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As a college freshman how should I get started with getting myself out there for internships What should I do??

specifically working in tv and film maybe even writing

+25 Karma if successful
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Subject: Career question for you

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Kate’s Answer

Networking can be a great way to find internship opportunities. Reach out to people doing jobs you think you're interested in and ask them to coffee and to talk about their career paths and career advice. People are often happy to guide and advise students and can point you to internship opportunities.
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Leslie’s Answer

To whom it may concern

I am currently looking for a manager/agent too represent me as a director/creator. I have worked very hard to get to the point where I can truly say “I’m ready”.

30+ years in the DGA working mostly as an AD, writing, developing, producing and directing a feature, pilot and a short have given me the experience I need to be successful.

I have a bank of great stories to tell. Rainbow Cowboy is fully and developed as the script has gone thru several iterations over the past few years, based on critiques from screenplay contests, festivals and award competitions. It has placed very well including runner up in the La Femme Film Festival. Most recently ISA did a review in their opening is sentence said, “Rainbow Cowboy is the lesbian western that society need right now. The writer has created a heart-warming story that serves a metaphor for current societal and political events between the towns of the Old West and Safe Haven..”

I have a great pitch deck for “Rainbow Cowboy” if you are interested in taking a look at my work. I also have a produced a pilot and deck to accompany. Several other projects are set to pitch, as well.

My website it below where you can link to trailers and my bio.

Thank you for your consideration.
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Leslie’s Answer

If you're passionate about securing internships, be proactive! Reach out to local TV and film companies, either in person or through emails, and let them know about your keen interest. Remember to keep tabs every few months to see if there are any new opportunities. When it comes to joining a crew without any prior contacts, timing is crucial. Stay active on local Facebook pages that focus on film and TV, and keep an eye out for PA (production assistant) roles.

In addition, it's essential to cultivate relationships with your classmates. Collaborate on projects and maintain these connections even after college - they could provide valuable leads post-graduation. Strive to join film crews in your local area and use these experiences to enrich your resume.

Best of luck on your journey!

Leslie
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Sherie’s Answer

Hi Maddie,

1. If you are in college, they should be attached to film and TV companies that offer internships to college students, try submitting for those internships through your college.

2. You can also go to all of your local film and TV company websites you are interested in and under careers, they usually post internships as well. Try submitting for internships directly with the companies you are interested in.
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Jerome’s Answer

Your professors are a wealth of information. Take time to introduce yourself after class, sign up for study groups and do any extras that might come up. Having a potential referral from someone in the industry is high.

They may also know if internship opportunities if you ask. You can also go to the department office and ask the staff if they know of anything. By being proactive, you could put yourself in a great position.
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Ricardo’s Answer

I'd encourage you to be selective when choosing your internships. Beware of those who might exploit interns, burdening them with tasks they wouldn't want to do themselves. Remember to value yourself and avoid getting burned out in your initial roles. It wouldn't be fair to start disliking your profession due to early experiences of being overworked and undervalued. Having mentioned this caution, always put your best foot forward in any TV or film set you get an opportunity to intern for. Your interpersonal skills can carry you just as far, if not further, than your technical abilities. As a senior producer at PBS for two decades, I've had many interns under my wing. Those who truly shone were not just efficient at their work, but also great individuals. I continue to collaborate with them on my films, appreciating their wonderful human qualities.
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Christina’s Answer

My advice for people who go into any TV or Film Writing is to join a union and learn about what they do to protect people like you going into the profession for the first time along with other skills and activism like the current WGA strikes going on in Hollywood. It's also good to be your work meaning you learn what goes in to put something out there. Also take advantage of classes in college like media studies, sociology, labor history, education, and psychology. I'm a freelancer because of who I am and what I do, I won't let corporations or companies interfere with my activism and art and so many people who join corporate or company news cycles in the Asperger's and Autism community get subjected to the glass ceiling or walk eggshells around important issues. One term the disabled community uses when people only focus on positive and uplifting stories with no substance or call to action is Inspiration Journalism. You probably heard these stories every news cycle of a disabled person doing X to help their community! Or a kind band director, teacher, or kid making them feel included when instead they feel like a token or a stick used to avoid discord about making more inclusive and accommodating spaces in every activity. I cover it a bit more in my short essay about why Here and Now's Camp Jabberwocky is so problematic because of the narrative of one disabled person's death changing lives.

https://23blastfan.medium.com/why-here-and-nows-camp-jabberwocky-story-is-problematic-a2d2ed799937
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/05/24/author-jabberwocky-cerebral-palsy
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John’s Answer

1. Create, create, create!

2. Get your work seen by people who can hire you.

3. Pester those people (politely!) to hire you, or to make recommendations on your work, or for others to contact.

4. You may look at what you do as "art" (and you should), but unless you want to do it as a hobby or labor of love, it also has to be a business. So think in terms of the client or the consumer: who will pay you to create content, and what kind of content?

5. Internships are a great way to start, if you can afford to work without pay. They are seldom paid in our industry. But you can find out how things work and who does what, and one day (hopefully soon) someone will need a job done and/or content created, and you may be just the person to do it!

6. Your first projects probably won't be your "Citizen Kane" or "Star Wars", but approach every project as though it's the most important thing put on a screen of any size.

7. Don't get discouraged or give up! If you do, then it's not the right field for you, or at least not one that you'll make a living in. But you won't know until you try, and pretty much everyone who ever succeeded in this industry worked really hard and was really discouraged at some point. But they didn't give up.
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Ruztique’s Answer

Hello there!

When I first started college, I was actually majoring in broadcast journalism. My professors couldn't stress enough the importance of internships, particularly in this field. I'd recommend getting involved with your campus news station or looking for opportunities at local stations. Your professors can be a great resource, as they often have valuable connections in the industry.

I'd also encourage you to pave your own path. With the power of social media, we have the ability to create and share anything we want. Consider creating a series or interviewing people. It's a great idea to start building your portfolio as early as possible.

Don't forget to use professional networking sites like LinkedIn to search for opportunities in the fall, spring, or summer. Apply and network as much as you can!

I hope you find this advice helpful!
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