At the end of February until the beginning of March, I was a research assistant for STACK magazine. This company is one with which I have remained in contact for a long time, emailing and occasionally receiving a response, usually indicating that they didn’t take interns. Since February and March, I didn’t have anything lined up, so I again began applying to various roles. While searching for new jobs, I also emailed places I had already visited; I was always told that persistence is key. This effort never paid off until my work with STACK. For over two weeks, I thoroughly investigated different independent cinemas, cafes, and stores that might want to have a STACK membership. I created a spreadsheet for each major city in England and Scotland, identifying ideal locations and including links to their websites, contact details, and addresses. Even though this task didn’t require much, it helped me become more organised in my research, as I was consciously doing it for someone else to use later. Contributing was important, as I have admired STACK for a long time and was finally given the chance to work for them.
Before starting DPS, I had a strong desire to enter the production field, which was intensified by my experiences working on films in February. I contacted North Six and began my role as a production assistant on set for three days, which was an overwhelming start due to the scale of the shoot. I worked in their craft area, restocking snacks and drinks and assisting with other tasks whenever possible. Despite the challenging beginning, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and discussed an internship opportunity with someone at North Six.
At the end of the month, I interned at TCO London, working for their magazine Little White Lies. It was a short two-week internship, as that was all they offered; however, I feel I gained so much support and feedback during those weeks. They focused on me and what I could get from the internship. While there, I watched and reviewed films and documentaries and pitched features. Writing film reviews was much harder than anticipated. I thought I might have done it at university over the past two years, but I realised I hadn’t, and there was much more to it than just an article, mainly because of how the magazine writes. Finding their tone of voice and following it was new to me. By the end of the internship, I had done a lot of pitching activities, which were also much more complicated than I had thought. A key tip that has stuck with me is coming up with an idea while knowing your conclusion before you get there. Despite having two short-term internships in March, I felt accomplished and felt like I left each with a better understanding of the company and what I could improve on.
Little White Lies Published Review: https://lwlies.com/author/ionam/
