6 answers
Draia
Student
Portland, Oregon
1
Question
Updated
1073 views
What is the best way to stand out to internship recruiters as an undergraduate student with little experience?
I am currently a sophomore Marketing major , Film minor at Howard University. I want to have my own production company post grad and haven't landed an internship yet. I need advice on what to do.
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6 answers
Dierdra Yates, CMP®
Communications
4
Answers
St. Louis, MO
Updated
Dierdra’s Answer
Hi Draia!
First off, major kudos for having a clear vision so early—being a sophomore Marketing major and Film minor at Howard University with the goal of launching your own production company is inspiring. Even without formal internship experience yet, there are several powerful ways to stand out to recruiters:
Build a Personal Brand
-Create or update your LinkedIn profile to reflect your passion for marketing and film.
-Share school projects, personal content, or insights about the industry.
-Launch a portfolio website or showcase your work on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.
Create Your Own Experience
- Volunteer to help student organizations, local businesses, church, or campus departments with marketing, social media, or video production.
- Start your own project (short film series, YouTube channel, podcast, etc.) to demonstrate initiative and creativity.
Network
- Connect with Howard alumni and professionals in your areas of interest via LinkedIn.
- Ask for brief informational interviews to learn about their career paths and gain insights.
- Attend campus career fairs, creative summits, and industry panels to make meaningful connections.
Tailor Your Resume & Cover Letters
- Highlight transferable skills from classwork, group projects, and personal content:
- Collaboration, storytelling, public speaking, content strategy, and creative production
- Customize each application to match the company and role
You're still early in your journey, and that’s okay! Every creative project, conversation, or skill you build now brings you closer to your dream. All the best to you!
First off, major kudos for having a clear vision so early—being a sophomore Marketing major and Film minor at Howard University with the goal of launching your own production company is inspiring. Even without formal internship experience yet, there are several powerful ways to stand out to recruiters:
Build a Personal Brand
-Create or update your LinkedIn profile to reflect your passion for marketing and film.
-Share school projects, personal content, or insights about the industry.
-Launch a portfolio website or showcase your work on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.
Create Your Own Experience
- Volunteer to help student organizations, local businesses, church, or campus departments with marketing, social media, or video production.
- Start your own project (short film series, YouTube channel, podcast, etc.) to demonstrate initiative and creativity.
Network
- Connect with Howard alumni and professionals in your areas of interest via LinkedIn.
- Ask for brief informational interviews to learn about their career paths and gain insights.
- Attend campus career fairs, creative summits, and industry panels to make meaningful connections.
Tailor Your Resume & Cover Letters
- Highlight transferable skills from classwork, group projects, and personal content:
- Collaboration, storytelling, public speaking, content strategy, and creative production
- Customize each application to match the company and role
You're still early in your journey, and that’s okay! Every creative project, conversation, or skill you build now brings you closer to your dream. All the best to you!
Aundria Jensen
1
Answer
Updated
Aundria’s Answer
Hi Draia! Internships can be so beneficial and important but they're not the golden ticket to your dream job. Instead of looking for the right internship, see if there are ways you can go into your field working part time. Is there an opening working at your university doing film editing? Or is there a local news station you could work with? Another option is partnering up with a local photographer to see if there's a way you can learn about capturing moments on film. Even if you're just helping with administrative work, there is a huge benefit to learning how a business works that focuses on creating content.
Zoe Kouretas
Talent Acquisition
3
Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Zoe’s Answer
Hi Draia,
As a university recruiter, I know internships can be overwhelming. Here are some tips for you, especially with your background in marketing and film aiming for production.
Look for companies that highlight their company culture, not just experience. This helps you understand how you'll fit in and be treated. Also, focus on opportunities that boost your soft skills. Consider taking public speaking classes to improve communication, joining a campus club to show leadership, or volunteering to give back to your community.
I hope this helps, and I look forward to seeing your success!
As a university recruiter, I know internships can be overwhelming. Here are some tips for you, especially with your background in marketing and film aiming for production.
Look for companies that highlight their company culture, not just experience. This helps you understand how you'll fit in and be treated. Also, focus on opportunities that boost your soft skills. Consider taking public speaking classes to improve communication, joining a campus club to show leadership, or volunteering to give back to your community.
I hope this helps, and I look forward to seeing your success!
Doug Boyd
Film Editor
2
Answers
Orem, Utah
Updated
Doug’s Answer
Hi Draia,
Your goal of having your own production company is achievable. I suggest if you want to run a production company, you would need to learn production by getting involved in other productions and learn and absorb all aspects of prodution. How you do that? Your state where you reside should have a film commission. I would check and see if they list all productions happening in the state and contact them. They should provide contact info. You would need to start out as a production assistant, usually entitled PA on any production. You could work on commercials, movies, documentaries, etc. as a PA. That means you will be doing all kind of duties: everything from helping on set, helping producers with different tasks, etc. It's not always glamorous but you will learn how productions function. You might end up in the production office helping production coordinators, doing copies of all kinds, getting coffee for key production personnel, a smattering of duties and tasks. This is the best way I know how to learn the business of production. It's highly unlikely you will start a production right out of college unless you have been on several productions learning the process. It's like an apprenticeship. You start at the bottom and work your way up. You must show you are eager to do whatever you're asked and act like you are enjoying it. Then they will ask you to work on the next project. As you do, you listen and learn After a few years you will have enough knowledge and experience to start your own production company. I hope you can achieve that. Best of luck!
Your goal of having your own production company is achievable. I suggest if you want to run a production company, you would need to learn production by getting involved in other productions and learn and absorb all aspects of prodution. How you do that? Your state where you reside should have a film commission. I would check and see if they list all productions happening in the state and contact them. They should provide contact info. You would need to start out as a production assistant, usually entitled PA on any production. You could work on commercials, movies, documentaries, etc. as a PA. That means you will be doing all kind of duties: everything from helping on set, helping producers with different tasks, etc. It's not always glamorous but you will learn how productions function. You might end up in the production office helping production coordinators, doing copies of all kinds, getting coffee for key production personnel, a smattering of duties and tasks. This is the best way I know how to learn the business of production. It's highly unlikely you will start a production right out of college unless you have been on several productions learning the process. It's like an apprenticeship. You start at the bottom and work your way up. You must show you are eager to do whatever you're asked and act like you are enjoying it. Then they will ask you to work on the next project. As you do, you listen and learn After a few years you will have enough knowledge and experience to start your own production company. I hope you can achieve that. Best of luck!
Meghan Ballantyne
Content Partnerships and Business Development Executive
3
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Meghan’s Answer
Hi Draia,
I would recommend you research and apply to the T Howard Foundation Internship Program and the Emma Bowen Foundation internship program. Here's the links to their site: https://www.t-howard.org/students/ and https://www.emmabowenfoundation.org/ebf-fellows. Both programs are well regarded internship programs in the media and technology industry that started decades ago. Both have a dedication to advance equity and inclusion in the media, entertainment and technology industries.
T Howard places their interns throughout the year within major corporations such as Warner Brothers Discovery, NBC, Paramount, Verizon, Amazon, Google and many more. Applications for 2026 internships will open in August 2025. The foundation's mission is to place for internships and they also provide networking opportunities, professional development training, scholarships, mentors and much more.
For the Emma Bowen Foundation, they've placed their fellows in internships as a producer, a journalist, a web developer, an engineer, a business executive, a PR agent, a sales representative, or many other careers in media or tech. EBF hosts a class of 150 new and returning EBF Fellows who intern at their partners each year.
I would recommend you research and apply to the T Howard Foundation Internship Program and the Emma Bowen Foundation internship program. Here's the links to their site: https://www.t-howard.org/students/ and https://www.emmabowenfoundation.org/ebf-fellows. Both programs are well regarded internship programs in the media and technology industry that started decades ago. Both have a dedication to advance equity and inclusion in the media, entertainment and technology industries.
T Howard places their interns throughout the year within major corporations such as Warner Brothers Discovery, NBC, Paramount, Verizon, Amazon, Google and many more. Applications for 2026 internships will open in August 2025. The foundation's mission is to place for internships and they also provide networking opportunities, professional development training, scholarships, mentors and much more.
For the Emma Bowen Foundation, they've placed their fellows in internships as a producer, a journalist, a web developer, an engineer, a business executive, a PR agent, a sales representative, or many other careers in media or tech. EBF hosts a class of 150 new and returning EBF Fellows who intern at their partners each year.
Janelle Kahn
Human Resources
3
Answers
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Updated
Janelle’s Answer
I recommend connecting with your schools career center. Make yourself known to the industry and network, network, network. Join LinkedIn and any groups you can find that are relevant to the film industry to create you network. Be bold. You have a vision and it sounds like you know what you want. Dream big and go after it!