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Internships & Jobs

Internships Overview

About the Fall 2022 CTVA 494 Internship Program

The mandatory, half-hour orientation session for students interested in enrolling in CTVA494 is now available for on-line review here via MyCSUNBox. 

You must review this mandatory informational session in order to register for the internship.

In order to initiate the enrollment process, you must also download, complete and sign the CTVA494 Orientation Completion Certificate located in the folder and e-mail it to Professor Sipos at julieann.sipos@csun.edu

Those who have already secured internships must attach all relevant documents and information as indicated.Please also provide a PDF of your current DPR so that she may determine your eligibility. Eligible students still in search of positions may elect to request assistance in landing numerous qualified internships available this Fall. 

Fall internship eligibility begins no earlier than January 24, 2022 with permission from the professor. 

The goal of the CTVA Internship Program is to instill in students the knowledge, expertise, and creative skills that will allow them to pursue their goals in digital media, cinema, television, screenwriting, management and radio.  The CTVA Internship Program promotes the critical, analytical, creative, ethical, and conceptual thinking that will enrich the students’ professional career paths.

Many internships are non-paid positions although virtually all the major studios, networks and production companies offer paid internships. 

Please check back here frequently for updating information on exciting, new online resources and programs currently in development to enhance your internship journey over the course of the academic year. 

To be qualified for a CTVA internship in Spring 2022 [CTVA 494A/B (3 units) or CTVA 494C/D (6 units)] a CTVA undergraduate student:

  • Must be a senior (have 85+ units)
  • Must be in good academic standing
  • Must have completed the required lower division CTVA major courses
  • Must be in a CTVA major area of emphasis

The internship course for CTVA graduate students is CTVA 694A/B (3 units). 
Most internships are designed for three units (135 hours of work minimum). 
A six-unit internship requires virtually full-time work for a minimum of 270 hours for the semester.
A student may take a maximum of six CTVA internship units for credit.

For more information contact:

Atieh Bandehyazdani 

 

Atieh Bandehyazdani (CTVA '20), was selected for a full-time, paid internship in development, production, business management and distribution with Hulu through the prestigious Television Academy Foundation Summer Internship Program. While the program was altered significantly under COVID-19 restrictions, Atieh was nonetheless awarded an Academy fellowship, along with the rare opportunity to interface with a select group of peers among multiple industry professionals. The online substitutional sessions include one-on-one visits, online panels and customized seminars covering topics such as leadership, personal brand building and navigating the job market ahead. A television production major, Atieh devoted the last two years to mentoring fellow CTVA students as an Academic Peer Coach Leader  through the Mike Curb Student Success Program. Particularly inspired by a Fall '19  course in Business of Media, she previously worked under the direct supervision of the head of Operational Management of Amazon Studios.

 

Christian Ramirez

 

Christian Ramirez (CTVA ’20) has been selected for one of 30 coveted spots in the NALIP Latino Lens Workshop Series: Industry Fundamentals. The workshop’s focus is to develop its participants’ skills that will lead to success in the entertainment industry. This workshop will immerse its participants in the inner workings of the business of the industry while building proficiencies that are necessary to be relevant and competitive in today’s workforce. Ramirez was a Fall ’19 and Spring 20 intern in the prestigious Nickelodeon NICKternship labs, where he worked on digital series production. In 2019, Ramirez  landed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences coveted Academy Gold Internship, the exclusive film industry enhancement program offered through the Academy Gold Talent Development and Inclusion Program.

 

Nicholas Griffin

 

Nicholas Griffin (CTVA ’20) was selected for the prestigious 2020 Writers Guild Foundation’s Veterans Writing Project,  a year-long program which identifies emerging writers from United States military backgrounds and provides them with the tools and insights to nurture their work and successfully navigate the entertainment industry. Participants are paired with a WGA member-mentor bringing experience from beloved movies and television series of the past and present, each personally committed to guiding the voices of the future—from a weekend retreat through monthly follow-up workshops and special events. A five-year United States Marine Corp veteran, Griffin is a comedian, screenwriter and sketch comic who interned during Spring ’20 at Solve!, the #1 true crime show in the world. Since the show’s debut in 2018, over 30MM fans have tried to solve true-crime-inspired mysteries on Snapchat, Instagram and podcasts everywhere.

 

Kaelin McDonald 

 

Kaelin McDonald (CTVA ’20) has been hired as a post-production assistant at Dirty Robber, where she interned in Fall ‘19 and Spring ’20. Dirty Robber specializes in telling athletic stories, including the feature length film Breaking2, documenting Nike's quest to break the two-hour-marathon barrier and recognized as a landmark achievement in branded content and marketing. McDonald has been placed on one of the Academy Award-nominated production company’s television shows for a top global streaming service. She also interned as assistant to Silvia Bizio at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards Hollywood Foreign Press Association Viewing and After Party; and in 2019 served as an intern with The American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival. She is a 2019-2020 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Scholar.

 

Andres Angel-Portilla

 

Andres Angel-Portilla (CTVA ’20) has been awarded the first ever Television Academy CSU Post-Graduate summer internship, one of five paid, full-time positions for an eight-week work period this summer in the unscripted/reality television space. The goal of the program is to cultivate and place recently graduated college students in positions where they can develop the creative and business skills required to excel in the industry and have some access to C-suite executives. At the discretion of the host company, the position may lead to full-time employment upon program completion. Angel-Portilla interned in Spring ’20 at Nasser Entertainment as an assistant to Joseph Nasser, producer of over 70 movies across all genres including the recent HBO action thriller, Recoil, starring Steve Austin.

 

Have an internship success story to share? Contact julieann.sipos@csun.edu

CTVA Internship Information & Requirements

To be qualified for a CTVA internship you:

  • Must be a senior in the semester that you want to enroll in the internship course (have 90+ units)
  • Must be in good academic standing
  • Must have completed the required lower-division CTVA major courses
  • Must be in a CTV A major area of emphasis

You must find an internship BEFORE you receive permission to enroll into the internship class. This means you should start looking for an internship as early as the semester before you would like to intern.

Once you find an internship, email Professor Sipos (julieann.sipos@csun.edu) a PDF of:

  1. your current CSUN degree progress report,
  2. the name of the company and internship supervisor and
  3. the course in which you want to enroll: CTVA 494 A&B for 3 units (135 hrs) or CTVA 494C&D for 6 units (270 hrs).

Professor Sipos will email qualified students instructions on enrolling along with an eligibility letter to send to your supervisor.

Please don’t email the CTVA Office staff or go to the CTVA Dept. office. The CTVA Internship Enrollment Process is done entirely online and the course is run through CANVAS.

Please note internships credit is NOT available for opportunities that are on campus.

Apply for an internship as if you were job hunting. You may wish to start by looking online at the studio and network sites for available internships.

Call or email the company(ies) you are interested in directly, ask for the internship director, and find out the procedure for securing an internship position. Some may require a resume or other documentation.

Contact the Career Center (818-677-2320) to make an on-line appointment to have someone assist you in procuring an internship in your area of interest.

You may also feel free to contact the professor at julieann.sipos@csun.edu should you have additional questions, concerns and/or ideas about where you might like to intern around your personal areas of interest.

Students who have had internships are very good resources for referrals. Talk to your fellow CTVA majors. They may supply you with useful contacts.

Because an internship is where you are auditioning for a career, once you secure and begin an internship, is should become your priority over part-time jobs and other classes.

*Please note: Some studios and networks ask students during the interview process to provide proof that they will receive college credit. Please contact Professor Sipos via email to requesting a letter of proof of qualification to enroll in the internship course. Be sure to attach a PDF of your current DPR.

You may perform remote, in-office or hybrid internships in observation of Los Angeles County health and safety guidelines. Unless you are working in a fully remote modality, due to insurance issues, internship providers must include Los Angeles County as an address of record; and any work you physically perform must occur  in the greater Los Angeles area (approximately the area from Ventura to Long Beach).

Most internships are non-paid positions, although paid internships are becoming much more common especially at the largest studios, networks and production companies. You must either be paid for your internship, be earning credit in exchange for your labor, or both.

Course #: 494A/B
# of units: 3 units
Minimum # of hours required: 135 hours (divided by 15 weeks is 9 hours per week)

Course #: 494C/D
# of units: 6 units
Minimum # of hours required: 270 hours (divided by 15 weeks is 18 hours per week) 

Be thoughtful about the number of units you register for. You will receive credit only for the number of units for which you have registered regardless of the time you spend at your internship.

The 3-unit CTVA 494A/B is repeatable, however, as the maximum number of CTVA internship units a student can take is six, you may only take CTVA 494 C/D once.

Student may NOT start their internships before the semester begins. Major studios/networks/production companies require that the student be enrolled in an internship class to be an intern. This means that the student must be enrolled in the class at the start and during the exact time of the internship. Again, this is an insurance issue. Many of these organizations only allow persons who are clients, employees, guests or interns on their property. It’s also a labor law issue. Except in the case of public broadcasting, no one can volunteer or work for free in the entertainment industry. Everyone must either be paid or receive educational credit.

Some smaller companies or organizations may attempt to skirt labor laws and risk a lawsuit. CTVA WILL NOT approve internships with companies that don't abide by insurance and labor laws. CTVA students can ONLY intern with bona fide companies offering college course credit.

A mandatory, half-hour orientation session for students interested in enrolling in CTVA494 is now available for on-line review here via myCSUNBox: https://mycsun.box.com/s/jy9bl0vtu0t7mi3slr23kxl4b16zh9cw

In order to initiate the enrollment process, you must download, complete and sign the CTVA494 Orientation Completion Certificate also located in the folder and e-mail it to Professor Sipos at primary purpose for the orientation is to provide information regarding internship placement, timing and career guidance. You need only attend this session once. 

Employer: Internships, Jobs & Opportunities

Internships provide our students an important opportunity to develop and refine their skills set while gaining valuable work experience.

 

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Job Search Resources

CSUN endeavors to assist students in finding internships and employment. Below you will find links to online resources. This posting does not necessarily infer that CSUN or the Department of Cinema and Television Arts endorses any or all of these companies and/or services. This is a student managed resource and posted for the mutual benefit of students.

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