How did you hear about the internship and what was the application process like?
I applied to a bunch of different internships, including E! News, CMT, MTV, Comedy Central among others in February. I didn’t expect to hear anything back from any of them – I was just kind of messing around. In June, CMT e-mailed me back and said they had received and reviewed my application and would let me know by the end of the month if I would receive an interview. I was thrilled that they even contacted me back, and still did not expect to receive an interview. With two days left of June, CMT e-mailed me and asked to set up a phone interview for the following day. I interviewed with the head of the Radio department and the producer of CMT Radio Live, and the next day they officially offered me the internship.
What was a typical day like at your job?
I would arrive at work at 10 am along with the Assistant Producer. We would research new entertainment stories, and spent the mornings actually writing the show. I would write between 8-15 short entertainment stories per day that had to be completed by noon when the Producer and Show Host arrived at work. In the afternoons, I would update CMT’s Facebook and Twitter, help film the 60-second videos called Hot Headlines, and other various tasks.
What was the most exciting thing you got to do?
I got to work at the CMT Artist of the Year Awards, which is a private event that CMT hosts for the artists that they want to honor for the year. I got to talk to Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, and a ton of major country artists as well as watch the filming for the show and see all of their performances.
Was the transition to Nashville hard and what was it like to leave Athens behind?
The transition to Nashville wasn’t very difficult. I found an apartment that I subleased for cheaper than I pay in Athens that was only 8-10 minutes from downtown Nashville. I was sad to leave all of my friends in Athens, but the rest of the interns (there were about 30 total – one per department) really joined together and did a lot of intern events and parties and such.
How has this internship benefitted you for your future career goals?
Well, I initially thought that I wanted to go into entertainment news. After my internship, I realized that entertainment news is not the best fit for me. My internship at CMT was absolutely awesome, but I think I need harder news to work with. So, in a sense, CMT made me realize that my future career goals are with hard news.
Do you have another internship lined up yet?
I am currently interning at Ohio University’s Communication and Marketing Department. I am a multimedia content intern – I walk around and shoot footage for a segment called Word on the Street, which is a video posted on the University’s YouTube page and is essentially students talking to students about issues on campus.
Do you have any advice for students looking to get an internship like yours?
Just go for it! I did not expect anything when applying for all of those internships, and I ended up getting an internship with a nationally syndicated radio show. Take risks and really put yourself out there – you never know, that generic, electronic application might actually get you somewhere!