Dream Big Intern: Jacqueline Exline on Vh1, Intern Ettiquette and Blogging All About It

You might recognize Jacqueline Exline from several places. If you lived in Piano Row last year, you may remember her as your RA. If you frequent Qudditch games, you might have seen her storm the Common as a Snitch. If fashion’s your thing, you might recall the time she was in fierce competition against Lane Brenner for Emerson’s Next Top Model. We here at Her Campus Emerson know Jacquie best as one of our Campus Cuties!

However, it was her internship at Vh1 — and subsequent blog about the experience — that really piqued our interest in Jacquie again. We were able to ask her a few questions about her experience at a big-name company, and how’s she’s helping other Emerson students snag their dream internship through her blog, Dream Big Intern.

Her Campus Emerson: Most people are excited about the prospect of an internship out in LA when they sign up for the program. Was it important for you to do an internship before you went out to LA?: 

Jacqueline Exline: I don’t think it’s necessary to have had an internship before the LA program, but because it is so centralized around an internship experience, having a prior one definitely doesn’t hurt! I interned as a photographer at Interlochen Arts Academy one summer, but working in an office building in at VH1 prepared me more for what is expected for work after college. Doing the photography internship showed me that I didn’t want to do it for a living and production management at VH1 was more in the direction of what I was looking to do as a career.

Being able to work in several different fields showed me what I did and did not like as a future profession. Additionally, there were certain things, like behavior, time management, and reliability, that can really only be understood once you are in the office space and making deadlines that are enforced by your boss and your boss’s boss. The learning curve of acquiring professionalism is lessened with the more internships you have as you become more aware of what is expected in a team and office setting, which I think can create for a better LA experience and for more potential job offers!

 

HCE: About how many internships did you first apply to?: 

JE: When I was applying for summer 2011 internships, I applied to hundreds at least. But don’t be fooled, I applied to all of the major production companies (NBC, Viacom, Focus Features, etc), but then I cold emailed at least 150 smaller, privately owned production companies. When I say “cold email,” I used NewYork411.com and found hundreds of companies’ websites and searched them for internship programs, career opportunities, and info emails. I drafted a generic cover letter, plugged in their company name and “Internship Inquiry” in the subject title, attached my resume and hit send. While some companies had internship programs, most just had emails for career inquiries or generic info questions. Many need and want an intern, but don’t have it advertised and it is up to you to intrigue their interest with your cover letter and resume. I thought to myself, I want to lessen my risk of not having an internship, so I just kept applying.

Eventually, I heard from 10 companies that seemed viable summer options, scheduled in-person interviews over my spring break, and hit the pavement with my business card and portfolio. Many came back with an offer, but eventually I chose VH1 because MTV Networks actually responded to my application and has a standout network and internship program. I did a similar situation for LA, but the LA advisers (Kerri and Larry) create amazing lists of companies who contact Emerson for potential student interns. They did half the work for us!

Jacquie with the host of Big Morning Buzz Live Carrie Keagan!

HCE: How did you narrow it down to Vh1?:

 

JE: I interviewed with 8 small production companies that were all good options, but eventually it came down to Hungry Man (a commercial production company with branches in NYC, London, LA, etc) and VH1. While Hungry Man paid for transportation and is known within the industry, VH1 stood out on my resume for anyone in and outside the entertainment business. I may not go into exact production someday (might venture into casting or representation), so I wanted to have a well-known company that could speak for me. This does not go without saying that it’s not good to work at small production companies – in those situations, the intern is typically viewed as a PA or entry level employee and can sometimes get bigger and better projects to complete. However, I’m a sucker for large, corporate companies. The more people I meet, the more my network grows, the more possibilities for job openings to come my way in this freelance industry.
 

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HCE: How was this internship different from other jobs/internships/organizations you’ve been a part of during your time at Emerson? What did you gain out of the experience?:
 

JE: The biggest difference is being in an actual company and seeing how things are done in the professional industry. As much as my EIV experience prepared me for VH1 (and believe me, there was direct translation of about 60% of what I did on campus!), the other 40% were aspects that have to be learned in the work setting. Things such as networking (people in my office have connections to Nickelodeon, Bravo, and Comedy Central), deadlines (much more stringent when you work on morning live TV!), and professionalism (aka, keeping my cool when Latoya Jackson, Bethenny Frankel and Hilary Duff were asking where the bathroom or elevator was) are skills I acquired on top of my formal and extracurricular education at Emerson. Luckily, I really saw my degree coming into play and really felt prepared to handle the work load and understand why it needed to be done. Even though I wasn’t being paid, I took it as seriously as an employee would, and I ended up getting a job offer as a PA at the end. Unfortunately I have another semester left, but by keeping in touch and doing another star performance in my internship this semester, I hope to return to New York with some opportunities in the spring.

 

 

HCE: What was the inspiration behind Dream Big Intern?:

 

JE: I started Dream Big Intern as work for my summer credit through VH1 because I had so much advice and experience in internship searching. I have a lot of friends who are successful at securing internships, but when you’re starting off, you may waste a lot of time doing something that isn’t quite necessary yet. I started to see a pattern to the search and preparation, which created for great blog post ideas. I feel like most people don’t know when they should begin looking for an internship, so I created timelines for fall, spring, and summer. I got advice from friends who are interns, and my boss at VH1 who has worked her way up in the department for an advice post. A lot of the advice is centric around my experience in the entertainment and television industries, but the information can be transferred to any internship because it mainly has to do with the next step, how you present yourself, and when and where. The other inspiration was that Emerson (and all campuses) are constantly looking for internships, but really don’t have one go to place that lists the search out step-by-step.

HCE: Is it a project you think you’ll continue to work on this semester, or is it solely a reflection on your experience with your summer internship?:

 

JE: If my experience at E! spurs an idea for a blog post, I’ll definitely keep it up! If anyone would like to guest blog, I would love that opportunity as well. I wanted to get as many opinions, experiences and advice as possible because we all walk away with different understandings. For example, my post about the most valuable lesson learned was compiled by over twenty interns and none of them overlapped!

Jacquie with the cast & crew of Big Morning Buzz Live — the show she interned for at Vh1!

 

HCE: What do you want Emersonians — and hopefully other readers — to get out of Dream Big Intern?:
 

JE: I would love for anyone in need or want of a internship to read it and submit your posts, comments and ideas! This blog consists of my shared experience and success, but my viewpoint should be broadened by my readers. I want people to feel like getting an internship is an exciting adventure, not a daunting task. Through DBI, I broke down the process, step by step, month by month, so that completing the tasks are manageable and done correct the first time around. It’s a guide, a tool, and a resource. I want Dream Big Intern to be a one-stop shop for internship success.