My name is Riley Schwahn and I am a Communication and Media Studies Major with a minor in Philosophy. I am excited to share my work from the last four years at St. Norbert College.

As someone who stumbled into the Communication discipline by accident, I had little to no understanding of what this field of study would one day mean to me. During my first semester of freshman year, I had the opportunity to participate in the SNC Gap program which allowed me to engage in experiential learning throughout various places around the United States and Guatemala. This program was one of the best parts about my time at St. Norbert College. Specifically, it put me on the path towards my major. What settled me on Communication and Media Studies was a recommendation from a mentor while studying in Chicago. 

Coming into college, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life. What I did know was that I had only ever been truly passionate about one thing: media. Movies and books and other forms of entertainment and media had always seemed, at least in my mind, like the type of thing you have to let go of once you grow up. I imagined they would go from being the most important part of my life, the very things around which all my friendships and even my own personality had been formed, to one day being just something that took second seat to more important responsibilities. Thanks to my mentor in Chicago, I began considering Communication and Media Studies as a means of keeping these things in my life. 

I began interning for Juliet Echo Productions in February of 2021 after a chance encounter with my now boss. I had been working after classes as a bartender when she happened to come in for a drink. We discussed her upcoming film project, the overwhelming workload associated with that, and her need for assistance. After mentioning that I was studying Communication and Media Studies, she offered me an internship. Over the year to follow, I got the opportunity to work as a production assistant on the feature film Schimbarea.

Since then I have been doing preproduction and postproduction work for numerous short films and other projects. During July of 2021, I was able to travel to Atlanta for the filming of a television pilot, where I got the opportunity to work as script supervisor. After graduation I am hoping to continue working in film and television production.