by Bianca Martin
My name is Bianca Martin and I am a rising Junior at UCLA majoring in Communications and minoring in Entrepreneurship. Through taking part in The Hollywood Reporter’s (THR) mentorship program in 11th and 12th grade and working closely with my mentor Jennifer Craig, I discovered my passion for the entertainment industry. As with most industries, there is a wide array of jobs to choose from which can become very overwhelming. Growing up I didn’t know what I wanted to do until I joined this program. Upon discovering my passion, I was relieved. There are thousands of possible career choices in the entertainment industry, such as being a talent agent, showrunner, producer, talent manager, news reporter, animator, and the list goes on.
Having found the industry that I could potentially see myself start a career in, I thought the best way to find my specialty within the industry would be doing an internship. Who would have guessed? It seems that as soon as you begin college, you start hearing of internships and do not stop thinking about them up until graduation when the real world kicks in! Anyway, my mentor, Jennifer, from THR program is the Senior Vice President at a talent agency in Beverly Hills by the name of Gersh, and thankfully, I was able to learn a lot about how talent agencies work by shadowing her day-to-day activities. Talent agents represent “talent,” including, but not limited to, actors, actresses, directors, writers, YouTubers, social media influencers, and the like. What I found extremely interesting was how agents are involved with all the facets of the industry such as the studios, networks, production companies, etc. I wanted to get a feel of the atmosphere of a talent agency and learn more about its infrastructure, so I decided that I wanted my first real internship to be at a talent agency.
The process of looking for your first internship can be difficult. I did not know where to begin looking or the process of applying to one. I would receive a ton of emails from my mentorship program, but would always just delete them because I was not in the process of looking for an internship at the time. However, one day, I saw an email from THR telling us to apply to be apart of the Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s “Evolve Entertainment Fund.” To be honest, I did not know much of what the program consisted of, but I knew that they helped students from Los Angeles find summer internships. I applied immediately and was accepted into the program (Wooh!). A woman working for the program called me and asked me a long list of questions to get a feel of what kind of internship I was looking for and I told her I was interested in working at a talent agency. I sent her my resume and she sent it to a talent agency named William Morris Endeavor. It is one of the top three talent agencies in Los Angeles and I was ecstatic about the potential opportunity to intern there. Thankfully, I got a call back, had the interview the following week, and got the position.
Given that William Morris Endeavor was my first internship, I was extremely nervous to start. Although my position as a mailroom intern does not sound very appealing, beginning to work as a talent agent always starts with the mailroom. As an intern in the mailroom, I would have to sort and deliver mail that is brought in every day to the agents and their assistants. I remember being completely star struck seeing packages come in for rapper Drake or actor Matt Damon since their agents worked there. Interning in the mailroom was a great opportunity to meet assistants and agents, become familiar with the various agency departments, and truly get a feel of the atmosphere of a talent agency and all the hecticness that comes with it. As an intern there, I was able to reach out to the assistants of agents I was interested in, or assistants working in a specific department and ask to shadow them. I was really interested in the Commercials and Non-Scripted TV Department, so I shadowed a successful agent named Brooke Slavik Jung who represents Michael B. Jordan. Shadowing allowed me to witness the extensive process of how talent deals are made and the administrative tasks of being an assistant such as rolling calls, responding to email chains, setting meetings, etc. Had I not interned at WME, I would have never gotten this experience. I was able to experience something that I would not have experienced had I just read books and articles about talent agencies.
Although many people do not consider the tasks that assistants do as important, they are when working in entertainment. Given that networking is extremely important in an industry such as this one, I decided to attempt getting a mentor that worked in entertainment through UCLA’s Alumni Mentor Program. I attended the info session and went on to search through thousands of mentors until I found someone whose bio said “willing to offer insight into reality and unscripted television.” I requested him right away, was accepted to be his mentee, and met him at the UCLA mentorship event. When we met in person, I talked to him about my past experiences and what type of career I was pursuing. I did not expect anything to come from this conversation, but three days after that, Michael asked me if I was interested in interning at E! Entertainment, in the Spring and I was completely shocked! As someone who has grown up watching the network and being such a fan, I said yes right away.
When I first agreed to intern at E! I had no idea what my tasks would be or what qualifications were needed I just said YES because I knew I was interested in reality television and wasn’t sure if I’d get the opportunity again. My mentor Michael passed along my resume to the hiring committee and I was scheduled for an interview. I believe I stood out to the interviewers due to the fact that I had practice in desk coverage and knew how an agency works. A lot of the executives at E! worked directly with agents every day. I also tried to show my excitement about the internship and talk about some of their content I enjoyed watching that they currently had or have had on air. A couple of days later, I was offered the intern position and was ecstatic!
Now, in the last week of my internship here at E! I am extremely grateful and proud of the work I have done and been a part of here. Here, I am the Unscripted Development and Programming Intern. My day-to-day tasks include managing all incoming TV show pitches, setting high-profile meeting (yes, with celebs!), going on the set of some our shows, attending auditions, and covering desks of executives in talent and casting, development, and programming. I have become very familiar with the structure of a pitch for a reality TV show that I had the opportunity of pitching my own to the execs of the department and receive feedback. Don’t get me wrong, I also had to pick up lunches and coffees throughout the day, but it only made the executives more familiar with my face and name (which is what you want!). E! has very successful shows such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and being able to witness all of the work that goes into a show that is now at 16 seasons is a privilege. Although internships aren’t always glamorous, this experience has allowed me to offer my insight on projects which means a lot to me.
Ultimately, I want to continue in entertainment, but my past internship roles made me realize that I would like to learn other avenues of the business, such as marketing. As you go through different internships you realize what you are good at and passionate about, but also, what you don’t like and what you need more experience in. Marketing is one of the most important parts of entertainment, especially when you’re an agent who represents talent or an executive who has shows at a network that you want to be presented positively. I have witnessed the need for agents to market their talent in a positive way in order to cut deals for them. At E!, the marketing of our shows is everything, because if a show does not come off as appealing to viewers, then no one will watch them which will result in low ratings and a canceled show. For these reasons, I have now decided to join the Marketing committee of Bruin Women in Business to learn more about marketing in the entertainment industry.
Before I go, here are some of my tips for undergraduates looking to intern and potentially work in the entertainment industry post-graduation:
Do your research.
This is crucial for two reasons: (1) you do not want to apply to a place that you actually have no interest in the work and be stuck in an internship that has zero meaning to you; (2) when you get an interview, you want the employer to see that you know a lot about the company and are passionate about what they do. Mentioning a couple people they work with or shows they have on air can potentially be the reason you get the internship over other applicants.
Do not give up even if you get rejected.
You may not get every internship you apply to, but that is not a sign that you should give up finding the right one. Getting denied can be discouraging, but as someone who believes that everything happens for a reason, I believe I have gotten denied for a good reason. There are plenty of internships out there so do not give up until finding the right one.
Let people know what interests you, there are people that want to help!
I cannot stress this one enough! Had I just sat down quietly and let my mentor Michael do all of the talking when we met at the UCLA event I would have probably not been offered the internship at E! It is very difficult for others to help you when they have absolutely no idea what you are passionate about. Let your thoughts and ideas be known. They are valid and people want to help.
Always ask questions.
As someone who constantly over thinks what I have to say, asking questions is everything! People love to talk about themselves and what they do so do not be afraid to ask questions about a person’s job and their experiences. Asking questions shows your interest and can also result in more people wanting to help you.
Network, network, network!!! (with fellow students, interns, and full-time employees)
Networking is extremely important in the entertainment industry because you can meet someone that could possibly work at your dream company. When networking, don’t only focus on big-name executives but also other interns because one day they may be in a position at a company that you may potentially want a job at. The possibilities are endless, but network when possible, and remember to always be genuine.
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