Talent Agency Internship: How I Found My Internship
Music Practicum Students,
Finding an internship in the entertainment industry is probably the hardest part of the internship experience you will encounter. Where in student teaching you are placed into a school district and classroom via the College of Education, and you can find a business internship anywhere from marketing or management in a 5 mile radius of your house, with the entertainment industry...that is a beast in its self.
You have to understand where the markets are for music, television, and film and understand that you might have to make the sacrifices necessary to find the right internship that will truly give you the education you need to prepare yourself for a career in entertainment. Of course you can intern at your local halfway community theater of actors that perform side gigs outside there 9-5's, but is that really an efficient use of your time. Getting your foot in the door is truly the key to being successful in the entertainment industry, but don't let it stop you from trying to find the best internship possible. I would much rather break through the window of a major entertainment industry that walk smoothly through the door of a local 2-star recording studio.
The first aspect of how I found my music internship was simple: RESEARCH!! Figure out what part of the entertainment industry you want to enter and determine where the major markets are for that career path. For Example: I will be doing my internship over the summer at a Major Downtown Chicago talent agency. After doing my research I determined that the major markets for talent and booking agencies are New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville. Knowing this I tried to find a major talent agency that had strong ties to these major markets in entertainment. By doing this you will be able to open up future doors and create a career path that is neccesary to advance in thw work place.
Secondly, you have to determine how you will find the internship that matches your interests. Will it be through a friend of a friend, or will it be through an entertainment search engine such as MusicInternships.net or EntertainmentCareers.net? I would suggest both equally. Through a search engine you can find multiple jobs categorized by your interest and location. Some engines such as MusicInternships.net cost money, but you will have hundreds of internships and jobs at your fingertips. I would advise against search engines such as Monster and HotJobs! They rarely have entertainment jobs and you will typically find more generalized entertainment internships that are basic entry-level positions in any corporation.
The other option is finding a friend through a friend. The best way I went about this is mass emailing friends and family seeing if anyone would know someone who can present me with an entertainment connection for which can be useful in your job search. The key to this method is NOT asking them to set up an interview or talk you up to their friend or partner. Rather, ask your friend if you would be able to use their name as a reference when applying to any job openings their connection might have. Leave the promotion to yourself, that way you can be in full control of the information that will be shared about you and your future employers.
Now that you have found the jobs in which you want to apply, it is time to send out your applications. Most will ask for a resume and cover letter. They should be as professional as possible and personal in style. DO NOT MASS EMAIL COVER LETTERS. Companies can spot them from a mile away and they rarely are looked over. Companies want personalized letters that show how much you want to work with that specific company. Research those specific companies and include what interest you about them. For example: I included the names of actors and musicians which I enjoyed that one major talent company represented. By including this information, it shows enthusiasm and makes your application stick out specifically to Human Resources. After you have applied for an internship position, send a follow-up a week or two afterwards. Check-in to make sure they have recieved your email and application. DO NOT EMAIL AND CALL EVERYDAY!! Companies first priority are to be successful and make money, not to find an intern!
When you are contacted by a company about your application respond immediately with proffessionalism. Show how much you want to work for that specific company by responding promptly. Set up an interview as soon as possible and lock up the internship before they change their minds about you.
The final piece of advice I can give to people who are looking for internships is this: DON'T GIVE UP!! I sent out close to 100 internship applications to only get responses from 5 or 10 companies. It takes time, but that's how long good things take. If you don't get a response from your top choice, shake it off. You have to look at yourself as a commodity, and they are missing out on your abilities just as much as you are missing out on their open opportunity. Where one door closes another one opens and you will be ready to take advantage of each one that opens. If one doesn't work and they pass on you, thank them for the opportunity and tell them that you will look forward to possibly working with them in the future.
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR JOB SEARCH AND ENJOY THE PROCESS,
David B.
Finding an internship in the entertainment industry is probably the hardest part of the internship experience you will encounter. Where in student teaching you are placed into a school district and classroom via the College of Education, and you can find a business internship anywhere from marketing or management in a 5 mile radius of your house, with the entertainment industry...that is a beast in its self.
You have to understand where the markets are for music, television, and film and understand that you might have to make the sacrifices necessary to find the right internship that will truly give you the education you need to prepare yourself for a career in entertainment. Of course you can intern at your local halfway community theater of actors that perform side gigs outside there 9-5's, but is that really an efficient use of your time. Getting your foot in the door is truly the key to being successful in the entertainment industry, but don't let it stop you from trying to find the best internship possible. I would much rather break through the window of a major entertainment industry that walk smoothly through the door of a local 2-star recording studio.
The first aspect of how I found my music internship was simple: RESEARCH!! Figure out what part of the entertainment industry you want to enter and determine where the major markets are for that career path. For Example: I will be doing my internship over the summer at a Major Downtown Chicago talent agency. After doing my research I determined that the major markets for talent and booking agencies are New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville. Knowing this I tried to find a major talent agency that had strong ties to these major markets in entertainment. By doing this you will be able to open up future doors and create a career path that is neccesary to advance in thw work place.
Secondly, you have to determine how you will find the internship that matches your interests. Will it be through a friend of a friend, or will it be through an entertainment search engine such as MusicInternships.net or EntertainmentCareers.net? I would suggest both equally. Through a search engine you can find multiple jobs categorized by your interest and location. Some engines such as MusicInternships.net cost money, but you will have hundreds of internships and jobs at your fingertips. I would advise against search engines such as Monster and HotJobs! They rarely have entertainment jobs and you will typically find more generalized entertainment internships that are basic entry-level positions in any corporation.
The other option is finding a friend through a friend. The best way I went about this is mass emailing friends and family seeing if anyone would know someone who can present me with an entertainment connection for which can be useful in your job search. The key to this method is NOT asking them to set up an interview or talk you up to their friend or partner. Rather, ask your friend if you would be able to use their name as a reference when applying to any job openings their connection might have. Leave the promotion to yourself, that way you can be in full control of the information that will be shared about you and your future employers.
Now that you have found the jobs in which you want to apply, it is time to send out your applications. Most will ask for a resume and cover letter. They should be as professional as possible and personal in style. DO NOT MASS EMAIL COVER LETTERS. Companies can spot them from a mile away and they rarely are looked over. Companies want personalized letters that show how much you want to work with that specific company. Research those specific companies and include what interest you about them. For example: I included the names of actors and musicians which I enjoyed that one major talent company represented. By including this information, it shows enthusiasm and makes your application stick out specifically to Human Resources. After you have applied for an internship position, send a follow-up a week or two afterwards. Check-in to make sure they have recieved your email and application. DO NOT EMAIL AND CALL EVERYDAY!! Companies first priority are to be successful and make money, not to find an intern!
When you are contacted by a company about your application respond immediately with proffessionalism. Show how much you want to work for that specific company by responding promptly. Set up an interview as soon as possible and lock up the internship before they change their minds about you.
The final piece of advice I can give to people who are looking for internships is this: DON'T GIVE UP!! I sent out close to 100 internship applications to only get responses from 5 or 10 companies. It takes time, but that's how long good things take. If you don't get a response from your top choice, shake it off. You have to look at yourself as a commodity, and they are missing out on your abilities just as much as you are missing out on their open opportunity. Where one door closes another one opens and you will be ready to take advantage of each one that opens. If one doesn't work and they pass on you, thank them for the opportunity and tell them that you will look forward to possibly working with them in the future.
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR JOB SEARCH AND ENJOY THE PROCESS,
David B.
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