I have just finished packing up my things in advance of my flight on Saturday! I'm really excited to get home now and can't wait to see everyone. Once again, my kitties in particular!
At work this week I was asked to write a statement explaining what I have learned in my time at dick clark productions. Hopefully by posting it for you to read, you will understand more thoroughly what I have been doing while I have been away!
Can't wait to see everyone on Sunday,
Hannah xxx
dcp Internship Program: Summer 2009
Hannah Golanski
Though to a large extent young people in England are renowned for binge drinking, this lifestyle has never really appealed to me. I have always much preferred to spend my money on going to the cinema several times a week or staying in and working my way through TV Box Sets! I look forward to our long school breaks so I can work, meet people and learn more about the entertainment industry, unlike many students who simply enjoy not having to write assignments with a hangover. Maybe my choice to intern this summer means I don’t fit the profile of the stereotypical British student but I challenge anyone who thinks that their summer was better than mine!
I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been drafting this piece of writing in my head since my first week at dick clark productions on my bus ride back to UCLA. I say this because it didn’t even take me a full week to realize that I had gotten exceptionally lucky with my internship. I’m almost certain that what you are about to read will barely scrape the surface in relating what I have gained from this experience.
It’s hard to know where to begin in describing the time I have spent interning at dcp, which has been the most beneficial, memorable and enjoyable eight weeks. One thing I know is that I will be hard-pressed to condense all I have learned from my time at dcp onto one page.
I came to dcp through the University of Dreams summer internship program and due to the costs involved with spending my summer in Los Angeles, I really wanted to ensure that I found an internship that was something really special. When describing the type of position I desired to my internship coordinator, I explained that I wanted to work in the Public Relations department of a film company as I was particularly interested in film festivals, premieres and awards shows.
During the placement process I applied only for internships at film companies within their Public Relations departments and never considered working somewhere that focused on television. I interviewed with one company prior to my interview with dcp and though they offered me a position, I didn’t get the impression that they could offer me the type of internship I wanted. At this point I was strongly considering dropping out of the University of Dreams program as my first interview didn’t convince me that I would find an internship of the high caliber I desired and that would be worth the expenses incurred over the summer.
I was wrong.
Soon after rejecting my first internship offer, I was told of an internship which was described to me as being very prestigious. When told the position was at dcp I was hesitant because I knew the company was mostly focused on television. Being a native of the UK, I had only heard of Dick Clark and Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve because of its presence in one of my favorite episodes of Friends!
When I began to research the company, and in particular when I saw that dcp produces the Golden Globes, I decided they may be able to offer me exactly what I wanted from an internship program. After a great interview, I felt reassured that I would learn a lot at dcp and the opportunity to intern there would be an invaluable experience. Looking back and having been so close to leaving the University of Dreams program, I am so thankful that I took the position at dcp as I have learned more this summer than I could have ever anticipated.
For eight weeks I have worked under Lynda Dorf, the VP of Communications and in all honesty I could not have had a better supervisor. I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to sit in her office each day at her request, so as to gain a real understanding of the way the Communications department functions.
Each morning at dcp I worked on media clips which taught me to scan a number of sources efficiently to find relevant information pertaining to the company. Though it quickly became a very simple task, doing the clips ensured that I had a well rounded knowledge of current affairs, essential to working in Public Relations.
In addition to the clips, I spent some time filing and writing minutes from meetings, jobs which many people see to be tedious and boring. Whilst I am glad these jobs were minimal, such tasks were never required of me at previous internships and I genuinely found that they gave me skills which will be beneficial in any workplace.
Though I predominantly spent my time in the Communications department, engaging in occasional tasks for both the Digital Distribution and Sponsorship departments helped me get a well rounded view of the company and how the departments work together.
Also during my time at dick clark I have attended press conferences, tapings of So You Think You Can Dance, listened in to conference calls, sat in on meetings, learned about ratings and attended a movie premiere among other things. As a result of all of these experiences I feel that I am going back to London with a real understanding of the entertainment industry, and more specifically Public Relations.
When asked by Lynda early on in my internship how I would describe Public Relations, I wrote down that I considered it to be to hub of the entertainment industry. At the end of my eight weeks working with Lynda I stand by my original belief and feel that my experiences justify this description. Seeing the volume of work that goes through the Communications department and the speed at which it is completed has astounded me. Though at times I found it daunting, I know I have gained so much from trying to make sure I executed daily tasks to the best of my capabilities.
I am incredibly grateful for the past eight weeks and in particular to Lynda who has treated both Melea and I with respect, taking every measure to ensure that we got as much from our time here as possible. I feel as though I am leaving dick clark productions more confident in my own abilities, knowing that I have worked hard and taken every opportunity I was lucky to be given from my time with the company.
Hannah Golanski
Though to a large extent young people in England are renowned for binge drinking, this lifestyle has never really appealed to me. I have always much preferred to spend my money on going to the cinema several times a week or staying in and working my way through TV Box Sets! I look forward to our long school breaks so I can work, meet people and learn more about the entertainment industry, unlike many students who simply enjoy not having to write assignments with a hangover. Maybe my choice to intern this summer means I don’t fit the profile of the stereotypical British student but I challenge anyone who thinks that their summer was better than mine!
I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been drafting this piece of writing in my head since my first week at dick clark productions on my bus ride back to UCLA. I say this because it didn’t even take me a full week to realize that I had gotten exceptionally lucky with my internship. I’m almost certain that what you are about to read will barely scrape the surface in relating what I have gained from this experience.
It’s hard to know where to begin in describing the time I have spent interning at dcp, which has been the most beneficial, memorable and enjoyable eight weeks. One thing I know is that I will be hard-pressed to condense all I have learned from my time at dcp onto one page.
I came to dcp through the University of Dreams summer internship program and due to the costs involved with spending my summer in Los Angeles, I really wanted to ensure that I found an internship that was something really special. When describing the type of position I desired to my internship coordinator, I explained that I wanted to work in the Public Relations department of a film company as I was particularly interested in film festivals, premieres and awards shows.
During the placement process I applied only for internships at film companies within their Public Relations departments and never considered working somewhere that focused on television. I interviewed with one company prior to my interview with dcp and though they offered me a position, I didn’t get the impression that they could offer me the type of internship I wanted. At this point I was strongly considering dropping out of the University of Dreams program as my first interview didn’t convince me that I would find an internship of the high caliber I desired and that would be worth the expenses incurred over the summer.
I was wrong.
Soon after rejecting my first internship offer, I was told of an internship which was described to me as being very prestigious. When told the position was at dcp I was hesitant because I knew the company was mostly focused on television. Being a native of the UK, I had only heard of Dick Clark and Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve because of its presence in one of my favorite episodes of Friends!
When I began to research the company, and in particular when I saw that dcp produces the Golden Globes, I decided they may be able to offer me exactly what I wanted from an internship program. After a great interview, I felt reassured that I would learn a lot at dcp and the opportunity to intern there would be an invaluable experience. Looking back and having been so close to leaving the University of Dreams program, I am so thankful that I took the position at dcp as I have learned more this summer than I could have ever anticipated.
For eight weeks I have worked under Lynda Dorf, the VP of Communications and in all honesty I could not have had a better supervisor. I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to sit in her office each day at her request, so as to gain a real understanding of the way the Communications department functions.
Each morning at dcp I worked on media clips which taught me to scan a number of sources efficiently to find relevant information pertaining to the company. Though it quickly became a very simple task, doing the clips ensured that I had a well rounded knowledge of current affairs, essential to working in Public Relations.
In addition to the clips, I spent some time filing and writing minutes from meetings, jobs which many people see to be tedious and boring. Whilst I am glad these jobs were minimal, such tasks were never required of me at previous internships and I genuinely found that they gave me skills which will be beneficial in any workplace.
Though I predominantly spent my time in the Communications department, engaging in occasional tasks for both the Digital Distribution and Sponsorship departments helped me get a well rounded view of the company and how the departments work together.
Also during my time at dick clark I have attended press conferences, tapings of So You Think You Can Dance, listened in to conference calls, sat in on meetings, learned about ratings and attended a movie premiere among other things. As a result of all of these experiences I feel that I am going back to London with a real understanding of the entertainment industry, and more specifically Public Relations.
When asked by Lynda early on in my internship how I would describe Public Relations, I wrote down that I considered it to be to hub of the entertainment industry. At the end of my eight weeks working with Lynda I stand by my original belief and feel that my experiences justify this description. Seeing the volume of work that goes through the Communications department and the speed at which it is completed has astounded me. Though at times I found it daunting, I know I have gained so much from trying to make sure I executed daily tasks to the best of my capabilities.
I am incredibly grateful for the past eight weeks and in particular to Lynda who has treated both Melea and I with respect, taking every measure to ensure that we got as much from our time here as possible. I feel as though I am leaving dick clark productions more confident in my own abilities, knowing that I have worked hard and taken every opportunity I was lucky to be given from my time with the company.
