Dec 2009
Internship #3
December 04, 2009 Filed in: Adventures in Filmmaking | Internships
When one door closes, another one opens. This week I sent out my resume to over twenty different job openings; some of them paid positions, but most of them unpaid, ranging from editor to production assistant, director of photography to intern. I immediately got three interviews -- one on Wednesday, one on Thursday, and one today, Friday.
The Wednesday people, the tiniest and least established company, canceled our interview in the last minute.
The Thursday people, a bigger and more established company, liked me a lot and said they would get back to me next Monday.
The Friday people, the biggest and most successful company of them all, hired me on the spot.
Interesting, isn’t it? You would expect the tiny company to hire me on the spot and the big company to make me jump through hoops to get the job, but the exact opposite happened. There’s a reason big and successful companies are big and successful. They recognize intelligence, skill, and talent when they see it and don’t let it walk away. Especially if it’s free.
Yes, I’ll still be working for free. But I’m moving up in regards to the size and quality of the production companies I’m working for. These guys have a solid track record. They’ve produced big movies with big talent such as Robert DeNiro and Cuba Gooding Jr., and they have consistently made a profit.
The interview was conducted by two friendly guys named Mike and Ryan:
“Mike looked at your resume and said we should talk to you,” Ryan said. “Why did you choose to apply for an internship here?”
“Your ad said that interns will be be involved on a creative level here; that they won’t simply be delegated to fetch coffee and answer the phones,” I replied. “I have no problem fetching coffee and answering phones, but as you can see I’m not a college student looking to pad out my resume. I’m seeking a position that will reward me with opportunities for career growth.”
“I can’t promise you a paid position here but we try to help each and every one of our interns to get ahead,” Ryan pointed out.
“You scratch our back, we’ll scratch yours,” added Mike.
“That’s exactly what I’m looking for,” I said.
They asked me about my background. I told them I’ve been in town for five months and that I just completed two production company internships, with one of them being on the Sony lot. I told them my latest feature script got me accepted into the UCLA Master Class for Film Writing. They were impressed and asked what my script was about, so I pitched it to them. They seemed intrigued.
“You seem like a very sharp guy,” Mike commented.
“What’s your schedule like?” Ryan asked.
“For the time being, my schedule is open one hundred percent,” I replied.
“Oh, you’re hired,” Ryan said.
I start next Tuesday. Having been exploited at my two previous internships, I’m going in with more experience and awareness so that I can take better advantage of this opportunity and make it work for me.
The Wednesday people, the tiniest and least established company, canceled our interview in the last minute.
The Thursday people, a bigger and more established company, liked me a lot and said they would get back to me next Monday.
The Friday people, the biggest and most successful company of them all, hired me on the spot.
Interesting, isn’t it? You would expect the tiny company to hire me on the spot and the big company to make me jump through hoops to get the job, but the exact opposite happened. There’s a reason big and successful companies are big and successful. They recognize intelligence, skill, and talent when they see it and don’t let it walk away. Especially if it’s free.
Yes, I’ll still be working for free. But I’m moving up in regards to the size and quality of the production companies I’m working for. These guys have a solid track record. They’ve produced big movies with big talent such as Robert DeNiro and Cuba Gooding Jr., and they have consistently made a profit.
The interview was conducted by two friendly guys named Mike and Ryan:
“Mike looked at your resume and said we should talk to you,” Ryan said. “Why did you choose to apply for an internship here?”
“Your ad said that interns will be be involved on a creative level here; that they won’t simply be delegated to fetch coffee and answer the phones,” I replied. “I have no problem fetching coffee and answering phones, but as you can see I’m not a college student looking to pad out my resume. I’m seeking a position that will reward me with opportunities for career growth.”
“I can’t promise you a paid position here but we try to help each and every one of our interns to get ahead,” Ryan pointed out.
“You scratch our back, we’ll scratch yours,” added Mike.
“That’s exactly what I’m looking for,” I said.
They asked me about my background. I told them I’ve been in town for five months and that I just completed two production company internships, with one of them being on the Sony lot. I told them my latest feature script got me accepted into the UCLA Master Class for Film Writing. They were impressed and asked what my script was about, so I pitched it to them. They seemed intrigued.
“You seem like a very sharp guy,” Mike commented.
“What’s your schedule like?” Ryan asked.
“For the time being, my schedule is open one hundred percent,” I replied.
“Oh, you’re hired,” Ryan said.
I start next Tuesday. Having been exploited at my two previous internships, I’m going in with more experience and awareness so that I can take better advantage of this opportunity and make it work for me.