My name is Gaurav Chintamneedi, but you can call me G for short. I recently graduated from Chapman University with a B.A in strategic and corporate communication and I’m here to tell you how I closed off my Chapman career with a life-changing internship at the Seacrest Studios.

As a senior in high school entering college, I choose to major in strategic and corporate communication at Chapman University because…I love to talk. Growing up, I had decent grades, mostly A’s and B’s, but…my teachers always had one complaint.

“Gaurav talks too much in class,” they’d tell my family at parent teacher conferences. “He always distracts others from learning because of his talking.”

Action Shot of Gaurav hosting Good Morning CHOC

Some might even say I was a professional yapper. And for the longest time, talking too much always got me into trouble. Little did I know, however, that years down the line, my yapping ability would help me get my dream internship at CHOC’s (Children’s Hospital Orange County) Seacrest Studios.

Seacrest Studios is a radio station located in select hospitals nationwide and funded by the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. At Seacrest Studios, media managers put together live TV and Radio shows for children in the hospital in the pursuit of bringing joy to the patients’ faces, entertaining them throughout their duration at the hospital, and most importantly, alleviating them from the hospital stress; distracting them from any medical procedures. 

G’s Memorabilia: A Polaroid taken on his last day as an Intern

The Seacrest Studios internship aims to enhance the hospital experience for patients by using the power of media and interpersonal communication. As an intern, I was responsible for hosting, producing, directing, and co-hosting several radio segments meant to provide the children at the hospital with a therapeutic experience. I conducted weekly Live Bingo Shows, Live Pop-Culture Trivia, Music concerts with patients, a live morning show called Good Morning CHOC, played live Wordle with patients, and even collaborated with several small businesses to bring their talents to the hospital. I got to create unique ways to uplift children in the hospital while utilizing professional radio and broadcast equipment.

Every day, I walked into the studio with the goal of brightening someone’s day. I’d ask myself daily, “How can I use my creativity and the technology in the studios to put together live radio and TV Segments that forever impact a child in the hospital?” Every morning, when I walked into Seacrest Studios at CHOC, Josh, the media programs coordinator, and I would quickly interview patients all over the hospital, asking them to share their favorite memories of the weekend, talk about the stuffed animals and colorful paintings that decorated their rooms, their favorite TV shows, musical artists and more. With this knowledge, I would return to the studio, where Seacrest Studios media programs coordinator Luke would help me construct a 15-30 minute radio segment that would engage the children while incorporating the fun facts they mentioned to me earlier. 

Every Friday at 12, I would host Good Morning CHOC, where I energetically kickstarted the show with a loud, “GOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING CHOC.” Often, other children in the hospital would tune in live, and I had the privilege of interviewing them on air. While I’d be behind the mic in the studio, children from CHOC would call in and have their voices broadcasted over the TV. Everyone in the hospital could hear them! Children often came down to the studio, and I would interact with them, usually asking trivia questions about their favorite movies and artists. The children loved being on camera and having their faces broadcasted on TVs all over the hospital. Every week, we conducted live Bingo rounds, and whenever a patient would call into the studio saying they got a Bingo, the rest of the Seacrest Studios crew would loudly celebrate their victory and publicly announce how awesome they were for winning. After the bingo round, I rushed upstairs to give all the winners cool toys and prizes, congratulating them on winning a bingo round.

Live Bingo every Tuesday and Thursday, hosted by G and Izzy!

Being a CHOC Seacrest Studios intern tested my communication skills and taught me the technicalities of directing a TV show. Not only was I tasked to speak in front of a camera for 20 minutes non-stop, but I also had to create VMIXs and design digital backgrounds that would broadcast on air. I was in charge of an industry-standard radio board, simultaneously speaking on air, interviewing patients, adjusting the sound levels of my hosts, organizing the next on-air visual, taking in calls from patient hospitals, engaging others with the content I created, and managing the different camera layouts on screen. I was a director, producer, and on-air personality all at once! 

It was often challenging to communicate with the children in the hospital. Sometimes, I’d enter a hospital room to promote my radio show, only to realize that the patient was preparing for an upcoming surgery they had in a few minutes. Sometimes, I’d enter the room devastated by the medical condition a young patient was experiencing. However, I soon realized that these children were blessed with superpowers, and if I could find a way to showcase their talent on screen, they would momentarily escape from the pain they were experiencing. 

Check out G and Toast’s Intern Video that got featured on the Seacrest Studios Social media page

My favorite memory is when I had the chance to conduct a live music show with one of CHOC’s patients, Noah. Noah had been in the hospital for many years, and after years of being at CHOC, he was finally discharged. As an intern at CHOC, Josh, Luke, myself, and fellow intern Izzy came up with an idea to produce a live music concert in the studio. Noah had developed an interest in playing the guitar during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we wanted to share his talent with the rest of the hospital while simultaneously asking him to share his story with the rest of the children. I had the honor of asking Noah on air what advice he’d give to all the children eager to be discharged from the hospital. We allowed Noah to share his talent on TV and broadcast his positive message to the rest of the hospital through an interview and fun trivia quiz. Noah’s doctors, nurses, child life specialists, and other folks in the hospital came to the studio to witness his performance live! Noah’s time at the hospital was treated with a beautiful farewell, but we knew it wasn’t his last visit to CHOC. Noah enjoyed his experience so much that he still visits CHOC to perform live music shows for other patients. 

Radio time

This internship gave me purpose and reinforced that communication is a powerful tool that can truly make a difference. In an age where the media faces scrutiny for its politicization, my time at Seacrest Studios reminded me how powerful media can be in uplifting others.

Being a Seacrest Studios intern exemplifies the power of media and the impact of becoming an on-air personality. Through my internship, I created live radio and TV shows that uplifted the lives of patients while also learning how to use cameras, edit videos on CapCut, and create visual graphics through Vmix. I have used my voice to bring smiles to patients’ faces, alleviate them from medical stress, and overall, create a positive life-changing experience for children; as an aspiring on-air personality, I couldn’t ask for more.

If you’re looking to dip your toes into broadcast journalism, news anchoring, or child-life specialty, this internship is for you. Even if you need more clarification about your professional future and which careers to explore but have a passion for community service, this internship is perfect for you. And if you get lucky like me, you might even meet the man, Ryan Seacrest himself!