I am Arlo Willner, and for senior project I will be interning at SNL. I found my passion for comedy and music from my dad, who worked on SNL for 40 years and had instilled his love for both in me since I was a baby. We would constantly watch old shows like The Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy and we were always listening  to old albums on our record player. After my dad passed away from Covid in April 2020, not only did I lose him, but I lost so much of my connection to music and comedy. The internship that Lorne Michaels offered me because of his work and their friendship changed this. It reconnected me with my love for music and comedy by being in this environment that was filled with both, but also an environment that reminded me of my dad. Not only has this internship allowed me to learn from some of the best in the business, but it has also allowed me to connect my love of comedy and music with my work. I am constantly inspired by the creativity and hard work of the people I work with. That is why I am going to continue my internship with new responsibilities for senior project.

My project will include interning at SNL as well as sitting in on writers meetings and music performances. The internship part is pretty standard to many other internships that I have heard of. My responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, delivering scripts, delivering food, refilling fridges, replacing water jugs, and just doing any basic run around work. While this specific work won’t be directly teaching the intricacies of the music and entertainment industry, doing it in the SNL environment with everything going on around me, it is very educational. 

 When I am sitting in on the music performances and rehearsals, which happen a couple times a week, I will be educated on everything that goes on behind the scenes. During my time sitting in on writers meetings I will learn about all of the deliberation as well as the creative work that goes on behind the sketches on the show. For community service I plan on working at God’s Love We Deliver as well as exploring opportunities I can find in my neighborhood like volunteering at local soup kitchens.