Earlier in February, CAMS hosted an Orange Couch lunchtime discussion with current Carleton students who have had internships related to film and media production. Two of our students, Matt Spevack '13 and Felicity Flesher '14, offer some additional thoughts and advice about internships in the wide world of CAMS!
Matt spent last summer working as a (full-time paid!) Video Post Production and Digital Media Intern at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NY. Matt had worked at a few smaller, independent studios previously, but he said that he "gained a lot of experience working at such a large art institution which was a very different experience from previous internships." The Museum of Moving Image offers pretty unique (and competitive) possibilities with paid internships in a lot of different and interest-specific areas of media, and Matt says his experience there was incredible, but "even if your internship isn't so glamorous/educational/lucrative, just put up with it, stick with it, add it to your resume, and apply for another one."
Felicity, who spent last summer at the Jim Henson Company in Hollywood, also stresses the importance of continuing to apply for internships — from Felicity:
"Apply to anything and everything you might be interested in. Even if it's not exactly in your field, it could turn out to be a great opportunity. If you don't get an internship with the perfect company the first time around, use that time to build up and tweak your resume and try again. Connections often get important people's attention, but strong resumes and good, interesting students definitely do. A great way to reach out to potential employers is just to look for people and companies that you respect and drop them an email or search for available opportunities."
Felicity worked in the creative affairs department mostly reading scripts, writing coverage, talking to executives about said scripts, and performing general office duties including answering the phone, making copies, and preparing for guests to the office. She got the internship by contacting the company through their website and went through the normal interview process and had to do a sample coverage over one weekend. Her advice for your time at the company:
"At the internship, just work your hardest. You might feel competitive with your other interns and you will definitely worry about screwing up (and you will), but be mindful that your bosses are aware of your work ethic no matter what, so do your best. And if you do your best, they might let you out once in a while to participate in the fun stuff they have going on and give you more of a chance to prove yourself. Also be aware of the environment and get the feel for how much weight you can carry in the office. You might either be free labor scum or a future CEO-in-training, but it all depends on the atmosphere so don't overstep your bounds if it doesn't seem appropriate. At the same time, don't be afraid to ask questions - inquisitive interns are the best."
What she loved about it was that it gave her insight into how the industry actually seems to work, and the opportunity to make friends and connections and get a sense of direction with her career. Her main disappointment was wishing that her bosses had been less closed off and more open to a mentoring relationship.
For more insight into the world of a media production intern, check out this video that Felicity produced about her summer with the Jim Henson Company!
