Many colleges and universities encourage their students to apply for various internships and practicums in order to obtain exposure and experience in their desired fields. These internships and practicums assist students to be more competitive during the employment process.
Micah Sanders, junior communications major from DeSoto, Texas, with a radio and television concentration at Alabama State University, earned a paid summer internship with Paramount Pictures.
“I will be working in the Paramount Pictures national publicity department, which aims to provide hands-on experience in the process behind launching and maintaining publicity film campaigns,” Sanders said. “More specifically, as an intern, I will be responsible for assisting in brainstorming ideas for press and public outreach in our film campaigns.”
Explaining his specified position and duties, Sanders continues.
“I will also be building and updating press contacts to work with on film coverage and special events, researching projects on prior film campaigns, talent press history, or specific press contacts/outlets, and assisting with daily ‘breaks’ when needed (newspaper, magazine, and online press clippings).”
Additionally, Sanders will perform general administrative duties, including special events such as press junkets, premieres, special screenings, and updating important office documents. He is expected to complete a project at the end of his internship, which consists of him choosing an upcoming Paramount release and creating a small, national publicity campaign on PowerPoint (or Prezi, etc.) to present to the New York team.
“As I am nearing the end of my collegiate career, I wanted to have the necessary skills, qualities and attributes to be successful in the entertainment industry,” Sanders said. “Many of my professors have always urged communications students to pursue internships, which certainly stuck to me. So, I applied to over 10 internships, all within the film and television division that will allow for me to transition smoothly to a career after college, and Paramount chose me!”
Paramount Pictures is responsible for producing several films such as “Mean Girls,” “Grease,” and the “Mission Impossible” series. Sanders internship is set to run from June 7, 2021, to Aug. 13, 2021, and typically, this internship would be located in New York, but Sanders will be remote this year because of the pandemic.
“When I received the news that I would not be going to New York, this coming summer, I was a little bit upset but overall glad to see that this company cares about the safety and health of its staff members and incoming interns,” Sanders said. “I mean, of course, going to Times Square and meeting my other cohorts in person would’ve been nice, but the times have changed,” Sanders said, expressing his feelings on working remotely. “So, I will be doing the internship at my house, sitting in my nice, comfortable orange chair with some pillows, a blanket, and a hot cup of Folgers coffee every day. As everyone else sees remote internships as a negative, I look at the bright side of things…”
With Sanders having a radio and television concentration, he stands to gain several helpful tools and connections from Paramount Pictures.
“This internship with Paramount Pictures plays a tremendous role in helping me be enveloped in the entertainment industry. Though I don’t know exactly what I want to do once I graduate, I certainly know that it has something to do with being behind-the-scenes of different films and television shows. I will network and make connections with so many people, potentially opening doors for myself. As they always say, ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,’ so I am definitely hoping that someone will give me a chance to shine bright!”
Along with experience and networking opportunities, Sanders hopes that this internship will push him out of his comfort zone and push him to be more of a problem solver.
“One skill that I hope to gain from the internship is how to be more assertive,” he said. “I want to share my ideas and concepts boldly without worrying about what others think about the idea and allow myself to step outside of my comfort zone of just being quiet and agreeing to everything others say. I would also love to gain more experience in the problem-solving areas.”
“Lastly, I hope to gain more experience in teamwork,” he said. “I would love to learn the different aspects and perspectives on working efficiently and effectively as a team with little to no mistakes. And if we do make mistakes, how do we turn those mistakes into lessons that will benefit us down the road.”
Although Sanders wants to learn more about collaboration with others, he is no stranger to teamwork. He serves as the managing editor for Editorial Operations and leads his own team of writers. He gives gratitude to both the general manager and the organization itself for helping him become more detail-oriented.
“I genuinely want to thank Mr. Kenneth Dean and everyone from The Hornet Tribune staff,” he said. “That organization has taught me how to be time manageable, group-oriented, strategically decisive, and an overall better version of myself professionally. Without gaining those experiences and life lessons, I do not think I would have been chosen as an intern for Paramount.”
Sanders advises all students in his field to keep applying to internships.
“If I would’ve stopped applying after receiving numerous denial letters, I would not have received this excellent opportunity to work for Paramount Pictures! Remember, “N.O.” stands for Next Opportunity, and “F.A.I.L.” stands for First Attempt in Learning, so keep your head up and allow your optimism and positivity to get you to your next step in life!”