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Part of my job as an intern here at Bravo is to fill in for coordinators. It’s a good way for interns to prove that they have the ability to act as a paid member of the staff, while still retaining that free labor status.

A big part of the job is answering phones. A common misconception about interns is that we’re afraid of phones and having to talk to the person on the other line. What we really fear is the question about to be asked, because let’s face it, we probably don’t have the answer.

For example, the first time my day came to fill in for somebody it was the Friday before the Emmy’s. When I got calls like, “When is Tim Gunn getting his Emmy tickets?” and “Can you change Padma’s flight for me?” I was unable what-so-ever to help the person on the other line (and in these cases, I couldn’t use the line, “Can I just take a message?”).

However, I was able to use my handy intern copy/paste skills to email Tim Gunn’s car service details to his assistants. Maybe providing them with substantial information made them think they were talking to somebody other than an intern.

The other day I walked into the office and noticed not one, but two empty desks. This would prove to be quite the day for the intern to prove herself! First task was to register any guests coming for a meeting. Well, would you happen to know the first guest to register is Laura Bennett, and before I could even type her last name into the box, I get a call from the Visitor’s Center saying she’s already here!

Well, after averting any crises like not allowing Laura Bennett into the building, or not knowing how to turn the lights on in the conference room (it’s the small things interns don’t know), I am now able to answer a question you may be asking yourself the next time you are trying to visit the GE Building, “If I were the star of a Bravo reality show, would I still need to go through all the red tape just to attend a meeting?” Yes, yes, you would. And it just may be an intern signing you in so you can take a glamour shot in front of that teal blue wall NBC will probably keep forever.

One more story before I return to a regular intern day. That same day, James Lipton decided to pay a visit to the office. I was able to attend the filming of the Alec Baldwin episode of “Inside the Actor’s Studio” (which I can now answer the question asked by all of my friends at school, yes, his stack of cards really IS that high), so this was not my first time in the same room with “Jim.”

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