Meet Brownthought Academy’s Class of 2022: Jada Montez
Brownthought Academy is a marketing bootcamp / 5-month internship program from Kultivate Labs. Through their specific roles, interns have the unique opportunity to learn about digital marketing through campaigns for cultural and community-centric projects. The program was inspired by Marco Jastillana (1976 - 2020), our late friend, marketing mastermind, and co-founder of UNDSCVRD Night Market and Plinth Agency. A talented visionary, Brownthought Academy was founded to honor his memory to uplift the next generation of thought leaders and change makers.
In its second year, Brownthought Academy welcomed 4 talented new interns - becoming the first cohort to hold specific roles. As the Photo & Video Intern, Jada Montez shot still photos, and filmed/edited various videos for Kultivate Labs’ events and programs - all of which established a fresh new perspective on the organization’s visual branding. Below she reflects on filming community events, the power of collaboration, and reconnecting to her Filipino culture through Brownthought Academy.
“I learned how to work for clients with quick turnarounds. I also learned a lot of marketing techniques and how they could be incorporated in my videos, as well as how to use videos I make for marketing.”
— Jada on what she learned as a Photo/Video Intern
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Brownthought Academy?
My name is Jada, and I was the Photo & Video Intern for Brownthought Academy’s Winter/Spring 2022 cohort. I have lived in the East Bay Area my whole life and am about to finish my final year at San Francisco State University where I’m studying broadcasting and video production. I am a huge fan of all things pop culture and love attending conventions like Comic-Con.
As the Photo & Video Intern, I created promotional, evergreen, and recap videos for the programs at Kultivate Labs. The bulk of my work involved attending Kapwa Gardens events, such as Yum Yams, Sari-Sari Saturday, OMG, and a few more, to capture photos and videos for recaps to be posted on YouTube and social media. I also attend biweekly intern cohort meetings for workshops and to discuss projects and brainstorm for social media campaigns, along with biweekly one-on-one meetings with our supervisor, Kaithleen.
What made you decide to apply for the internship?
I decided to apply to this internship for two reasons. The first was to get more experience in the field of video/media production and marketing. I really wanted to get more experience filming and creating videos, and this internship definitely provided me with the opportunity to build my portfolio and learn a lot.
The second and more important reason for applying to this internship was so that I could become more connected with Filipino culture and the community. I am from a mixed background and grew up with families of different cultures, so it was hard to embrace them all. I didn’t grow up around a strong Filipino community when I was younger, so I really wanted to become more connected with the community and thought that this internship would be the perfect place to do so, and it was!
What was your favorite project/campaign that you worked on?
My favorite project that I have worked on during my time here was definitely Balay Kreative’s Powerful Pinays campaign for Women’s History Month. I spent a day at Balay Kreative having photoshoots and filming interviews with three of Balay Kreative’s resident artists: ChiChai, Veecaps, and Cristine Blanco. It was an honor being able to interview, highlight, and get to know these three Pinay artists and talk about the art they make for the community.
I also got to collaborate with two other interns for this campaign. Chloe came up with the interview questions and created blog posts from the interviews I filmed, and Gianna made some awesome graphics for each of the artists to post on Balay’s instagram. I edited a full version of the artists’ interviews for Balay’s YouTube channel as well as social cuts for Balay’s Instagram. This whole campaign was just a huge collaboration between a bunch of powerful Pinays :)
One of the video interviews edited and filmed by Jada for Balay Kreative’s Powerful Pinays campaign.
The 2022 cohort with Supervisor, Kaithleen, at Yum Yams. (from left: Jada Montez, Nikki Ramos, Kaithleen Apostol, Gianna Dolor, Chloe Samillano)
What were some challenges that you faced in your role?
My biggest challenge was just trying to balance work from this internship with a part-time job and being a full-time student in college. This role involved quick turn arounds on a lot of the videos, so time management was essential in making sure that I was able to get my videos and school work in on time. I just happened to have a really busy semester this spring, but everyone on this team was very understanding of my work load and was there to support me.
How was it like being in a cohort and working with your fellow interns?
Being a part of a cohort with my fellow interns definitely made this experience so much better. It was nice being able to brainstorm ideas with them and occasionally talking about random and fun things. I had people I could talk to about challenges I was facing because they would also be facing the same challenges. It was also so great that we all had the chance to meet each other and hang out at this year’s Yum Yams festival at Kapwa Gardens!
How was it like to be part of the Kultivate Labs family?
Being part of the Kultivate Labs family was an experience like no other. I did not expect everyone to be as friendly and welcoming as they were. I felt so much support from everyone across the different programs of Kultivate. They offered me help and feedback when needed, as well as praise at times which was very uplifting to hear about the work I was doing.
Overall, what would you say you learned from the internship? How do you see yourself applying these skills moving forward?
I learned how to work for clients with quick turnarounds. I also learned a lot of marketing techniques and how they could be incorporated in my videos, as well as how to use videos I make for marketing. The different workshops that were put on for us interns were also very fun and informative. From personal branding to event planning, I learned so much useful information from the workshops and just from the first-hand experience of going out and filming.
Any advice for future Brownthought interns? Or for those thinking of applying?
Manage your time well. There will be times when you have to balance multiple projects for different programs at once. It’s easy to want to continue working on something until you think it’s perfect, but sometimes you just have to let go of it so that you can get started on something else. And be ready to collaborate and get involved in the community!
Enjoyed reading about Jada’s experience? Connect with her through her social platforms below!
