This summer, Andrew Knutson (Executive Director of Employer and Alumni Relations) and Bianca Bryson (Program Manager, Employer Relations) journeyed out west to Los Angeles to meet with employers working in the media, entertainment, and arts industries.
Los Angeles is a global hub for the arts and entertainment industries. From top entertainment firms to community-driven creative nonprofits, LA has ample opportunities to offer those seeking to start or grow their careers. The city is also one of the top post-graduation employment locations for Columbia alumni.
In order to capture the diversity of arts employers in Los Angeles, we built an itinerary that would allow us to meet with organizations of all sizes — from global brands to nonprofits — that represented the visual and performing arts, music, entertainment, and talent sectors. We met with representatives at:
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Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
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LA Philharmonic (YOLA)
Each of these organizations presented their own approach to candidate selection and recruitment, so we wanted to synthesize this information and highlight some key takeaways for anyone seeking a career in the media, entertainment, and arts industries.
Key Takeaways
Skills for Creative Fields
Unless the position that you’re applying for requires certain technical skills, employers in creative industries are typically a bit more flexible when it comes to skill sets. They’re often looking at soft skill sets, abilities, and personality traits. Emily Thomas, an Early Career Recruiter at CAA, mentioned that the most successful people she has seen in the organization’s internship and early career roles brought an entrepreneurial or business-minded approach to the table. Emily stated that this mindset “allows them to see what opportunities are out there and they are able to think through what the action plan is to take advantage of that oppurtunity.”
This sentiment was echoed by others at many of the other organizations, including Diane Melgar, Assistant Manager of Learning at the LA Philharmonic. Diane highlighted the importance of collaboration, critical thinking, flexibility, and passion for anyone looking to work in creative roles.
Applications & Candidate Profiles
Considering that the skills that many of the employers mentioned are soft skills or traits, we asked employers how candidates can exhibit these qualities in the recruiting process and in their application materials.
Daniel Snider, Talent Acquisition Lead, at SoundCloud said that your resume is one easy way to showcase these skills! He recommended including student clubs that you’re involved with, social media campaigns that you have run, personal websites, and professional portfolios. All of these help to show off your skills and interest in the field.
Lisa Van Lenner, Director of People & Culture from Mythical, added that you can make your resume and application stand out by including relevant classes taken, as well as linking to student projects, films, or podcasts. Don’t underestimate the power of your personal or classroom work.
Amanda Allan Clark, Director of Talent Development Programs, from Nickelodeon also stressed the importance of a cover letter to showcase these skills. Cover letters offer an opportunity to demonstrate your experience, show passion, and let your personality shine. Amanda gave an example of a student who applied for an Animation Internship who included a small drawing on the corner of their cover letter. While including artwork on your professional documents might not be the move for every role, in this case, it was just the right flourish to help the student stand out. When thinking about applying to more creative organizations or roles, you might want to consider how you can add a signature element to set yourself apart.
Exploring Organizations
When exploring jobs or internships in the entertainment and arts industries, be mindful that the size of the organization will play a key role in the work that you’ll do. Below, we’ve grouped organizations to highlight what intern experiences, cross-unit collaboration, and potential future employment opportunities may look like:
Local Non-Profits | New Media Organizations
Because of their smaller size, organizations like Mythical and LA Philharmonic (YOLA) tend to resemble a startup atmosphere for employees and interns. At Mythical, internships focus on Production, Art Department and Digital Content, and intern roles are often more flexible and offer exposure to various parts of the business. They can work on a variety of projects and also play a role in launching new programs.
Similarly, YOLA regularly offers both internships and fellowships that tend to have a larger reach at the organization. While you may have a specific focus like Administration or Learning, their organization emphasizes the importance of working in the community. This can mean helping in the classroom, working at festivals or performances, and collaborating across the organization and LA Philharmonic sites.
International Streaming Platforms
SoundCloud is a mid-sized organization that falls somewhere between the startup experience and more established internship programs. SoundCloud recently launched a more formal internship program this year that focuses on offering career development, skill-building, and networking opportunities. SoundCloud internships run from June through August.
During the internship, students will be involved in “Lunch and Learns” with company executives and are given a Capstone project to present at the end of the program. The organization is in a growth period and currently launching new services, which has meant that many interns, who are either seniors or recent graduates, often end up with full-time job offers.
Entertainment Brands | Research & Arts Institutions | Global Creative Agencies
Larger organizations like Nickelodeon, The Getty and CAA offer a much more “traditional” structure to their internships.
Nickelodeon offers one of the most well-renowned internships in the field. The interns in their program often have an area of focus such as Marketing, Talent Development, or Animation Production. As a result of this departmental focus, interns may have limited opportunity to work across the organization and be exposed to other business units. However, they have a large cohort of interns and create ample opportunities for networking with peers in other units.
The Getty also offers internships based on departmental need and can take place in areas including Conservation, Communications, and Education among others. Unlike Nickelodeon, The Getty requires that interns have a tie to the Los Angeles area. During the internship, there are plenty of professional development opportunities and chances to connect with other interns, but the day-to-day work is primarily focused in one’s department.
For both organizations, the internship programs are not necessarily pipeline programs for employment post-graduation. Interns would have to apply for any available full-time position.
Similarly to both Nickelodeon and The Getty, CAA has a structured internship program where interns work in a specific division like Sports, Motion Pictures, and Theater, but are exposed to different departments through professional development, speaker series, and collaborative work. Unlike the other organizations, CAA offers more clear pathways for full-time early career opportunities and career growth.
LA Final Thoughts
Los Angeles has a wealth of opportunities for students wanting to explore creative industries; we were able to just scratch the surface of what is out there! The conversations with these companies gave us a glimpse into how you can find, evaluate and apply to these types of organizations. Many of these organizations also have satellite offices in the New York City area and are more than thrilled to connect with Columbia undergraduates for roles in New York, Los Angeles, and globally!
