Intern question

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whjr15

whjr15

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*I dont know if I posted this in the right place, so forgive me if I did.*


I just have a quick question regarding interning at a studio. In your opinion, what is the most effective way to "get your foot in the door" so to speak?

Quite frankly, I'm unsure of how this process goes. Do I call them up and ask if they need/want someone to sweep floors, empty trash, make coffee, etc...? More importantly, would the person answering phones even have any valuable information?

I would much rather meet with them in person, but I dont know if I would be able to speak with a "decisionmaker" if I just walked in there unexpectedly.

For the people here who have had past experience with this, what would you advise me to do?
 
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The 'becoming an intern' process is a whole lot less formal than you have been led to believe.

The way I find most of my interns is that they come in with bands I'm recording and make themselves either pesky (bad) or useful (good) in the control room. I am always suspicious of boys or girls who seem too eager or stretch out on the couch to smoke pot while the band is still loading in. That said, it's usually the engineers recommendation that gets you in the door because they're the ones you will be working with.

It always helps to know the basics --- a boom stand from a straight stand, an SM57 from a U87, etc. And you should know where the local independent alternative to Starbucks is. I hate Starbucks.

.
 
Though I'm a few years younger than you , I'm in the same boat youre in. I am looking for a recording internship just to hopefully give me a kick start or at least get some experience as an audio engineer. I have a local recording studio that has been established fairly well over the years. Recording Bon Jovi in his early days I suppose would be considered one of their most memorable projects. I am unsure how I would also go about getting an internship there. I live nearby and I would be so fortunate to get an internship there. I dont know how I should go about trying to get my foor in the door. I feel like just showing up without knowing the people and asking for an internship is too sketchy and it would be too pushy for them to want to accept me.

Just letting you know that you're not alone. Anyone with more information regarding internships should shine some light on the subject and I'm sure the two of us would greatly appreciate it.

ssscientist , how do you like your coffee?
 
Call them up or e-mail them. It's really all about luck....and which city you're in. If you live in a smaller city, chances are the studios won't have the room, time or money to bring on someone and will decline (hopefully politely, but I've known some engineer be real dicks about it).
The way I did it was just to send out e-mails inquiring about a starting/intern position. I also cold called a few places asking the same thing. This just gets the ball rolling and tells them that someone is interested. You'll probably get told by many people that they aren't looking for anyone and that will be that. But you might luck out and get transferred to the voicemail of someone, and then you just hope for the best. Emails back and forth are nice because they can help you build a relationship with the person in charge and are simple for you and him to write when you have time. Before I even moved to the current city I'm in, I had exchanged several e-mails with an engineer at a studio. It helped make our first meeting less formal.

As far as the front desk person answering phones...they are the people with the knowledge. Although it may seem strange to ask someone who probably has nothing to do with hiring or doesn't even understand how to use a microphone, they know the business. They're the ones that answer the phones and most likely EVERYTHING comes through them at one point or another. The guy who owns the studio and the engineers probably rely very, very heavily on the receptionist.

Basically just start calling/writing. If you've done any recording in the past you may want to put a demo together. "Interning" to many studios means just doing whatever they tell you, but they'll understand that you want to eventually move up and engineer. Although, I've known some studios who just use interns for free work and never move them up...which sucks. Just start with the word "intern" and let them place you where they think you'd be best. Whether that be sweeping floors or sitting in on sessions right away (probably won't happen in a medium to large studio).

Hopefully the guys at the studio remember when they were in your position and give you a chance.

Also...WORK YOUR ASS OFF. Show interest in everything, always be eager to help out, show up on time, etc. It's common sense, but many young kids (and even older kids) seem to be socially inept when it comes to the work place.
 
I don't know if they have something like this in Cleveland, but in Chicago, there is the Chicago Creative Directory, AKA The Red Book. It's a fairly comprehensive listing (for those who choose to list themselves) of various media production studios. EVerything from audio post/recording studios, to video production, composers, directors, photography. Anyway it's a great place to see what's out there, get names, phone numbers, and websites.
If a place has a website, check it out, get really familiar with what they do, and see if they have any formal intern programs. That may be a good place to start rather than just walking in. I did end up "interning" at a post studio for a couple years by cold calling/e-mailing. Started out coming in for free, and eventually started getting paid.
The more you put yourself out there, you're bound to land something.

Oh yeah, don't be a jackass. More than likely your personality will go a lot farther than your skills. You can train your ears, not your getalongability.

Anyway here's the Creative Directory link
http://www.creativedir.com/
 
Don't let a few "no"s discourage you either. Many studios get a lot of internship requests, and you need to show total desire to want to intern there.

Here's a few tips to make yourself stand out-

Presentation-A plain resume or plain ol' e-mail places you in the stack with the 100 other people. Make your resume creative, and avoid sending e-mails for the first contact.

Actually go there-Showing up and asking to speak with the facility manager/owner will make much more of an impression that just calling or sending an e-mail.

Make follow up calls-Once you give them a resume or have a chance to speak to someone, follow up with a phone call or drop by the place again.

Also, you should have a reason for why you want to work at that particular studio. Buy some recordings that have been done there, or some work of the house engineer (if they have one). Saying that "I just wanna work in a studio" won't cut it. Make the manager think that you chose his or her facility because you believe in what they do.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, I really appreciate it. I'll keep you updated on my quest :cool:
 
Grab a phone book. Turn to recording studios. Work your way down the list till someone let's you intern. Or pay for some studio time with an engineer during the hour you paid for ask as many questions as you can including can I intern with you. Or go to a community college enroll in the audio engineering program take the intern placement class I think it's called co-op.

Will
 
If you came in looking for a job with a Tshirt saying "just don't give a fuck", I'd hire you.

NOT!
 
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