Her Campus (HC): What was the application like and what led you to this internship?
Megan Rosenblum (MB): I actually had a talent & casting internship through Nickelodeon last summer, and that’s where it all started. My cousin works in casting and suggested that I apply for this internship through Conan. I applied to two (talent and digital), and I got accepted for the talent one. The application was online, and it asked for your resume, a cover letter and summer availability. I think my experience with Nickelodeon was a huge help in getting me this internship.
HC: What did you do when you found out you got the internship?
MR: I was in the library, I think, at the time, and I got this email, and I basically threw my laptop and couldn’t do my homework and called everyone I knew.
HC: How long was the internship for?
MR: What was really cool was that Conan was really flexible about availability, which is pretty rare for internships. It started June 11 and went through the end of July. The downfall was that they didn’t tell us until we started that there would be about 2-3 ‘dark weeks’ (when we wouldn’t be interning) in the midst of the 6-week internship. So I had to spontaneously figure out what I’d do in California for that time. Sometimes I still was able to come into the show and help out, but it was kind of a gamble whether they needed me or not those weeks. But I did some PA (production assistant) work for a few days and explored LA, which was awesome.
HC: How many interns were there?
MR: Well, there were a bunch of different departments– digital, casting, monologue, control room, wardrobe– probably more than that. There were different numbers for each, but for talent, there were 3 interns total.
HC: Was the internship different than you expected?
MR: It was honestly more interactive than you would expect from an internship! I wish I could’ve worked there even longer. The set was pretty small and everyone knew each other and were friendly, but most of the time I was doing gopher-intern tasks (which is still awesome and great experience). I would really do my best to talk to everyone and ask about their starting points in the industry and know that I have the potential to get to where they are. But work with what you have– I went out of my way to form relationships with writers on set and that’s something that I’m really excited about.
HC: What’s something you learned from this experience?
MR: Be nice to everyone and talk to everyone you meet. Be friendly and don’t be afraid to talk to people and ask them how they got started because most likely you’re going to follow a similar path as them.
HC: Did you have many interactions with Conan?
MR: Yeah actually, I saw him every day of filming. I set up his dressing room a lot. He was a big fan of Coke Zero and needs La Croix and Altoids at all times, so I would always set those out for him. He has a treadmill in his dressing room and a guitar hanging up on the wall and would play it a lot during rehearsal. He was pretty fun.
HC: What was he like in person?
MR: Very tall. Like 6’4, 6’5. Really chill, wasn’t like a diva or anything. He always said hello and actually introduced his kid to me once. He would always ask how I was doing and make small talk.
HC: Describe a typical day interning for Conan.
MR: The days started at 9 and ended around 6 every day. I would get there, get the keys from the talent supervisor’s desk to restock Conan’s room. Then I basically helped with whatever random things were needed for the show, like setting up the green room, setting up stuff for guests– like putting out towels, coffee or making popcorn. Sometimes they’d have me sit at the security desk to check in guests and take them back to their dressing rooms. I also would sit at the phone and answer a lot of calls.
HC: Are there any other notable celebs you met?
MR: I met Andy Samberg and Howie Mandel! Some other cool ones, too. Everyone was pretty friendly to me and made conversation.
HC: What do you hope to do after graduation, and do you think this internship will help you with that?
MR: All I know right now is that I’m really into comedy. My goal after graduation is to get into the NBC page program– it’s this year-long paid internship at 30 Rockefeller Center where you get to give tours of the New York studio. I want to continue to take improv classes (I’m doing stand-up, and I’m in my school’s improv troupe, No Bears Allowed, right now, and I love it). Ultimately, I would love to work for a late-night show. The dream is to eventually have my own.
HC: Is there any advice you have for people wanting to intern in the entertainment industry?
MR: Be flexible and accepting of whatever comes your way, because you might get to California and have the show dark for 2 weeks. Take notes of everything, whether on paper or mentally. You don’t want to forget anything. Also, connections are so important, and so is experience, so take whatever you can get and make as many relationships as you can. Smile and try to do whatever you can to help anyone around you.