Hello! My name is Alanna Sherman, I am a rising junior studying sociology. This summer I have been working as a remote/in-person intern with Unincarcerated Productions in Bellevue, Washington. Unincarcerated Productions is a media production company started by formerly incarcerated visionaries. Unincarcerated Productions aims to humanize both currently and formerly incarcerated people by telling powerful stories through documentaries, podcasts, and short films, and shift the collective consciousness from intolerance to redemption.
During my time with Unincarcerated Productions, the company has been working on multiple different projects including one inspired by the book Concrete Mama by John McCoy, which tells stories of the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla and its dark history. The goal of this project is to humanize those who are currently or formerly incarcerated in Walla Walla, tell the forgotten history of the Penitentiary, and amplify voices of multiple perspectives in order to connect the past to the present. Through this internship, I have had the privilege of helping the company look for and apply for grants to help them fund their projects, build their social media presence and help write Instagram and Facebook captions, and even be on set for film shoots. Even though I did not have any prior knowledge or experience in film, this internship has given me the opportunity to help with multiple film shoots including one in collaboration with a non-profit organization called Operation Period. This project filmed interviews with three different incredible women including an attorney, social justice warrior, and formerly incarcerated woman who experienced menstruation in prison from a young age. The goal of this project is to bring awareness to the lack of access to menstrual products and education in the carceral system by telling personal stories from multiple perspectives. This was my first experience on a film set, and it was incredibly impactful and inspiring.
Interning with Unincarcerated Productions has provided me the opportunity to meet an abundance of wonderful people who I hope to stay in touch with for life, and work alongside them to continue to address systemic violence such as mass incarceration in the United States. This experience has provided me with necessary education to grow as a person and has also contributed to my studies in sociology as I learned about the prison system and creative ways to bring awareness to injustices in order to effectively make change. I am beyond grateful for my experience with Unincarcerated Productions, and I am excited use the knowledge and skills I gained from this experience throughout the rest of my time at Whitman and after.
Experiences like Alanna’s are made possible by the Whitman Internship Grant, which provides funding for students to participate in unpaid internships at nonprofit, some for-profit, and government organizations. We are happy to be sharing blog posts from students who were supported by either a summer, fall, spring, or year-long grants at organizations, businesses, and research labs all around the world. To learn how you could secure a Whitman Internship Grant or host a Whitman intern at your organization, contact us at ccec_info@whitman.edu.