One Day, One Internship » video

HBO

Willy Franzen — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:52:00 +0000

It’s the ultimate premium channel. The one that separates the haves from the have nots—at least when it comes to cable packages. HBO or Home Box Office is the pinnacle of cable television. Ok, maybe I’m going a bit far, but I remember how excited I was when one day HBO was suddenly part of my family’s cable package. The cable company made a mistake, and I was now able to watch all kinds of great movies in the comfort of my own home (and without having my mom take me to Blockbuster). Of course, HBO, which is based in New York City, isn’t just about movies. Their original programming is one of the key reasons that they have more than 40 million subscribers in the US. HBO’s series past and present include Arliss, Sex and the City, Entourage, The Sopranos, Fraggle Rock, and plenty of others. Then there are their documentaries and sports coverage. It’s why people pay extra for HBO (and Cinemax, its sister station): high quality programming without commercials.

Do You Get HBO?

What many people don’t realize about HBO is the role that they’ve played in the history of cable and satellite television. TV used to be free. Then people started paying for cable with packages of channels. Then HBO came along and people started paying extra for individual channels. It almost sounds like the evolution towards paid content that we’re seeing on the Internet; however, I’m not sure that anyone is constantly innovating like HBO has done in the television industry. They were the first to transmit digitally. The first to encrypt their satellite signal. The first to broadcast in HD. The first to offer premium video on demand. HBO knows what their customers want before they want it, so they’re continually able to stay ahead of other premium channels. It will be exciting to see how HBO transforms as more and more content moves online.

Now, what if you want to be a part of the future of HBO? You’ll have to head over to their Careers page, which is hosted by Time Warner, their parent company. Right now there are 44 openings, and a few of them are internships. Unfortunately the Time Warner applicant tracking systems is a total piece of crap, so I can’t link you directly to the internship postings. The posting for HBO Internship is based in Los Angeles, CA, and it offers unpaid positions in Films Development and Production, TV Development and Production, Legal, Casting, Media Relations, Finance, and Participations & Residuals. There is also an NYC based posting for their 2010 Undergraduate Technology Internship. I find it hard to imagine that they don’t have general internships in New York City too, so you may want to reach out to internships@hbo.com to inquire. It’s unclear if you’re supposed apply online or send your résumé and cover letter to the aforementioned e-mail address, so you may want to try both.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you get HBO growing up?

Zinch

Willy Franzen — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:04:24 +0000

If you’ve been searching for internships for very long, you’d probably do anything to go back to Senior year of high school when you were applying to college. It’s not that the admissions process is particularly fun, but at least it has a set timeline and a fixed set of options. Still, there’s plenty of room for improvement. That’s why there are quite a few young entrepreneurs who have built companies that aim to make the college process better, just like I’m doing with the entry level job and internship searches. One of these companies is San Francisco based Zinch, which was founded by Mick Hagen, a Princeton dropout. They’ve created a social network that allows high school students to connect with the colleges that they want to attend. There are more than 700 colleges and universities that invest in Zinch, which is why more than 1.5 million students have created Zinch profiles to show off to admissions counselors and to apply for scholarships and financial aid packages.

Getting an Internship Is a Zinch

Zinch’s motto is simple: “I am more than a test score.” They’re all about helping students make their case for why they’re a great fit at a given institution of higher learning. It’s the anti-common app. But what about Zinch’s business model? How does it work? Well, Zinch is free for students, but colleges must pay an annual fee to connect with students. This may seem strange to you, but you have to remember that colleges are essentially businesses, and they need a constant flow of customer. While schools like Harvard and Princeton constantly have way more qualified applicants than spots in their Freshman classes, most colleges aren’t so lucky. They need to market themselves to students. Traditionally they’ve done this by inundating the mailboxes of high school juniors and seniors based on data from standardized test scores. (Side story: My mom forced me to check the “do not mail me” box on all of my testing stuff, so I felt left out when all of my friends were getting recruited and nobody was sending me anything.) Zinch thinks that’s a poor model, so they’ve stepped it up a bit. They’ve created a new marketing platform for colleges, and it seems to be working out pretty well.

This means that Zinch is growing and hiring lots of interns. If you check out their Careers page, you’ll see that they are looking for people in Engineering/Software Development, Sales/Marketing, Internet/Search Marketing, Graphic Design, Public Relations, and Videography/Cinematography. To apply for any of these positions, you need to e-mail intern@zinch.com with the following:

1) An attachment of your resumé/CV
2) Answers to the following questions:
+ If you could change/add one thing about Zinch, what would it be and why?
+ How would you move Mount Fuji?
+ What are three things you want to accomplish before you die?
+ What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done (crazy can be defined as, for example, dangerous, silly, stupid, etc)?

There’s no word on whether these positions are paid or not.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you wish that you had Zinch when you were in high school?

Demand Media

Willy Franzen — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:46:03 +0000

I’m sure that you’ve heard a lot in the news about how traditional media companies are having trouble taking their business models online. You may be under the impression that making money from web content is near impossible, but there’s a dirty little secret: it’s not. While companies like the New York Times stick to editorial integrity and chasing Pulitzers, there are companies out there that craft their content with the sole purpose of making money. A perfect example is Santa Monica, CA based Demand Media. They’ve secured more than $355 million in venture capital funding, grown annual revenue to more than $200 million annually, and reached a valuation north of $1 billion all by taking an ROI based approach to content development. How does that work? Demand Media has developed an algorithm that helps them find profitable topics. By using data from Google AdWords, they’re able to estimate the demand for a given piece of content (example: an article and video on how to tie your shoes) along with the revenue that the yet to be developed piece of content could be expected to make given a certain number of pageviews.

Demand an Internship

This may sound unsavory to some of the writers out there, but I’d imagine the business students are in awe. Demand Media delivers their content through a number of web properties, and some of these include eHow, Cracked, and Livestrong.com. In addition to distributing profitable content across their web properties, Demand Media also licenses some of the social media tools that they’ve developed internally to other businesses. One of the amazing things that I learned about Demand Media while researching them is that they publish approximately 4,000 articles and videos every day. Demand Media is YouTube’s largest contributor, and the number of pageviews that they’re driving across their network is staggering. They’re able to develop so much content through an army of freelancers who work through a site called Demand Studios. If you’re a Writer, Filmmaker, or Copy Editor, that’s the first option for getting an “internship” (it’s only freelance, and the rates are kind of low) through Demand Media. Your second option is to check out Demand Media’s Corporate Career offerings. There’s only one internship posted right now—an unpaid Editorial Internship in Santa Monica, CA—although I wouldn’t be surprised to see more opportunities posted in the future. You can apply online for this postion, but before you do, take an hour to learn more about Demand Media—there’s a ton of information available about them.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Demand Media’s business model?

Invodo

Willy Franzen — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:58:33 +0000

Video is an amazing sales tool. It’s able to show you exactly what you’re buying and how it works. The only thing better is an in-person demonstration, and those are far too expensive for mostproducts. Now that online video capabilities are pretty much ubiquitous, we’re seeing more and more companies adopt video as part of their sales process. More and more product pages have an embedded video along with all of the stuff you normally expect to find on an e-commerce site. Invodo is the company that is often behind these videos. They’re a three year old company based in Austin, TX, and they offer “a full-service eCommerce video solution that drives conversion for retailers, consideration for manufacturers, and satisfaction for consumers.” They work with more than 2,500 manufacturers and retailers including Sony, New Balance, Toys “R” Us, and plenty more major brands.

Video That Sells

If you want to take a look at the type of video that Invodo offers, all you have to do is check out their home page. It’s loaded with samples of work that they’ve done. Invodo offers a full solution for their clients. This includes content production, a platform for delivery, and a network for distribution. Surprisingly they don’t seem to have a video about themselves—you’d think that would be a key part of their sales process. They also don’t have a video about their Careers, but they’re a small company so that’s understandable. Their Internships page only shows one internship right now, and it’s for a Sales Intern. There’s no word on whether it’s paid or not, and you should also note that it’s more Sales & Marketing than just Sales. To apply send your cover letter and résumé to careers@invodo.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Has video influenced your purchasing decisions?

DriveCam

Willy Franzen — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:03:49 +0000

It’s every teen’s worst nightmare. You finally reach that magical age where the state says that you’re ready to drive a car. Your parents reluctantly hand over the keys to the family station wagon. You get a lecture, but you’re going to escape. You’ll finally have the freedom that you’ve been waiting for all your life. But there’s a catch. Your parents have installed a camera in the car to assess your driving and mitigate risk. It’s from a San Diego based company called DriveCam. To you it’s a terrible idea. You hate being spied on. You know you’re a good driver with your state mandated 20 hours of experience behind the wheel. What you probably don’t know is that car accidents are the leading cause of teen death. You’re too caught up in having a sense of freedom to care that this device has reduced the risk of reportable crash by 70% over the course of 2 million miles.

I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me

I’m sure that I would have resented my parents if they had put a DriveCam in my car, but I must be getting old because now I think it would be a pretty good idea. If you’re not convinced, all you need to do is look at some of the videos on DriveCam’s website to get it. The way it works is pretty cool—DriveCam is only triggered by “fairly aggressive or inattentive driving.” It is constantly recording so that it can catch the moments before a triggering event, but any data collected that is not immediately before a triggering event is deleted. By setting the goal of not triggering the camera, DriveCam forces drivers to slow down and pay more attention. It’s not just for teens, many companies use it to monitor fleet drivers as well. The way it works is that DriveCam uploads video via a cellular network to DriveCam’s servers, and then there’s a Software as a Service subscription that allows the parents or business owners to analyze the data uploaded by DriveCam. The software even provides coaching advice and risk scores. There was a lot of resistance to seat belts when they first came out, but now nearly everyone uses them. I see the potential for the same to be said about DriveCam in 10 or 20 years. That’s why they’re one of the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies. They have a ton of potential for growth, and they’d be a great place to start a career. Their Careers page shows that they’re looking for a paid Marketing Intern. You can apply by sending a résumé and cover letter to jobs@drivecam.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did your parents install a DriveCam?

Lunchbox

Willy Franzen — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:51:18 +0000

Although Twitter’s search results are getting filled with more and more junk, I’m still finding that Twitter is a pretty easy way to find jobs and internships that wouldn’t typically be on your radar. That’s how I came across Lunchbox, a Culver City, CA based “full-service agency that specializes in creating complete-branded content packages.” Since I have no idea what that actually means, I took a look at Lunchbox’s portfolio to get a better idea of what their work entails. Basically Lunchbox helps build brands by developing new ways for their clients to introduce their brands to customers. It may be creating stuffed animals for Discovery Channel or designing a magazine for CMT. Whatever the challenge is, Lunchbox brings an amazing creative team that has worked in the past with some of the world’s biggest brands.

What’s in Your Lunchbox?

My take on interactive agencies like Lunchbox is that the best way to judge whether you want to work for them is to look at their portfolio. Not only should you consider the names that they work with—Lunchbox has worked with Pepsi, Nick at Nite, Walmart, Warner Bros., and plenty more—but you should also look closely at what kind of work they put out. I’m impressed with what I see from Lunchbox, but it’s up to you to determine if you’d fit in with them. Now, back to that tweet that I mentioned. There’s not much more to it than a mention of paid Social Media internships, and I can’t find any details on Lunchbox’s Jobs page, but I did find someone on LinkedIn who had a social media internship at Lunchbox. Some of Lunchbox’s job offerings include Back-End Software Engineer, Front-End Software Engineer, Interactive Developer, QA Analyst, and Video Production Assistant, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see them take interns in those areas too. To apply for an internship at Lunchbox, my recommendation is that you reach out to them at jobs@lbox.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Lunchbox’s portfolio?

NESN

Willy Franzen — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:56:51 +0000

As a Yankees fan I am obliged to hate anything and everything related to the Red Sox—and even Boston sports in general. That’s why it pains me to cover NESN (New England Sports Network) today. They’re one of the most successful regional sports networks (RSNs) in the country ratings-wise (#1 for 6 straight years), and they do it in the 7th biggest media market. NESN is jointly owned by the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins, whom they cover along with the Celtics, Patriots, and plenty of local college teams. They were launched in 1984, which makes Watertown, MA based NESN one of the oldest RSNs in the country, and they now reach more than 4 million homes. I still don’t understand why anyone would want to watch Boston sports on tv.

Monster Opportunities

Obviously I think that internships at the Yes Network are way cooler, but I do have to admit that working at NESN would be pretty sweet. There probably couldn’t be a better place for a Boston sports fan (must… hold… back… joke…) with an interest in television than NESN. They have a “40,000 square foot state-of–the art facility” and they do a ton of broadcasting in HD. The only thing they were short on this year was October programming. If you’re interested in NESN, you should check out their Internships page. They’re currently offering unpaid internships in New Media (NESN.com), SportsDesk, Sales & Traffic, Promotions, Program Development & Acquisitions, and Boston Bruins Pre and Post Game Show. All seem like pretty cool opportunities, so I hope that you’ll check out NESN. Maybe you can help them broadcast another Red Sox collapse next fall.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you watch NESN?

DivX

Willy Franzen — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:28 +0000

We’ve looked at plenty of Internet video companies in the past, but we haven’t spent too much time looking at companies that provide the underlying technology that drives Internet video. DivX is a San Diego, CA based company that develops and licenses video codecs. Codec is short for compressor-decompressor, which is essentially technology that allows you to more efficiently transfer data. In DivX’s case they provide a codec that allows high definition video to be compressed without sacrificing quality on the other end. They’re a big part of why Internet video finally works so well. Transmitting uncompressed video over the Internet takes a huge amount of bandwidth, but using a DivX codec significantly decreases the amount of bandwidth necessary to transmit your favorite time wasting video.

Decoding Your Internship Search

If you’re going to end up interning at DivX, chances are that you know more about video codecs than I do (please forgive me if my explanation above wasn’t up to snuff). While most consumers aren’t familiar with the DivX brand, they most likely use the company’s technology often. Whether it’s on the computer, the tv, or your phone, there’s a really good chance that DivX’s technology makes it possible for you to watch video. Since DivX isn’t typically selling you a product, they have to make most of their money through licensing this technology to third parties. DivX is very much a technology company, so it’s no surprise that their internship offerings are tech heavy. Right now they only have one position posted, and it’s for an Engineering Intern in Malvern, PA. You’ll need some pretty strong Software Development knowledge if you want to land the position. There’s no word on whether it’s paid or not, but you can apply online.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Had you heard of DivX before?

NBC and Telemundo Chicago

Willy Franzen — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:55:56 +0000

I have to admit that I pretty much stopped watching local news after going to school and living in Central New York for four years. I swear that every night the news would come on at 11 PM, and there would be a new crew reporting live from a barn that caught on fire. Here in Chicago it’s more likely to be a shooting or possibly some government corruption. I’m sure that your area has its own regular story. Usually I like to talk about how the Internet is kicking traditional media’s butt, but that hasn’t been true when it comes to local stuff. TV and newspapers still own the local market, which is why NBC Chicago and Telemundo Chicago would be pretty cool places to intern. (Telemundo is a local network much like NBC 5 Chicago, but it’s tailored to a Spanish speaking audience.)They’re still the place to go for local news (whether it’s on the web or on the tube).

Intern Locally… If You’re in Chicago

I recently came across the Internships page for NBC Chicago and Telemundo Chicago and was impressed by how many opportunities they are offering. The only thing that bugged me is that they stick a bunch of legalese in the first few paragraphs instead of using the space to tell you how awesome the internship program is. I guess they want to make it painfully clear that their internships are unpaid and only for current students at accredited college. They’re also adamant about the fact that interns can’t do certain work because of union contracts.

With all that said, there are still a ton of cool opportunities including internships in: Advertising and Promotion (NBC and Telemundo), Station/Community Relations (NBC), Digital Sales, Consumer Unit (NBC), Health Unit (NBC), Investigative Unit (NBC), National Business Development (NBC), NBC Network News Midwest Bureau, News Assignment Desk (NBC or Telemundo), News Department (NBC or Telemundo), News Planning Unit (NBC or Telemundo), Sales Research and Marketing (NBC), Sports Department (NBC), Web Development Department (NBC), and NBCChicago.com Editorial Department (NBC). There are 4 internship sessions per year at NBC Chicago and Telemundo Chicago. There’s a PDF application form that you need to fill out and mail in, so check out the NBC Chicago and Telemundo Chicago Internships page for all of the details.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you watch the local news?

Brightcove

Willy Franzen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:51:45 +0000

It took long enough, but Internet video is everywhere. Yes, we had online video 10 years ago, but now it actually looks good—and works. The main reason for this is that end users (you and me) finally have technology in their homes that can handle playing online video. This means high speed Internet connections and computers with enough processing power to not crash when a website uses a Flash video player. The issue for content creators is that delivering video still poses some challenges. Sure, I was able to produce an online job search training course that relied heavily on video with little trouble, but I wasn’t delivering video to thousands or even millions of people (I wish I had the problem). As your use base increases, the challenge of delivering video increase exponentially. Moreover, managing video content in an organized fashion is a completely different challenge than organizing text and images. Brightcove is a Cambridge, MA based company that provides an online video platform for many of the worlds biggest brands.

Are You Bright Enough?

I’ve probably said this before about other companies, but I’m not sure that I’ve seen a client list as impressive as Brightcove’s customer list. It includes names like The New York Times, Discovery Channel, Sony Music, U.S. Army, and Ticketmaster, so you know that Brightcove isn’t just some flash in the pan startup. They have top flight clients who are paying lots of money for the Brightcove platform. With that said, it will be interesting to see how online video delivery develops in the next 5 to 10 years and how Brightcove adapts to those changes. If you want to be a part of the future of online video, then you need to check out Brightcove’s Internship listings. They have quite a few positions posted including Sales Data Specialist Intern, Quality Assurance Intern, Partner Marketing Intern, and Marketing Operations Intern. There’s no word on whether these positions are paid or not, but you can apply online directly from the links above.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you seen websites that use Brightcove to deliver video?

Tandberg

Willy Franzen — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:01:40 +0000

I think that I’ve mentioned before that my first experience with video chat was was with CU-SeeMe in an Internet cafe in the mid 90s. Back then the potential for social interaction over online video seemed pretty promising, but the potential for business uses (not that I thought about that when I was 13) was even greater. Real-time video has been slower to take hold on both the social and business fronts than I expected, but now that the quality is so good, we’re seeing more and more businesses embrace video conferencing. Tandberg is a company that is at the forefront of this movement. They have dual headquarters in Oslo, Norway and New York City, and they are both “the market share leader and the fastest growing company in the video conferencing industry.” Their 30% annualized revenue growth for the past 10 years may not be Inc. 5000 material, but it’s still hugely impressive.

I Wonder If They Use Video Interviews

While video conferencing can be as simple as opening up iChat and using the built-in iSight in your Mac, Tandberg offers a higher end experience. They offer products and services that offer superior a superior user experience with a focus on business uses. I remember using video conferencing in a class in college, and I was amazed at how effective it was for presenting to the company that we were working with on our project. It’s all about changing the way people communicate, and if that’s something that gets you excited, then you should check out Internships at Tandberg. They have opportunities in the United States, Asia Pacific, and Europe. We’re going to focus on the US where they have Reston, VA based paid internships posted in Corporate Communications and Technical Support along with a General Posting that mentions internships in Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Sales, and Logistics/Operations. You can apply for any of the positions by sending a cover letter and résumé to hr@tandberg.com.

Do you ever use video conferencing?

Rooftop Media

Willy Franzen — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:57:28 +0000

We’ve featured a lot of startups here at One Day, One Internship, but never one with as good of a sense of humor as Rooftop Media. They’re a San Francisco based company that is entirely focused on comedy. Yes, they were able to secure $2.5 million in venture capital solely on their sense of humor. Ok, they actually have a well thought out business model too, but I’d like to think that instead of pitching decks (slides) to VCs, they just did a little standup routine and that was that. The main concept behind Rooftop Media is providing a platform for middle tier comedians—professionals whom you’ve probably never heard of. They have a destination comedy video site called RooftopComedy.com, while also working with media and advertisers. For media they “create custom comedy programming for broadcast, web, mobile and print channels hungry for unique, compelling content,” and for advertisers they “create powerful, branded entertainment and integrated marketing programs on behalf of our advertising clients.” They’ve worked with impressive names like Microsoft, Purina Mills, Virgin America, Fast Company, and more.

Climb Up to the Rooftop

Comedic marketing is a brilliant idea that we’re all quite familiar with—Super Bowl commercials are a perfect example. Rooftop Media is taking the idea to a new level by creating a huge library of comedic content while also working with their comedians to make content targeted to specific audiences. For instance right now they’re putting together Rootop’s Rooftop Comedy National Comedy Competition’s Funny Film Contest, which is open to US college students. Yes, it’s a comedy contest, but it’s also a promotion for Microsoft Office Live Workspace—presumably because you can use it to make funny films. That’s a pretty brilliant way to do marketing, considering that funny videos are about the only way to grab a college student’s attention for a prolonged period of time. If you’re intrigued by what Rooftop Media is doing, then you should check out their Internships page. There are two internship opportunities posted right now—Marketing Intern and Events Marketing Intern. There’s no mention of whether the positions are paid, but they do mention the potential for a full-time job offer for successful interns. You can apply for both positions online, so be sure to bring your sense of humor.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Rooftop Media?

Pogo Pictures

Willy Franzen — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:01:27 +0000

You know you love tv commercials—at least good ones. Who doesn’t? They’re an art form. Just as much creative energy goes into the advertisements that pay for the shows you watch as goes into the actual shows. Well… not always, but often enough. How else are the advertisers going to keep you from ignoring their marketing messages? If you’ve ever wondered what the behind the scenes of creating television commercials looks like, you should check out Pogo Pictures. They’re “an Atlanta based film production company specializing in image branding & television commercial production.” They represent 4 award winning directors who have shot commercials for names like Bank of America, ACE Hardware, Ford, AT&T, Publix, Verizon, Kraft, Coke, Breyers, Comcast, Coca-Cola, SunTrust and Chevron. They’ve also worked with Departments of Tourism in many states and done commercials all across the world.

Bounce Your Way into an Internship

Chances are that you’ve seen quite a few commercials shot by Pogo Pictures, but you’d never know it because commercials don’t come with credits. I’d link to some of the work from Pogo’s directors—Angel Traverso, Steve Colby, Zach Freyer, and Ryan Smith—but the site is all in Flash, so we can’t link to it. You’ll just have to browse Pogo Pictures’ website yourself to get a full read on what they’re about. Anyway, someone from Pogo Pictures contacted me and told me about their internship program. They’re looking for someone ASAP, and I don’t believe they have this internship posted anywhere else. Here’s the rundown:

Pogo Pictures is looking for a motivated hardworking Fall intern to work with the company’s Office Coordinator, Executive Producer, and Director. The candidate should currently be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in the current and/or upcoming semester. The internship is unpaid and requires 15 to 20 hours per week. Candidates will have the opportunity to be on set for local productions. Interested students are encouraged to send a cover letter and resume to info@pogopictures.com.

Yeah, it’s unpaid, but it sounds like some pretty cool experience. Go get it!

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

PogoPictures.com

Do you love commercials?

The FeedRoom

Willy Franzen — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:03:15 +0000

Having developed a product that relies on delivering video content, I know firsthand how difficult online video can be. Yes, any idiot can record something and upload it to YouTube for millions to watch, but it takes a significantly greater effort for a company to deliver an even slightly more professional video experience. Westborough, MA based The FeedRoom is a company that offers enterprise solutions for online streaming video and digital asset management. You may have seen their software at work on sites like PentagonChannel.mil and BestBuyTrueStories.com. It’s about 14 steps above publishing to YouTube, yet it’s nearly as easy to do for corporate clients who use The FeedRoom’s products, services, and solutions. If I had the budget for some serious enterprise software, I’d definitely The FeedRoom for Found Your Career.

Feed Your Career

Online video delivery is only going to continue to grow, and as expectations grow, YouTube isn’t going to cut it any more. The FeedRoom is primed for success as more companies decide that they need to get serious about video. The FeedRoom is already working with some serious names (The Pentagon!), and they seem to have the ease of use thing down. If you’re excited about the growth in the world of online video, then you might want to consider an internship with The FeedRoom. It appears that they offer unpaid internships year round in Digital Media Technology. They don’t go into a lot of detail about what that means, but they take interns in New York, NY; Westborough, MA; and San Francisco, CA. Take a look at what The FeedRoom is all about, and if you think that you’ll make a great addition, then send a cover letter and résumé to jobs@feedroom.com. Be sure to tell them what you’re good at and where your interests lie so that they can find the right place for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you impressed with The FeedRoom’s offerings?

YES Network

Willy Franzen — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:56:28 +0000

July 31st is always a holiday for me. Not only is it my Dad’s birthday (Happy Birthday Dad!), but it’s also the Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline. It’s a day packed with excitement as winning teams trade away their future for a shot at winning it all this year. I usually spend the day glued to ESPN and MLB Trade Rumors, but this year I don’t think my Yankees are going to make any big moves (mostly because they’re only 1 game behind the best record in baseball). That means that I can sit back, relax, and watch the YES Network since I’m in Connecticut this weekend (which means I left Chicago where the Yankees are actually playing… ugh). The YES Network is pretty much all Yankees, all the time, except for when they show New Jersey Nets games, and because of that, they also happen to be “the most-watched regional sports network in the country.”

Make Them Say YES

As you may have noticed from the links in the opening paragraph, we’ve covered a lot of baseball related jobs and internships. I have actually wanted to write a post on the YES Network for a long time, but they don’t seem to publicize their Internship program on their Jobs page or anywhere else. That hasn’t changed, but I’ve realized that waiting around for internships to get posted is a good way not to get an internship. I’m pretty sure that the YES Network offers internships in the Fall, and I know that you can get a look at the types of internships they offer by browsing through their LinkedIn company profile. I was able to find profiles of interns in Public Relations and Production. You should also check out the YES Network’s ratings on InternshipRatings.com. There’s only one rating, but it’s pretty glowing. It also appears that YES pays their interns. If you want to land an internship at YES, you’re going to need to be proactive. That means reaching out to them at jobs@yesnetwork.com with a résumé and cover letter in WORD format, and using LinkedIn to do some networking.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you think the Yankees will win the World Series?

America’s Test Kitchen

Willy Franzen — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:43:30 +0000

I love cooking, but I didn’t always. I went into college barely knowing how to make myself a bowl of pasta, but when I lived off campus Sophomore year, I was left with little choice but to learn how to cook. I’ve never been one to follow recipes strictly, though. I always like trying something new and getting creative with my cooking. That’s exactly the philosophy behind America’s Test Kitchen. It’s a real kitchen (all 2,500 square feet of it) in Brookline, MA that is used to “to develop the absolute best recipes for all of your favorite foods.” They do this by testing recipes anywhere from 30-70 times until they not only get it right, but get it right to the point that it’s dead simple for the people who are consuming the products that America’s Test Kitchen puts out – magazines, cookbooks, DVDs, tv shows, and websites. To me it sounds like one of the coolest places in the world, so if there’s no post tomorrow, it’s because I quit in hopes of a career at America’s Test Kitchen (just kidding!).

Cooking Up Some Great Internships

Although I’ve been familiar with the America’s Test Kitchen tv show and their Cook’s Illustrated magazine for a while, I never thought to look at their internships. Luckily, a loyal reader pointed out that they have a ton of openings in a variety of areas. These internships look awesome! Even if they’re unpaid. America’s Test Kitchen is currently looking for interns in Online Editorial, Test Kitchen, Video, and Product Testing and Tasting. Are you kidding me? Product testing and tasting? How cool does that sound? You can find all of the details including how to apply on the internships on America’s Test Kitchen’s Internships page. These are some of the coolest internships that I’ve ever seen, so act fast.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Hungry yet?

Howcast

Willy Franzen — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:00:23 +0000

When you don’t know how to do something (like find an internship), what do you do? You probably head straight to Google and look for an online resource to tell you how to do what you want to do. It didn’t used to be that easy. You’d either have to ask someone, or buy a book (if you could figure out which book to buy), or figure it out yourself. Answering “how to” questions wasn’t easy, but now it is because of websites like New York City’s Howcast. Whether you head straight to Howcast or you find their answer to your question through Google, you’ll be delighted to find what they call “the best how to videos on the web.” Howcast covers nearly every topic you can imagine – from How to Adopt a Child to How to Psyche Out the Competition and – more relevant for our purposes – from How to Deal with a Smelly Coworker to How to Dress for a Job Interview. Each topic has both a video and a Wiki with written instructions, and the content is either user submitted or Howcast produced (it’s generally very high quality content). Oh yeah, and Howcast was named one of Time’s 50 Best Websites of 2008. That’s pretty cool.

How Do I Get an Internship?

Howcast answers a lot of important questions, but they completely missed the boat on one. Why the heck don’t they have a howcast on how to get an internship with Howcast (they do have a video on How to Get an Internship)? It would be an awesome employment branding move, and it would really liven up their Internships page even more than the video that is already on it does. Unfortunately, it looks like you’re going to have to figure out how to get an internship with them the old fashioned way – by showing initiative (or I guess you could follow the instructions from the generic video). That means you should check out their internship postings, and see what you like. Currently they have opportunities posted in Post-Production, Production, Marketing, Distribution, Editorial, Emerging Filmmaker Program, Content Acquisition, and Social Media. All of the internships appear to be located in New York City (except Content Acquisition which is in San Francisco and Social Media which is San Francisco or NYC), and there doesn’t appear to be any mention of whether they’re paid or not. I’ve checked out some other postings, and it appears that the internships are unpaid, but I’m not 100% certain. The application instructions vary position by position so check out the individual descriptions to get the details.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you use Howcast?

ShoeMoney Media Group

Willy Franzen — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:56:04 +0000

Jeremy Schoemaker is ShoeMoney. ShoeMoney is probably best known for his picture of the check. Using AdSense, Google’s advertising platform for web publishers, he made $132,994.97 in one month. Since then, he’s had amazing success with marketing ringtones through affiliate deals and a project called AuctionAds, which allows web publishers to market eBay auctions on their sites. There are a lot of web startups that seem glamorous because of their big ideas, but they often lack profitability and end up in the deadpool. ShoeMoney Media Group ignores the glitz and goes where the money is. They follow 3 core principles: embrace new trends and look for opportunities to exploit them; focus on what you know; and small changes can equal big revenue. There is an absolutely insane amount of information about ShoeMoney on the web, so get researching. Google ShoeMoney, visit ShoeMoney’s blog, and read his hilarious, but honest post about his 10 worst money making ideas. There’s also a short BusinessWeek article about ShoeMoney that you should read. It focuses on how he makes money online teaching other people how to make money online.

ShoeMoney is Hiring an Intern

If you want to learn Internet Marketing, there are few people in the world who can teach you better than Jeremy. This isn’t like most of the internships that you’re used to seeing – there’s no HR office, it’s a 4 person company, and stuffiness is non-existent. This really is the internship opportunity of a lifetime – I wish I could drop everything and do it myself. You can find all of the details on ShoeMoney’s blog, but here’s the quick rundown. The internships are located in Lincoln, NE, and they’re unpaid; however, everyone who works at ShoeMoney Media Group is on track to be part owner. It’s a full-time internship, which means always on – not 9 to 5. They’re open to all kinds of applicants, but they particularly want people who have a serious work ethic, are good with numbers, have street smarts, and have skills in PHP/MySQL/Graphics editing/Video Editing. Sending a cover letter and resume isn’t going to land you one of these internships, so figure out a way to get creative and blow ShoeMoney away with your drive. With that said, the contact to apply to is brienna@shoemoney.com

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever heard of ShoeMoney before?

TokBox

Willy Franzen — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:43:22 +0000

Remember The Jetsons? They were my first indication of what the future would look like – flying cars and video phones were my favorites. Apparently we aren’t much closer to flying cars, but video phones are here – sort of. We’ve had the technology for quite a while, and many of you have probably used video chat at some point, but it hasn’t caught on quite like the creators of The Jetsons thought it would. I’m sure that you can come up with a number of reasons why, but I think the big thing holding us back from more video communications is the lack of a common platform. If I want to call someone, I can pretty safely assume that they have a phone that I can call. If I want to video chat with someone, I need to make sure that they not only have the right hardware but also that they have software that is compatible with mine. TokBox is a San Francisco based startup that is using the common platform of the web browser to enable video chatting. When you want to video chat, you just go to TokBox and they’ll give you a link. You send that link to a friend, they click it, and assuming that both of you have webcams and fast enough connections, you’ll be video chatting in no time.

Let’s Tok About Internships

I first came across TokBox when I got an e-mail from a PR firm about their internships program. Yes, that’s right. They hired a PR firm to promote their internship program. That’s a big sign that they value their talent, but it’s obviously about more than their internships. They’re using their web based video chat platform to accept internship applications, which means that all the people who don’t get the internship are going to give the TokBox product a test drive. The e-mail I got described TokBox’s contest to select one intern for the summer:

TokBox is offering one college (or graduate) student the opportunity to get real start-up experience working for them in downtown San Francisco this summer. In return they will pay $1000 a week plus room, board, and round-trip air travel. Pretty sweet set-up if you ask me. To apply, all students have to do is complete an online application form, submit a 1 to 3 minute video using TokBox at www.tokbox.com/theultimateinternship.com and invite friends, family and professors to submit video mail references. All they need is an Internet connection and a webcam. After April 22, 10 lucky finalists will then be invited to a live video interview, via TokBox.

The hiring process is always a contest, so it’s fun to see more companies using the contest approach to select interns. You can find more information about the contest at TheUltimateIntern.com, and if you don’t win the contest, you can always be a TokBox Brand Ambassador. The internship will have you working with the CEO and VP of Marketing, so it sounds like it’s more geared towards Business and Marketing students, although I’m sure they’ll tailor the internship to your talents. This is an awesome opportunity (especially because $1,000 per week is a lot of money), so get familiar with TokBox and apply ASAP.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried TokBox?

Justin.tv

Willy Franzen — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:56:19 +0000

You know about YouTube. You’ve known about YouTube for years. It’s the place to go for online video. There are some competitors that offer some pretty great services, but YouTube is still the default. Now, what if you want to watch live video? Or what if you want to broadcast live video? Justin.tv beats out YouTube when it comes to live stuff. You can watch white labrador retriever puppies, live soccer, or some kid in your dorm’s lifestream. The options are pretty much endless. You may ask why anyone would want to sit on a computer and watch puppies, but you’d miss the obvious answer – they’re cute. Actually, there’s an audience for just about anything these days. Justin.tv taps into that. Live video on the Internet isn’t new. There were people doing it in 1996, but the technology now makes it a lot more worthwhile. The question of whether the actual content being broadcast is worthwhile is up to you.

Justinternships.tv

Justin.tv all started with Justin Kan, a guy who decided to broadcast his life 24/7. A lot has changed since then, but you can still watch the Justin.tv office live. Now “Justin.tv is the largest online community for people to broadcast, watch and interact around live video [w]ith more than 41 million unique visitors per month and 428,000 channels broadcasting live video.” That’s crazy! But Justin.tv isn’t just about people broadcasting their lives. There’s all kinds of cool content, and there’s some really cool technology behind the platform.

Justin.tv’s live video platform scales to support massive audiences by measuring demand in real-time and intelligently replicating streams to additional servers to meet that demand. Constructed by a team of MIT and Yale graduates, the Justin.tv platform pushes more than 177 Gbps of video at peak usage – the equivalent of 16,946 standard DVDs per hour.

Justin.tv is doing cool things, which is why it’s no big surprise that they’re offering some pretty cool internships. If you check out their Internships page, you’ll see that they have opportunities for interns in Software Engineering and Marketing. I think that the Software internship is paid (although it doesn’t say so), while the Marketing position starts out unpaid but has the potential to become paid. The internships are located in the Bay Area, and you can apply by e-mailing a cover letter and resume to jobs@justin.tv.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever used Justin.tv?

Crispin Porter + Bogusky

Willy Franzen — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:11:04 +0000

I always say that when it comes to ad agencies, marketing companies, and PR firms, the best way to evaluate the company is to check out their client list and look at the work that the company has done. It’s not going to tell you everything that you need to know, but it’ll give you a solid idea whether or not the company is a place that you might want to work. If you want to work with big brands who are willing to take big risks with their advertising campaigns, then Crispin Porter + Bogusky might be the place for you. The Subservient Chicken is one of their more successful campaigns that started out virally, while the Microsoft campaign with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld was one of their well-publicized flops. CP+B is headquartered in Miami, FL, while they also have major locations in Boulder, CO; Los Angeles, CA; and London, UK. Their client list sits at the bottom of every page on their website – probably because it is so impressive.

Crispin Porter + Bogusky = An Internship for You?

The brands that Crispin Porter + Bogusky have worked with are unparalleled, so if that’s what gets you excited, keep reading. Here’s what CP+B has to say about what they do:

We’re a factory. A factory that makes advertising and branded creative content. But there is no assemly line. All the work is custom desgined and assembled by hand. We don’t have the luxury of knowing the product we build today will be exactly like the product we built yesterday. To be successful, we have to apporach every single day like it will be our defining moment. Because that’s reality.

They’re clearly a company that knows how to tell stories – their own and their clients’. My only issue with Crispin Porter + Bogusky is that their site is in all Flash, so it’s impossible for me to link to all of the interesting things on their website. Luckily, their Internships page is an exception. CP+B’s Internships are offered at their offices in Miami and Boulder in Content Management (Account Services), Cultural and Business Insights (Account Planning), Message Planning and Analytics (Media), Integrated Production-Video, Interactive Production, Interactive-Technical (Programmers, Developers, Quality Assurance), Interactive- Creative, or Creative. The internships last 12 weeks, and you have until April 10th to apply. There’s no mention of whether the internships are paid or not, and they say that you must be a senior in your program to apply (not sure if that means rising senior or new grad). You can apply by sending your materials to internships@cpbgroup.com. They also offer internships in the winter and fall with different deadlines.

Also, check out Crispin Porter + Bougsky’s Employee Handbook, which will give you an inside peek at what it’s like to work for them. You should note that Crispin Porter + Bogusky recently laid off 6% of their staff, so it’s not an entirely rosy picture there.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s work?

WellcomeMat

Willy Franzen — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:47:46 +0000

You know what’s not hot right now? Real estate. You know what is hot right now? Web video. What happens when you combine the two? Do you get something that’s lukewarm. Not exactly. You actually end up with WellcomeMat, a New York City based (with an office in Boulder, CO) startup, that is taking advantage of the current climate in real estate to try to incite a video revolution. I’m not sure how many college students check out real estate listings, but if you do, you know that they’re pretty one dimensional. There’s some hyperbolic language about how great the property is and a few pictures from the best possible angles. Places almost never look like the pictures in the listing. Video can change that, and that’s why WellcomeMat is building a platform “where video newbies meet and hire video gurus, a place where local video producers can be found helping do-it-yourselfers, a place where the stars of real estate marketing harness the unmatched power of online video and a place where superior video presentations and tours are born.”

Wellcoming New Interns

The key to finding an internship that is going help you develop useful skills is to keep looking forward. You shouldn’t only be anticipating where internships are going to be, but you should also be anticipating where the industries that you’re interested in are headed. If you’re frustrated because that career in real estate that you want doesn’t seem like a possibility now, why not check out WellcomeMat? A lot of real estate is about marketing, and the web is where marketing happens now. WellcomeMat sees the future, and they can prepare you for the jobs in real estate that don’t even exist yet (but they will). Right now WellcomeMat is looking for interns in Design, Web Development, Community Management/PR, and Video Production. The postings on their site don’t seem to mention whether they are paid or not, but this Craigslist posting for one of the internships says that the compensation is negotiable. You can apply by sending a cover letter and resume to work@wellcomemat.com, and you should also check out this interview with WellcomeMat Co-Founder Phil Di Giulio.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you think that video will change the face of real estate?

Greenspun Media Group

Willy Franzen — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:14:17 +0000

About a month ago we looked at internships with Niche Media, a company that “produce must-read, luxurious magazines that mirror the sensibilities and spirits of the unique, vibrant communities to which they cater.” Today we’re going to look at Greenspun Media Group, a company that takes a similar approach to the Las Vegas market and that happens to be a strategic partner of Niche Media. Greenspun Media’s properties include In Business Las Vegas, RalstonFlash, Las Vegas Weekly, Home News, Las Vegas Home & Design, Las Vegas Magazine, Vegas2Go Vegas Magazine, Style: The Magazine of the Venetian and Palazzo Resorts, Wynn, and Wynn Macau, while Greenspun Interactive’s properties include LasVegasSun.com, LasVegasWeekly.com, VegasDeluxe.com, RecruitingNevada.com, and 702.tv. It’s all about hitting niche markets with targeted media (and advertising, of course), and when it comes to Vegas, Greenspun Media Group is the clear leader.

What Happens in Vegas…

I think that most of us probably associate Las Vegas with irresponsible behavior, but landing a sweet internship is about as far from irresponsible as you can get. So, let’s talk about that. Greenspun’s office are actually in Henderson, NV (you’d never get any work done if you were on the strip), and they’re looking for quite a few interns this Summer. You can find their formal internship postings here; however, I came across a much more compelling description of their internships on a Greenspun employee’s blog. He goes into great detail about the internships, so you need to check it out. The basic details are that they’re looking for journalism students who are interested in “local news and business, entertainment (yes, that means The Strip, the celebrity side of Las Vegas and our city’s crazy club scene), sports and video.” They’re also looking for interns in Videography, Software Development, and Flash/Motion Graphics. The internships are paid, and run from 3 to 9 months. You can apply by contacting Rob Curley (the aforementioned blogger) through his contact form.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read any of Greenspun Media Group’s publications?

Hulu

Willy Franzen — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:31:11 +0000

When NBC Universal and News Corp. announced a new online video venture, I rolled my eyes along with nearly everyone else who had an interest in online video. Large corporations had consistently proven that they just didn’t get it. They were too busy removing videos from YouTube and suing college kids for file sharing. That’s why I was really surprised when I started using – and loving – Hulu. The fact that I can watch new episodes of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, reruns of Doogie Howser, M.D., and Speed 2: Cruise Control (ok, their movie selection is still a little week) all for free with limited commercial interruption is pretty awesome; in fact, I now watch Hulu more than I watch tv. It’s no wonder that Hulu, which is based out of Los Angeles, CA, is winning all kinds of awards now.

What’s a Hulu?

The story of how the name Hulu came about is relatively interesting, but not too far off from many other naming stories. What is remarkable about Hulu is that they’ve combined a startup mentality with old media connections. It may be a little more top-down than YouTube, but it’s stuff that you can actually watch for a prolonged period of time without feeling considerably dumber (ok, not all of it is). The coolest thing about Hulu is a business is that they’re old media meets new media, which is also reflected in their internships. They are always on the lookout for top-flight Engineering talent; however, they don’t seem to have any Engineering internships right now. What they do have for internships is in Advertising & Sales. Right now they’re looking for Ad Sales Graphic Design Interns and Marketing Interns. The internships are unpaid, but they look like pretty cool opportunities. To apply for a them, you should send a cover letter and resume to jobs@hulu.com, but before that you should definitely read What Defines Hulu.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite thing to watch on Hulu?

New York Magazine

Willy Franzen — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:13:50 +0000

These days a magazine’s website is absolutely essential to its success. Many are saying that there’s a day not too far off when most of the magazines that we know and love won’t be published in hard (soft?) copy and will only be found online. Things are changing, but some magazines seem better suited to weather the changes than others. New York Magazine is one of those that seems to be keeping up with where the industry is going. NYMag.com gets well over a million unique visitors per month, and that’s excluding the month that they published nude photos of Lindsey Lohan when their traffic increased by 2,000%. (No, we’re not going to link to them. You can find them yourself). New York Magazine “covers, analyzes, comments on and defines the news, culture, entertainment, lifestyle, fashion and personalities that drive New York City” on a weekly basis. Basically it’s everything New York.

Do You Love New York… Magazine?

If you want to intern for New York Magazine, you should probably start reading. I can’t think of a better way to prepare for a position with a content publisher than knowing the content that they publish. You might also want to check out Wikipedia’s page on New York Magazine since New York Magazine, like most magazines, doesn’t provide much information about themselves on their website. One thing that seems to be unique about New York Magazine is that they’re not part of a huge media conglomerate (as far as I can tell). There are so many magazines that are owned by companies that publish dozens and dozens of magazines, but New York Magazine doesn’t appear to be one of them.

Once you’re familiar with what New York Magazine is all about, you can check out their Jobs page to get the scoop on their internships. They have one unpaid Communications internship for this spring posted right now, although it may be a bit too late to apply for it. There’s also a paid Video internship that is not posted on New York Magazine’s site, but is on Ed2010. The application instructions vary depending on the positions, so be sure to go to the internship descriptions to get all the details. Also, keep your eye on New York Magazine’s Jobs and Internships page to see when they post Summer internships.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read New York Magazine?

Blue Sky Studios

Willy Franzen — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:40:14 +0000

This weekend my Dad e-mailed me about a company that had just moved to Connecticut (where I’m originally from). Connecticut has been working hard to attract the movie industry to the state – they even have what is called a “Hollywood East Task Force” in Hartford – so it’s big news when a company like Blue Sky Studios makes a move to Connecticut because they’ve been bribed by tax credits. It certainly brings a lot of jobs (and internships) to Connecticut (even though New York loses just as many.) As interesting as it is that Connecticut is trying to become “Hollywood East,” it’s not nearly as interesting as what Blue Sky Studios does. They “pioneer creatively superior photo-realistic, high-resolution, computer-generated character animation for the feature film, television and entertainment industries.” Put more simply, they’re behind feature films like Ice Age, Horton Hears a Who, and Robots, and some pretty cool shorts too.

Live in Blue Sky Country

If you want to work in Animation or Production, there are few, if any, better place to start than Blue Sky Studios. In fact, Blue Sky Country has a comprehensive FAQ on how to break into the industry. Whether you’re interested in a job with Blue Sky or at another animation house, this will tell you everything that you need to do (from high school all the way through college and beyond) to groom yourself to get a job in the Animation industry. That’s a great place to start, but if you’ve already checked off a few things on the list, then it might be time to take a look at Blue Sky Studios’ Internships (or to subscribe to their Jobs and Internships RSS feed). Blue Sky Studios has a Production Assistant Internship program that is already filled for the spring, but will need interns for the summer. Interns at Blue Sky Studios typically do “production database updates, spreadsheet generation, set-up of visual components for various meetings, scanning various forms of artwork, and taking notes during meetings and director rounds.” It’s an awesome opportunity to get hands on experience and to build relationships in the Animation industry. They offer both full and part-time internships, and full-time interns can work up to 40 hours per week in the summer (30 hours per week at other times of the year). There’s no mention of whether the internships are paid on Blue Sky’s site, but from what we’ve read elsewhere, it does seem that they pay interns. The application deadline for this summer is April 17th, so you have plenty of time to “email your resume, cover letter, and two letters of recommendation from faculty members at your institution to intern_resumes@blueskystudios.com.” Make sure that your resume includes your computer software knowledge and your cover letter does an excellent job of telling them why you wish to intern at Blue Sky and why they should award you the internship.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which of Blue Sky’s movies is your favorite?

Savvy Auntie

Willy Franzen — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:36:38 +0000

Sorry for the delayed post today. For some reason the Internet connection in our office wouldn’t connect to our server, which meant that we couldn’t publish today’s post this morning. I trudged across town through the snow in 12 degree weather to make sure that you got your internships today.

Niche communities have always been a big part of what the Internet is all about. In the olden days if you lived in a small town and had eclectic interests, you’d have a really tough time meeting people with the same interests. Those days are over. Now you can find an online community for anything – anything. Although today’s company isn’t all that odd in the market that they target, they’re certainly focusing on a group that has been forgotten until now. Savvy Auntie is “the first community for cool aunts, great aunts, godmothers, and all women who love kids.” We’re not sure whether they’ve sided on the pronunciation “ant” or “awnt,” but either way they’ve decided to own the market for enthusiastic aunts.

Interns Are Like Nieces and Nephews…

In a lot of ways having an internship is like having a savvy auntie. If you want to have both, then you’re in luck. Savvy Auntie is currently looking for a number of interns. They have internships available in Video Production, Content, Gifts, and Community. The internships are unpaid, require 10-20 hours of work per week, and are located somewhere in New York/Northern New Jersey (they don’t make it very clear). They also require that their interns own a laptop. There isn’t a whole lot of information available on these internships; however, you can check out the profiles of Savvy Auntie’s current interns. If you think it would be cool to work with a former Fortune 500 executive to build a community of savvy aunts, then send a cover letter and resume to Jobs@savvyauntie.com. If you’re apply for the Content internship, be sure to include 3 writing samples.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you think a community for aunts and other women who love children is a sustainable business idea?

TOMS Shoes

Willy Franzen — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:37:55 +0000

I hate shoes. Ok, that’s not really true, but after spending a week in Aruba over the holidays, it was a sad realization for me when I had to put my sneakers back on for the trip home to Chicago. I appreciate that I have boots that keep my feet warm and dry, slippers that are extremely comfortable, and basketball shoes that give me enough ankle support to prevent a sprain, but I still prefer the feeling of sand between my toes. I’m lucky. It’s a luxury to be able to enjoy the feeling of being shoeless. There are a lot of children who don’t know what it’s like to have a good pair of shoes to protect their feet. TOMS Shoes is a Santa Monica, CA based company that is trying to change that. They’re a shoe company, but they’re more than that. For every pair of shoes that TOMS Shoes sells, they give a pair of shoes to a child in need. So far, they’ve given over 200,000 pairs of shoes to children in places like Argentina, Ethiopia, and South Africa via “Shoe Drops.” They say that “changing life begins with a single step…” and we have to agree.

Try These Internships on for Size

Getting an internship also begins with a single step, so if you want to have a great internship experience, then you need to check out TOMS Shoes. I first heard about TOMS Shoes from a reader who is currently interning with them. Here’s the note that she sent us:

Hey guys, great website! I’m about to start interning for this company called
TOMS Shoes (tomsshoes.com), they have a great internship program (a friend
interned for them last summer) and are ALWAYS hiring.

Internships aren’t paid, but they provide intern housing 2 blocks from Venice
Beach, compensation for gas, AND a $100 biweekly stipend. Internships are
available in pretty much all departments, I’m working in their finance
department.

Hope it helps!

That definitely caught my attention, as did the feature in Inc. Magazine’s List of America’s Coolest Internships. Although that article says that the internships at TOMS are paid, that’s not exactly the case, as you can see from e-mail quoted above. They do, apparently, offer additional ways to supplement your income, but we’re not really sure what that means.

So what’s the deal on internships at TOMS Shoes? It’s too late for a Spring internship, but the deadline to apply for a Summer internship is April 17th. Opportunities are offered in Marketing/Events, Special Projects, Copy Writing, Graphic Design, Web/IT, and Film (and apparently Finance too), as well as with Non-Profit Friends of TOMS. There’s an excellent video on the TOMS Shoes Internships page, so go watch it to get a much better sense of what the internships are like. To apply for an internship with TOMS Shoes, go to the bottom of their Internships page and you’ll find the appropriate link. If you’re lucky, you might even get to travel abroad on a “Shoe Drop.”

In addition to the in-office internships, TOMS Shoes also offers on campus internships for college and high school students. These are promotional internships that require 5-8 hours per week of time commitment. They’re not as cool as the other internships, but they might be a good way to get a foot in the door. There was also a “Vagabond Program” last year that was a traveling internship. There’s no word on what’s available for this year, but it might be worth keeping an eye on.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you own a pair of TOMS Shoes?

Hot 97

Willy Franzen — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:01:14 +0000

I think it was 6th or 7th grade when I started listening to Hip Hop. It started out with a few CD purchases, but soon enough I was listening to Hot 97 at every free moment. That included car rides with my parents. I still can’t believe that my parents drove around town with me sitting in the front seat ensuring that radio was dialed in to 97.1, but they let me get away with it. I’m sure that they weren’t too happy about it, but I guess that’s part of having kids. Anyway, Hot 97 is still my go to radio station when I’m back in the NYC metro area, and it still seems to be one of the most respected Hip Hop and R&B radio stations in the country. There’s not much more that I can say about them, so let’s take a look at their internships.

On Your Hot Nine Seven Every Day That’s My Word

If you love Hip Hop and want to see what it’s like to work in the world of radio, then there’s no better place than Hot 97. I found out about Hot 97’s internships because they were tweeting about still needing interns two days ago. I don’t know if that means that they’ve extended the deadline, but if you want to intern with Hot 97 this spring in NYC, you need to apply today. The deadline is 1/9/09 for Spring internships, while the deadline for Summer internships isn’t until 5/8/09. Although the Internships page on Hot 97’s site isn’t specific about what kind of internships they are offering, Hot 97’s parent company, Emmis Communications, has job listings that go into more detail. It appears that the internships are offered in Programming, Promotions, Digital & Video, Sales, and Promotions/Street Team, and they’re unpaid. The application instructions vary depending on the internships, so you need to check out the individual listings to be sure that you’re sending your cover letter and resume to the right person. Hot 97 doesn’t seem to accept applications online, so access to a fax machine is key if you want to get your application in on time.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you a fan of Hot 97?

STA Travel

Willy Franzen — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:00:44 +0000

Most internship application processes seem like contests – you apply and you find out if you’ve won. The only problem is that the prize is often an unpaid gig getting coffee and sitting in a cubicle doing menial tasks. We try to avoid talking about those kinds of internships here, but it’s hard to know what an internship is really like without actually doing it. So, how about an internship where winning is actually winning? STA Travel is currently making a big deal about their 2009 World Traveler Internship Program. They’re looking for multiple interns to “traverse the globe experiencing a number of travel adventures and showcasing their experiences daily via a journal/blog, video and podcasts.” It might not offer the best real world work experience, but it makes up for it with life experience and awesomeness. If you haven’t heard of them already, STA Travel is world’s largest student travel agency. They want to improve students’ lives by making it easy and cost effective for them to travel, and these internships tie right in with that goal.

Intern Around the World

STA Travel has devoted an entire website to their internship program at WorldTravelerIntern.com, and it’s filled with in-depth information. It tells you everything that you’ll want to know about the internship. It’s also a great marketing vehicle for them. Do you really think that this is all about getting great interns? Of course not! By having a highly competitive internship program that emphasizes how great STA Travel’s offerings for students are, they’re getting a ton of free marketing. They’re clearly very savvy and understand how to reach the college market, which is why this internship might be more than just a free trip around the world. So how do you apply? You need to make a YouTube video (ahh, they’re making this process viral, now aren’t they?) and respond to this video (e-mail and RSS readers please click through):

Once you do that, you can formally apply here. Good luck!\

Links to Help You Begin Your Research