From working in control rooms to finding random props throughout New York City, WSU electronic media and entertainment major Dylan Allred has just about seen it all.
Taking his senior internship to the next level, Allred brought his radio and communication skills to the national stage at Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” earlier this fall.
“Setting that kind of stuff up for whatever sketch they were doing on the show was just one of my jobs,” he said. “It’s really great because I get to work with everybody and learn everything it takes to put on the show.”
Starting his senior internship in the fall of 2014, Allred is currently in the process of completing his electronic media and entertainment major at Weber State.
As part of the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities program, Allred is a communication student who is required to complete an internship for graduation, according to Matthew Gerrish of Marketing and Communications.
For Allred, this particular internship has been his “dream” position since he started sending off his resumes. Allred chose the Emmy-award winning show because he wanted to “learn from the best.”
“Of the dozens and dozens of applications I sent all over the country, one show offered me an internship and that was ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,'” he explained, “Surprisingly, it was actually my number one choice. It was the show I wanted the most.”
Originally starting his college career in theater, his passion for electronic media and entertainment eventually took root. However, he enjoys both the theater and communication aspects of working on set.
In fact, one of his favorite parts about “The Daily Show” is working with the audience department, where he gets to recite the rules monologue while adding his own jokes to the script.
“During this time, I get to let my performer, my inner theater guy, out a little bit and just get up and perform,” Allred said. “It’s just really cool.”
Eager to not only be on stage, Allred has always been driven to create his own content and produce pieces that would resonate with his audience, said WSU communications and digital media instructor Drew Tyler.
“I’ve always admired that he would find stories that had meaning to them and the way he put them together really engaged people,” Tyler said.
When Tyler heard Allred had landed an internship at “The Daily Show,” he was not at all surprised.
“That’s a dream come true for him. That’s something he aimed for, pulled the trigger, and hit,” said Tyler “But he worked his tail off to get there.”
After changing his major, Allred started preparing for his internship by working at Studio 76 and KWCR 88.1 FM, WSU’s student-run video production and radio studios. He also hosted his own show called the “Late, Late, Late, Late Show,” a morning talk show for WSU students.
For Allred, all the years of hard work have truly paid off.
“It gets hard not losing your passion for what you want to do and committing to it, but then when you get an offer for something, like ‘The Daily Show’ it’s a pretty great feeling,” Allred said.
With his internship ending in December, Allred said he is focusing his goals on lining up a permanent job with “The Daily Show”.
However, his main goal is to create his own show in the future.
“I want to learn everything I can about as many different types of shows so that some day my turn will come so that I can make my own show,” Allred said.
According to Gerrish, Allred is just one example of the many high-profile internships WSU students have been doing over the years.
“It just goes to show the quality of all the different programs that are offered, not only in the department of communications, but university-wide,” said Gerrish.
Allred agrees that Weber State has a lot to offer and students can achieve anything if they set their minds to it.
“Don’t be afraid to have a dream and then work towards it,” he said, “Maybe it will take a little longer than you wanted or maybe there will be more obstacles, but just keep going, because you can do it.
