

Nicole Meets New York

Welcome to Nicole in NYC!

So in case I haven't already told you, for the next 6 months I will be living in New York City while on an internship with the Miss Universe Organization (MUO). I have been hired as a web/video intern and will be traveling the world with Miss USA and Miss Universe while creating videos for the MUO website (missuniverse.com). It is such an amazing opportunity and I cannot tell you how excited I am!!!!

Yesterday I flew into the city early in the morning. It is my first time in NYC, and I love it already! I am staying in a women's dormitory in Manhattan where I get a small room and two meals a day. The building was built in the 1920's as a place where young women could stay while working in the city. My room is very cute! It's actually bigger than I thought it would be and has enough room for a bed, sink, closet, dresser, desk, and chair. I'm on the 4th floor and the view out my window shows parts of the beautiful New York skyline. From the rooftop balcony there is an amazing view of the Empire State Building. I have also met a lot of girls who are all interning for interesting companies like DKNY and The Today Show. There are from all over the world and speak all kinds of languages. I had fun this morning at breakfast talking to two British girls about London. Living here for 6 months sounds like a very long time, but I know it is going to be a blast!

After settling in yesterday I practiced walking to work so I wouldn't get lost on my first day. It's about a 30min walk to work, which feels much faster because of all there is to look at. Along the way, I passed through Times Square by accident and also detoured over to Rockefeller Center. To my surprise, the Christmas tree was still standing there, which is something I have always wanted to see. I stopped and watched the skaters for a while. I also passed Radio City Music Hall, walked through Macy's, and explored Bryant Park, which was so cute and also had a skating rink! After that I went back to the dorm where I got a tour of the building and then went to bed in excitement for the first day of work!

Today was such a great day! I got up so early that I arrived at my first day of work 40min early. I waited in a coffee shop across the street until it was time to go in, haha. MUO is going to be so much fun! Everyone was so nice and made Andy, the other OU intern, and I feel very welcome. Colin, our boss, is going to be a lot of fun to work with! He encouraged us to be creative and think of new story ideas for videos to make for the website. It sounds like we are going to be given a lot of responsibility, which is great! We also met Miss USA and Miss Universe who are both very beautiful. There was also talk of a trip to Venezuela with Miss Universe coming up next week, but they haven't decided yet if Andy and/or I will get to go. I really hope we do! After work I came back to the dorm and got dinner with my new friends while we all talked about our exciting days with our new internships.

I am so tired now from such a fun day, but I cannot wait to get up early tomorrow and go back to MUO. It's going to be such a fun 6 months here! I'll try to keep this blog updated as much as possible with what I am up to. Hopefully there will be a lot of travel stories!

Having fun, but already miss you all,
Nicole