While you were watching MTV’s The Buried Life and drafting a bucket list, Kate Nolan (’14) was out crossing things off of her own. This summer, Kate interned with the boys of TBL and was even able to get them to come to PC and give an inspiring lecture. Kate took some time out of her busy schedule to tell us about what it was like to work for The Buried Life cast and talked about her own aspirations and goals—which we’re sure she will achieve!
Name: Kate Nolan
Year: Class of 2014
Hometown: Hannover, MA
Major: Public and Community Service with concentration in film
So, you interned with The Buried Life boys. How did that happen? Well, I was rejected from a lot of other internships and got really fed up, so I sent an email to their crew asking for an internship. A little while later, Ben Nemtin sent me an email back asking if I could intern for them directly.
That’s so cool. What’d you say in the email? I basically said, “I really want to intern for you guys and I can teach you how to dougie and get you all the right sandwiches” (because they love sandwiches). I think I told them to consider it the best decision of their lives. It was about two sentences long and I did not expect anything from it.
What did you do once you got the job? I started out helping them with the book they wrote. They wanted to get cool list items from fans, so there was a lot of social networking; I had to handle their Facebook and Twitter pages. The whole book has a bunch of fan stories and gives them a chance to tell their own story, which wasn’t shown as much in the episodes. Quickly it grew into more of an assistant job where I helped with itineraries, list items, and researching different locations. I ended up doing a bunch of different things…one of them lost his license so I helped him find it…just a lot of odd jobs.
Where’d you go to do it? It was mostly done over texting and my computer.
Were there other interns? When we first started, there were 4 interns working on the book.
Are they cool? Yeah, and it’s a cool dynamic because we’re all over the U.S.. One’s in law school so she’s not doing a lot with us right now because she’s so busy, and another is studying abroad so she’s not a big point of contact. The third is an honors student somewhere. I tried to work hard and pick up the weight so that I could help as much as possible.
When was the first time you met The Buried Life boys? The first time I met them as an intern was when they visited [Providence College]. We’ve Skyped and been in contact day-to-day, though. I also met them before at Bryant as a fan.
Have you met any other celebrities? I hung out with Shwayze on Friday at Lupo’s. It was a sick concert, actually.
Do you have a list item you want to accomplish? I would like to premiere a film at Sundance. Working with The Buried Life cast has really affected the way I live my life. They’re really inspirational mostly because they’re pretty average people and I consider myself a pretty average person, so I think it just shows that anyone can do anything they want.
So, outside of being an intern for TBL, how was your summer? It was good, I spent it babysitting three lovely children ages 9, 5 and 2. I’ve known them for seven years, and they’re amazing.
Is there an experience you’ve had at PC that has stood out to you? I do an after school program at Times Squared, the elementary school down the road. I run theater workshops for the kids, and help them with their homework. My new friend, George, is a little third grade boy with a personality bigger than the Empire State Building. You know the boy in The Little Rascals who has the top hat and runs the meetings? That’s George. We have a secret handshake, not a big deal.
How did you get involved in that? Through my Public Service major. Times Squared helps people and gives back to the community, which is why I wanted to work for them. Plus they’re using film to do it, so it’s straight up my alley.
Do you have a favorite course at PC? Last semester I took a Public Service course that combined community service and photography, and we had an exhibit at the end of the year. We taught kids ages 7-12 at a local community center. Providence community service projects mostly focus on taking kids off the streets and giving them a sense of pride in their community that they might not have to begin with. I really like being a part of that.
Kate and her community service pal. “He was supposed to make the same face.”
What would you say to a person who might be hesitant to pursue their dreams because they think it may not happen? It’s possible. I never thought in a million years that I’d be interning for The Buried Life; it’s my dream job. But I am doing it, which proves that taking that first step and putting yourself out there is the most important thing. Whether it’s a silly email or talking to someone you may see from afar, you never know what might come from it. I think it’s worth it.
So, since you have such a busy schedule, I’m sure you need time to unwind. What do you do for fun on the weekends? I love concerts and movies. I think doing stuff you love and not conforming to people around you should be your main priority. And dancing’s always a good time.
Are you involved in any clubs here? I’m in Amnesty, Students Environmental Action Coalition, and I played intramural soccer.
How was that? We were completely defeated, but it was a good time. Winning isn’t everything, y’know?
Do you have a favorite movie? This is actually the hardest question you could have asked. Last night I watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and that’s in the top 5. Almost Famous…Midnight in Paris was my favorite movie this year.
Have you traveled at all? I’ve been to California a few times as well as France, Mexico, and Canada. I once took a bus for $5 to visit D.C.. I love public transportation; it’s my favorite thing in the world. I also try to go to New York at least once a month.
Do you head into Boston a lot? Yeah I love going into Boston. They have this awesome movie theater in Cambridge called the Kendall Square Cinema and the restaurant, The Friendly Toast, is unreal. There’s so much variety in their menu and it’s all so good.
What’s your favorite store to shop at? Salvation Army. You can find amazing things there.
What’s your favorite Disney movie? Finding Nemo.
Either Or:
Black or white: black.
M&Ms or Reeses Pieces: M&Ms
Lemurs or otters: Lemurs
Slavin or Ray: Ray. It has more character. And you can have great conversations there for hours.
Winnie the Pooh or Cookie Monster? Pooh.
Daisy Duck or Minnie Mouse? Minnie Mouse
Any parting words? “Stay golden, Ponyboy.”