Internships

Over the summer of 2019, Nicholas Grant (FTVM '20) was a Development Intern at Dark Horse Entertainment, which is the company responsible for developing film and television projects based off of various Dark Horse Comics properties, as well as independent projects not related to comic books. Nicholas's internship at Dark Horse Entertainment was a great first Hollywood work experience. He was able to work in development, dealing with IP that he genuinely cares about.  Working in the receptionist area answering phones and having personal interaction with writers, directors, agents, managers, acting talent, etc. also gave Nicholas good training as an assistant, which will be the most common entry-level position available to recent graduates.  The internship was also super helpful to Nicholas as an aspiring writer, as reading current scripts, novels, comics, and other submissions allowed him invaluable insight into what people are writing as well as what producers are looking for in today’s media landscape.  Simply overhearing conversations about networks and streaming platforms and pitches was incredibly enlightening.  

Tait Keller (FTVM '21) interned at Captivate Entertainment during the summer of 2019. While she was working there, Captivate was in production in Budapest and doing spec work at the LA office. Tait's role was to do coverage on submitted scripts, completing about 1-2 scripts a day. She also kept the office tidy, worked the phones, and ran occasional errands on the lot. Although before this internship Tait had never completed coverage or even taken a screenwriting class, she got very proficient at quickly and thoroughly writing coverage over the summer. Tait praises her boss, who "always gave useful suggestions to further improve [her] writing" and made her feel comfortable communicating her honest opinions on scripts.

Working at the Captivate office was a special experience, Tait says, "because every day I got to drive on to the lot with my pass and walk past the sets to some of my favorite movies; I was completely content to be there. The office bungalow was a great reading environment, tucked towards the back of the park in the shade. I also made some lasting connections with my fellow interns there, and I was able to rely on them if ever I needed it. My bosses were very attentive to me and I really believe that I grew over the summer. They even let me tour the lot with my family when they visited. I’m glad I had the opportunity to intern at an established company, learning to do tasks like coverage that will be necessary for a future working in the film industry."

In the summer of 2019, Alex Mullen (FTVM '20) interned at Spacestation, an independent production company that strives to deliver a variety of content on a variety of platforms. Ranging from documentaries that premiere on HBO to digital content for Facebook to advertisements for some of the biggest-name brands worldwide, Spacestation has done it all. In Alex's internship with Spacestation, he worked with obé, a boutique fitness livestream offering on-demand fitness classes that reach thousands of users across North America. Working on obé’s production team, Alex learned some of the ins and outs of live show production, how to operate different sound and lighting softwares, and had the opportunity to work with remote-controlled camera systems. Alex's time at obé through Spacestation gave him the opportunity to learn more about production while learning more about fitness at the same time.

"Interning at the largest entertainment agency, William Morris Endeavor, was an absolute honor and amazing experience. 

Thanks to those who've impacted me and made the experience one I will never forget!"  Antoinette Wade

"The Rogue Initiative is a virtual reality video game company located in Calabasas, north of LA. While it's a long commute, Rogue works on the cutting edge of VR tech. My internship at Rogue exposed me to the possibilities of VR filmmaking and general VR video tech. While my main task at both companies was completing script coverage, the connections I made through my internships are proving to be incredibly valuable." Adam Rarey

Several Michigan students helped out on the Gorilla Flicks intern short film "The Big Tip" (including FTVM students Scott Hardin, Phoebe Hopp, and Evan Vacchiano). "It was a wonderful experience where we had the opportunity to work closely with directors, producers, and talent. There were times when we got to sit in on production meetings and writer's rooms," claims Vacchiano.

"Ava Burnham and I interned at the Spacestation office in New York City. We worked on a variety of tasks from casting, to assisting on shoots, pre-production, writing, and website design. It was a great learning opportunity and we are thankful to have had the opportunity to learn from the Spacestation team! Thank you to the Winer family for the internship/scholarship support and UM FTVM community!"  Kelsey Fox