Angel Muñoz - '17 - Part of the Technical Team Bringing the Olympics to Viewers.

Angel Muñoz '17 is Part of the Technical Team Bringing the Olympics to Viewers.

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Angel Muñoz '17 is in Rio, interning with NBC during the Olympics.

Angel works in NBC's "Primetime Studio," changing audio levels for Bob Costas and guests' ear monitors.

Qualifying to join NBC’s staff at the Olympics may not be as difficult as the work to win a medal, but the competition is tough. Just ask Angel Muñoz ’17, who was one of thousands of young people who applied for a coveted intern position on the network’s production team at the Games. As it turns out, he was the only engineering student selected to help broadcast the Games to millions of viewers around the world.

“I came to Rio expecting to be in a pool of “runner” interns with general duties,” says Angel, an audio engineering technology major in the University’s College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA). “Now I’m actually involved in broadcasting the Olympic Games, one of the most massive media productions in the world. I’m interning directly with the A1 engineer, who mixes all the sound for the show, and the A2 engineer, who sets up technical equipment for the sound. I couldn’t believe I was actually putting a microphone on Bob Costas during rehearsal.”

Angel’s dream of interning at the Olympics started during his first year at UHart, when he learned that Joe Dziok, a music production and technology major in The Hartt School, interned at the 2014 winter games in Soche, Russia. (Read more about Joe Dziok, and his experience at the Olympics.) Angel’s advisor, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering David Shuman, supported him in his quest to intern in Rio.

“Angel has a worldliness about him that, when combined with how studious he is and how hard he works, is a great mix for broadcast,” says Shuman. Additionally, Shuman points out that the University’s audio technology program is more technical than most in the country. “Our students tend to advance very quickly once people understand their technical capabilities.”

Angel, who arrived in Rio on July 17 and expects to be there until August 24, isn’t complaining about his 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. daily shifts. He says NBC is, “taking great care of its interns with sightseeing trips and hosting dinners with athletes and network employees.” Any other time he has, he’s using to make connections. “Broadcasting is a great world to work in, so I hope to keep networking while I’m here. It’s a long road and a lot of hard work, but I’m up for it.”

Something else he’s up for? “Catching some beach volleyball and gymnastics action before my work day begins.”