Autumn is approaching and a lot of college students are just settling in at their first entertainment internship. But how does someone get an internship? And what about “not just any internship,” but one that is going to set them on a course to entertainment career success?

Well, for those of you who haven’t yet landed an internship - or whose first internship isn’t turning out to be all that great, here’s a quick guide to finding an awesome internship:

1) Be strategic- If you start early and use these internship-getting tips, you have the opportunity to be somewhat selective. Target an internship in the area of the industry in which you want to work post-graduation. This is your opportunity to get resume fodder, connections, and good solid work experience. The more laser-focused you are on your area of interest, the better.

2) Aim high- Make a list of the top companies where you want to work. Call them first. Even the name places have interns working there. Why not be one of them? Though interning at a little-known company can be a great jumping off place for your career (a scrappy start-up could provide an excellent job opportunity for you when you graduate), you want to do your homework and know (as much as you can) what you’re getting into with every opportunity.

3) Have a short pitch ready- “My name is Jenny Martin. I am a junior at Boston University majoring in communications. I am interested in interning at Katalyst in the spring. How do I submit myself for consideration?” Easy, right?

4) Don’t be shy- Companies love interns because they work for free and the smart ones work as hard or harder than anyone on payroll. If you get someone who is curt on the phone, don’t be put off. They are busy and they get lot of calls from potential interns, so keep smiling and be persistent.

5) Follow-up- Call back if you don’t get a return call. Start your pitch again. “This is Jenny Martin. I called a week ago and I wanted to check back. I am calling about an internship…” And keep following up until they tell you a definitive no or until you land that internship!

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Hi YII, I’m a two-time BU Alum (CAS 07, SPH 08) and am looking to get out of my current field and into the entertainment field. This website is timely, and I really appreciate you sharing. I am particularly interested in how to get an internship without having an academic affiliation. Despite having a college degree and a master’s, and being willing to work for free, it seems most places want students. Do you have any advice? Kate

Dear Kate,

YII got in touch with The Intern Queen and her concise advice was, ”Just apply anyway! Companies will take anyone who is willing to work for free!”

YII would say that is not always true. Larger companies tend to only accept interns getting school credit because they don’t want to get in trouble with the Labor Department. (There is a thin line between and intern and a “volunteer” and the Labor Department frowns on the latter.) Your best bets for landing an internship are smaller companies or, if you can, a film crew, not that easy to come by, but not unheard of.

For getting an internship at a small company, have your “pitch” ready (a couple sentences about who you are and why you are calling) and be as nice as you can, even if you are initially met with curtness. Be concise, give your email address in addition to your number, don’t be afraid to call again if they don’t get back to you when they say they will. Chances are, there’ll be glad you did.

To get an internship on a film crew, call the production office. Use the same method above and call back as needed to keep you on their minds. In the case of movie productions, aim for something lower-budget. Low-budget productions always need free help and probably won’t have a million people calling to offer it like the highly-publicized studio projects will. You will probably get to do more on a low-budget film, too.

Let us know where you end up!

Yours truly,

Your Industry Insider

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