Paramount Pictures Worldwide Marketing Partnerships & Licensing Intern–Hollywood, California
Lights, camera, action! If you dream of working near film sets, actors, filmmakers and entertainment executives, Paramount Pictures prevails as the place to be. As one of Hollywood’s “Big Six” studios, Paramount lies in an elite group of top-notch Entertainment companies. Titanic, The God Father, Zoolander, The Big Short and Star Trek stand amongst the plethora of feature films under Paramount’s name. With over 7,000 applicants and only 100 positions, Paramount Picture’s marketing internship program takes the cake as one of the most competitive and selective in the entertainment industry.
What It’s Actually Like
This marketing internship offers a range of responsibilities. When a company wants to design a shirt that says “On Wednesday’s We Wear Pink” from Mean Girls, that’s a merchandised-based licensing deal you might help out with. If “Michaelangelo” of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles absolutely loves pizza, get Pizza Hut on the phone to set up a promotional partnership. “The internship was very hands on, and they were comfortable with involving me in meetings and discussions. It was awesome to have the opportunity to pitch partner ideas. I really felt like I had a voice among the department,” former Worldwide Marketing Partnerships & Licensing Intern Rachel Lutsky said. Licensing reaches far beyond its own department and intertwines with a variety of areas across the company. Lutsky met with the legal team, the sales team, the promotions team, photography, finance, market research and retail consultants all within the 10 weeks of her internship. “To come to work every day with a cubicle facing the Hollywood sign and golf carts rushing from set to set, it felt like a movie, not even to mention the filming constantly taking place around you,” Lutsky said. Time to fulfill your dream of snapping a selfie with your favorite celeb.
Cool Stuff You Get To Do
Forget coffee runs and sorting mail, interns at Paramount take on bigger responsibilities. From reading scripts to proposing ideas or handling contracts, you can say farewell to boredom. “I got to present my competitive project to the Senior Vice President of my department,” Lutsky said, “It was unique to be working at such a large company, but be able to interact and receive feedback from such high-up executives as well.” Interns at Paramount also team up to create a fun video about the internship experience.
What You’ll Learn
Expand your brain to include the ins and outs of the entertainment and film industry, but keep some space for real lessons about the workplace too. “I was just hoping to get a better idea of the marketing opportunities available within the entertainment industry and a deeper knowledge of what it takes, but I learned how cross-functional working at a studio can be. Everything affects each other, and there are so many different departments and opportunities involved with production,” Lutsky said. Lessons learned within this marketing internship last a lifetime, even if you don’t end up in entertainment.
How To Prepare For The Application
The process to snag this marketing internship begins with a typical submission of a resume and cover letter. Try to include entertainment industry language that adheres to the company culture. Use terms that capture community, passion, determination and creativity. Do your research too. Your interviewers will ask why you specifically want to work for Paramount, so think ahead to give them a response they’ve never heard from their thousands of applicants before. “My best advice is to be authentic. Don’t just try to please them with what you think they want to hear. When asked my favorite movie, I didn’t say a paramount movie just to please them; I stayed true to me,” Lutsky said. Remember that this is a competitive application process. Make sure you highlight all the reasons why you’re the perfect candidate.
Skills That Impress
Success in the entertainment industry comes with passion and determination. Experience and creativity also take you far. “They really value a distinct opinion and want you to feel comfortable expressing it. You have to be creative and possess great interpersonal skills. In terms of technical skills, Photoshop, Keynote and Excel are all great,” Lutsky said. Paramount cares about both hard and soft skills when it comes to their interns so show off examples of your greatest works, even if that’s just class assignments, and your dazzle them with your Oscar-winning personality.
Cool Perks
Interns attend film screenings and premieres throughout the marketing internship and likely walk away with a bag of T-shirts, mugs, hats and more. Now which college student doesn’t love free merch? Lutsky also noted that she stumbled upon celebrities such as Denzel Washington and the cast of Scream Queens who filmed on sight. “It truly felt like the depiction of Hollywood you see in the movies,” Lutsky said. While star spotting is fun, try not to get too caught up in the fame and glam, remember you’re here to work and learn all about marketing, partnerships and licensing.
The Deets
- Dress codes vary among departments but remain fairly casual.
- The Paramount Lot has a coffee shop and some lunch spots too. There’s even a shuttle to Parchment, a street filled with delicious and trendy Los Angeles eats.
- Paramount tends to hire almost solely from the pool of past interns.
- Paramount internships are paid positions (perfectly satisfying every college students fading bank account balance).
Ready to start your career journey by nailing that summer internship? Check out four steps that make it easy here.
