#Emtern Spotlight: Emerson Students Imagine the Future, Dig into the Past

Emerson interns (#emterns) work for amazing organizations and do fascinating things. One in a series of conversations with #emterns, republished from Careerbuzz.

We sat down with two #emterns to find out what it was like to intern at Future House Publishing, a publishing house focused on adult science fiction and fantasy and middle-grade adventure, and Antiques Roadshow, a WGBH television program.

Aliya Biren ’22 is a Writing, Literature and Publishing major with a focus in Publishing. She interned at Future House Publishing, a publishing house focused on adult science fiction and fantasy and middle-grade adventure, from May to August 2020.

Micaela Tringale ’21 is a Business of Creative Enterprises major, focused on Film, with a minor in Nonprofit Communication Management. She interned at Antiques Roadshow, a WGBH television program, from June to August 2020.

How did you find out about this opportunity, and what drew you to it?

Micaela: In the spring, I was starting to think about summer internships. My mom suggested that I look into WGBH, so I did. I love antiques, history, culture, and Antiques Roadshow, so I made sure to apply to the listing.

Aliya: I knew I was going to be staying in Utah for the summer, and I knew I needed an internship for the master’s program, so I decided to just look up publishing houses in northern Utah, where I would be staying.

What were some of your responsibilities during your internship?

Micaela: My responsibilities include logging footage, working with show’s database, attending meetings and screenings, uploading YouTube videos, and anything else the producing or digital team needs help with.

Aliya: I ran, I think, around 10 social media accounts. They were Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and I ran the founder’s Facebook account. I did his social media press. I also did their Future House Publishing mainstream book. I dabbled a little bit in their romance section for social media, and their younger press, as well.

What accomplishment were you most proud of during this internship?

Micaela: I’m proud that I was invited to be a paid intern for the fall. So I’m still interning with them now!

Aliya: I basically became the entire marketing team. They started phasing out my superior, like three weeks into the internship, and I was not made aware of it. … I was doing my best to come up with good content tracking, all of the release dates, all of the promotion dates…

What advice do you have for people interested in this internship or opportunities similar to yours?

Micaela: Utilize the [Career Development Center]. It’s literally free help. I got help with my cover letter, which was definitely what set me apart from other applicants.

Aliya: Be flexible. Be flexible with what they give you, because I had no intention of being on their marketing team, and they’re like, ‘Hey, you’re gonna do this. Here’s some minimal training, figure it out.’ And it was really satisfying, regardless of how stressful it was. So be flexible and adaptive.