All Stars Project of New York, Production of Youth By Youth (PYBY) intern Indira Tapias and her supervisors from Media at Large at the Summer Internship Reception.

For the second summer in a row, the ASP of NY, Production of Youth by Youth (PYBY) has placed interns in a number of significant cultural organizations around the city. Five graduates worked this summer at Casa Frela Gallery, the Garment Industry Development Corporation, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Media at Large, and Welcome to Harlem! 

The ASP of NY, PYBY is designed for young people interested in becoming cultural producers and entrepreneurs.  All graduates of  PYBY (thirty-three over the last two semesters) are guaranteed an unpaid summer internship. 

Rodney, age 16, of the Bronx worked in the archives at Jazz at Lincoln Center, transferring last season’s concerts to iTunes so that they can be downloaded by personal computers around the world.  Indira, age17, of East Elmhurt, did a lot of post-production administrative work at Media at Large, which produces music videos, commercials and documentaries.  According to her supervisor, Monica Calderon, “Indira’s the youngest intern we have, and the best.  She really does the job.  She tells me when she knows something and when she doesn't know.”

Carolyn Johnson, who owns Welcome to Harlem!, a company that conducts tours of Harlem and promotes tourism in the famous neighborhood, couldn’t say enough about intern Ana, age 16, also of the Bronx.  “I'd like to kidnap her and keep her," she said playfully of Ana.  Gallery owner and PYBY supporter Lawrence Rodriguez was sad to lose intern Mataje, age 18, at the end of her internship at Casa Frela Gallery.  Mataje regularly came in thirty minutes early to work researching the gallery’s October show.

Finally, Vorachon Roongsri, 18, worked alongside clothing buyers at the Garment Industry Development Corporation.  Vorachon is a talented fashion designer himself, so this internship is serving as a foot in the door of his chosen profession.

The PYBY summer interns and their supervisors joined their DSY counterparts in celebrating a summer of professional development at an Internship Reception on Wednesday, August 13th.  Now, the program looks ahead to the Fall Semester, as a whole new group of young people prepare to develop as producers.

For more information about PYBY, contact Program Director Dan Friedman at 212-356-8450 or dfriedman@allstars.org