With a great location in New York City, the University has tons of internship opportunities in store for students in the arts and entertainment industry. Whether it’s a job in social media, marketing, or editorial, there are a multitude of options for University students to flex their creative talents while getting work experience. For those who are on the hunt for a future arts and entertainment internship and don’t know where to start, these personal experiences from University students might be able to help.

There are many great internships for those that want to work in fashion. Communications Studies major and University freshman Jillian Angelini interns with Micaela Erlanger Studios in New York City. Angelini works for a celebrity stylist, and she “interacts with messengers and designers to make sure clothes get to where they need to be on time.” She loves how broad her major is, and she said that she likes how it gives her a lot of opportunity to explore the industry. “I enjoy my internship because I get to experience what it’s like to work for a small company, and discover aspects of what I see myself doing in the future!” Angelini said.

The University is also a short subway ride away from the Theatre District, which has its perks for the performing arts and theatre-loving students. Depending on the major, experiences, and network connections a student has, finding an internship in the theatre and performing arts industries is not impossible. Stage Management major and University junior Lady del Castillo said, “As a programming intern at Feinstein’s/54 Below, my tasks included [working as the] assistant to the programming team and artist hospitality. It was a good mixture of ‘standard’ office work and random, entertaining tasks. I could start off my day looking through contracts and end it by looking all around the city for a baked potato because an artist asked for it in their rider.”

When asked how her major related to her internship experience, del Castillo said that as a Stage Management student, “…we’re taught how to support a show and how to support a performer – however, our main focus in class is supporting a show. Interning at 54 Below has helped me a lot with the performer aspect!”

Similarly, much of the music industry is also located right in the heart of New York. Headquarters of different record labels and concert production companies are everywhere and are very often looking for interns.

Communications Studies major and Arts and Entertainment Management minor Allie O’Donoghue has had quite the experience with internships in the music and entertainment world during her time at the University. Now a senior, O’Donoghue can speak from personal experience of how she worked her way up in the music industry.

O’Donoghue spent two semesters interning for the CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, where she was introduced to the business side of the music industry, and one semester interning at Columbia Records in their touring and events department. At Columbia Records, she oversaw the planning, travel, and budget for tours, promotional events and live performances, including booking and organizing four album playback events for Leon Bridges. Currently, she interns for show production at The Webby Awards. 

O’Donoghue was also able to connect her internship experience back to the University. While interning at Columbia Records, her work “directly related to the work I was doing in my event management classes at the University, so I was able to apply what I was learning in my classes to my internship and vice versa.” As a current show production intern, she assists with prospective special achievement winners, posts content on the website, and communicates with potential sponsors, among other duties. O’Donoghue stated that her internship experience has enabled her to gain a better understanding of the skills needed to manage events, and they have provided her “with a great network of mentors, which…is critical in the entertainment industry.”

Research is key for internships in the arts and entertainment industry. The University’s Career Services center is always here to help students find an internship or even map out a path for a possible future job. Lubin students, especially those who are arts and entertainment management majors, have a “Career Resource” page on Blackboard that lists resume workshops, interview skills, cover letter guidelines and strategies for a job search. It’s always best to utilize the University’s resources, such as Career Fairs, Handshake, and LinkedIn, in order to showcase the necessary skills to recruiters in the future.