Prompt: How might CSULB and your department better prepare you for a future internship?

     Something I have noticed lacking in my business courses at school are lessons on networking and etiquette. Our classes often emphasize theory over practical application and I feel that there needs to be more application taught. Networking is a skill that is very important in business today. Teachers emphasize using this skill in class but we are never really instructed on how to accomplish this. The Business Excellence Program does teach these skills but only to a select group of students. Many of the students in the department do not even know that the program exists.

     Another way the department could prepare us would be to bring in more guest speakers from a variety of industries or even offer more opportunities for job shadowing and firm tours. Generally department clubs try to offer these activities as best they can but it would be good if the school could support these opportunities more. Overall CSULB does have a very active career focused program. I would advise that they continue to find ways of getting students more engaged with potential employers in order to gain skills in interacting with possible future employers.

Prompt: Take a picture of yourself with your intern site supervisor in front of something notable at your workplace (e.g., logo, sign, building entrance, etc.). Upload the picture to the blog. Add commentary regarding the company/organization you intern for, along with any other useful information.

From left to right: Jessica Holmes, Mark Kriski, me, Michaela Pereira

     The picture above was taken at the anchor desk on my last day interning at KTLA. The station owned by the Tribune Company is known as LA's first television station and has and rich history. Their expertise lies in bringing viewers live news. Many notable anchors have worked for KTLA including the recently retired Stan Chambers who had worked for the station since only a year after its launch back in 1947.

     KTLA hires unpaid interns during the fall, spring, and summer terms. They have opportunities in many areas including scripts, production, and information systems to name a few. Located on Sunset Blvd., the commute from Long Beach is not bad at all and the experience to be gained is well worth the drive. If you are interested in applying to an internship at KTLA, I would advise you visit them at the next job fair at school. Representatives will be able to answer any questions you have and give more details on different departments.

Prompt: What are three things you learned from your internship that you will be able to use in your future career?

     One of the most important things I learned from this internship was to network, network, network! There can never be enough of this, especially for a college student on the lookout for job opportunities. When talking to some of the crew members of the morning news, they told me about how networking had gotten them the connections to get their jobs and about an employee who had previously been an intern like me. This particular employee had been rehired on full time and climbed through the ranks partly because of his great networking skills. His was only one of several examples of just how far networking can get you. 

     Another thing I learned was that double checking is the only way to go. It’s amazing what a second look over a spreadsheet can bring to light. Although you may have methodically gone through your assignment, you never know where you may have had a minor slip up. First impressions are very important and in marketing, a bad impression can’t be afforded. The little extra effort to double check can save a lot of time and trouble later. 

     Lastly, I learned that there are many career paths to “dream jobs” and not to underestimate my abilities. After completing this internship, I am more motivated to push myself harder to achieve the types of jobs I want when I graduate. Many employees at KTLA worked in several different areas before getting to where they are now and it is reassuring that there is no path laid out in stone to that perfect job but only good connections, skills, and maybe a sprinkling of luck.

Prompt: If someone was asking you for advice on whether or not to intern at your site, what would you tell them and why?

     If someone was asking me whether or not it would be a good idea to look into an internship at KTLA I would first ask them where their interests lie. Many students who intern at KTLA come from education backgrounds relevant to the industry such as journalism, marketing, and film. If these areas of study are not fascinating to the person, they certainly won’t enjoy dealing with it at work constantly. 

     It must also be kept in mind that KTLA is part of the entertainment industry. Entertainment work is very different from other type of work. Skills are often nontransferable from other industries and the work environment is fairly casual. You won’t see many people walking around in business suits and briefcases for one thing. Not only is the dress code relaxed but, depending on the position, work can be unstructured and change often. This type of environment would be great for someone who thrives in more casual fast paced environments as opposed to lots of structure and guidelines. Being that this is entertainment, a more outgoing personality would generally more easily become accustom to the environment. Not only is this a trait appreciated by employers but, it allows for greater networking which is very important in the industry.

     Overall, an internship at KTLA would most likely be a great experience for any college student. Employees are very open to getting to know new interns and networking with them. There are also the perks of being able to go behind the scenes at a station that is a landmark in journalism. With celebrity guests stopping by everyday to be interviewed, you never know who you might bump into!

Prompt: What are some of your duties and responsibilities as an intern? How are interns supervised? Is there an established intern training plan in place?

    

     Above is a glimpse of the desk in the Creative Services office where I spent most of my days during the internship. KTLA has an established internship program that actively recruits from local universities including CSULB. One of the great opportunities of this internship was that during my time there, I met students from other universities interning in different areas such as Scripts and Entertainment. The employees were also very open to interns being present and often went out of their way to introduce themselves. They appreciated the work put in by the interns which made the work environment very friendly.

    

     In the Creative Services department I was supervised by the manager of marketing and branding and his assistant. They introduced me to their colleagues in Creative Services and other departments as well. During my first week at the internship, I was trained in basic tasks that I would be required to perform on a regular basis and given a tour in order to learn the locations of other related departments that I would interact with. One of the first tasks that I was trained to do was purging and cashing promos. This became a daily routine for me that I would perform independently. First, I would be given lists of the numbers of all promos that needed to be purged or entered by Creative Services. I would then go over to master control and other offices to either purge or input the promos in the system. Cashing a promo involves pre-screening each promotion that airs on KTLA for accuracy. I would screen promos for the news, sitcoms like Two and a Half Men, and CW shows like Hellcats.

     Another daily task I had took place first thing in the morning upon my arrival at the station. I was in charge of photographing the morning news anchors and any guests for the KTLA website. This experience allowed me to meet the crew behind the scenes and see just how a morning news show is run. Pictures I took were of live segments being filmed so I had to learn to work around cameras and other equipment. I quickly learned etiquette and techniques for getting better pictures. After the news was finished, I would go back to the office to sort through the day’s pictures and edit and upload the best shots on the website. When uploading the photos, I came up with an entertaining caption for each picture and was given photo credit.

     During the internship, I had the opportunities to perform a variety of work aide from these daily tasks. Some days I would help with anything from checking the accuracy of promo cost spreadsheets and pulling tapes to selecting and imputing promos using industry specific software. The variety of work allowed me to be able to glimpse into several different areas in entertainment and see what I did and did not enjoy working in for the future.

The Girl

     On a sunny May morning a few days after my last spring finals had been completed I received the much anticipated phone call. "Congratulations! We would like to offer you an internship in the KTLA Creative Services Department!" Ah sweet success! My weeks of summer internship hunting and interviewing had finally paid off. Thus began my unpaid summer foray into the land of morning TV. Only a week after this call, I found myself braving the foggy morning commute with fellow Angelinos all the way to the KTLA station on Sunset Blvd. 

     Before I let you in on my summer at KTLA, allow me to tell you a little about me. I am a Southern California native currently in my last semester of college. The degree I will achieve at the end of this semester will be a BS in Business Marketing and minor in Film. I began my four year (now four and a half year) college experience straight out of high school in the fall of 2006. Because I have many interests and an indecisive streak, I found myself considering practically every major offered at my school before finally setting my sights on marketing. Dancing, ballet in particular, is food for my soul. I believe in the importance of a having a healthy, active, imagination. Things I like include creativity, advertising, chocolate, baking, movie trailers, fashion, random acts of kindness, cloudy days, and dim sum. I hope to be able to squeeze in some traveling with friends and family after this last semester of college and find work in creative entertainment marketing. I am also open to working in other industries such as the fashion industry.

     I honestly didn't know quite what to expect going into this internship. I knew that Creative Services encompassed marketing and programming duties but on that nerves-filled first morning commute I had no idea what to expect in terms of what my tasks would be. My internship and work experience at the time that I began working at KTLA was unfortunately not entertainment industry oriented. This blog for my school’s internship credit class will let you in on some of my duties, experiences, thoughts and lessons learned from the Creative Services internship. This is what happened when a girl walked into a TV station....