Hello, my name is Angela Poerschke and I am currently a senior Communication student here at Chapman University. My minor is Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI), which has allowed me to take classes on an array of cultural and creative activities like fashion, museums, social media, emerging technologies, and much more. The company I interned for this fall semester was Entertainment Lab, which is a bi-coastal talent agency and production company based out of Beverley Hills, California and Manhattan, New York. Entertainment Lab directs and advances the careers of many recognized writers and directors in television, film, theater, commercial, print, and established actors.

I was fortunate enough to discover this internship through Chapman’s Handshake website when looking for possible internships this past summer. While scrolling for different internship opportunities, I knew this fall semester was going to be very unusual and challenging compared to what I had been used to because of Corona virus. Some of the internships I applied for were mostly remote, although some of them did require in-person interning and I didn’t feel like I would be comfortable in that type of “in-person” environment just yet. After I applied at Entertainment Lab, I shortly heard back from them and interviewed with the company within the week. My primary responsibilities within the internship are Ecocast audition videos, which are self-tapes that go straight to casting directors. It is my responsibility to copy and paste the correct audition template, headshot, emails/recipients, and scripts the actor needs to read for the audition. Another job I do every week is looking for new up and coming television pilots and searching the actors of the show on the IMDb Pro website. I look to find actors in these television pilots who do not yet have a manager, and I create a list to send to the co-founder of Entertainment Lab, Sean Dubravac. From there, he can reach out to those actors as a potential talent agent or collaborator for them in the near future. I have enjoyed reading television and feature film scripts, creating a list of social media managers within the industry, and emailing directors/producers pitching them scripts and productions the company’s writers have created as well.

While interning for Entertainment Lab, I have discovered how certain communication classes have come into play that helped me be successful in my position. I quickly learned how interpersonal relationships are something I always try to do my best with, but I’d have to say over Zoom and Google chat it isn’t the easiest. A term from I learned from School of Communication classes is mediated communication, which is communication that is transmitted by contact technology like Zoom or FaceTime and is contrasted from face-to-face communication. Another concept that has been beneficial during my internship was from my Ethical Controversies in Communication class I took last spring. It is key for everyone to have a Personal Ethical Standard of values and principles a person uses in making judgements about what is good, right, and virtuous. Since I do my work on my computer, my supervisors are not able to see what I am doing at all times, therefore it is has been key for me to develop my own practices of ethical discernment, judgements, and decision making as an intern.

This internship has been a great experience for me to adapt to any situation necessary because of the remote access and not going to work in an actual office. The experience was definitely different than what I imagine, although it has been well worth it. I created a few personal goals during the semester including staying on task with so many distractions not being in an actual office, completing my assignments to the best of my ability, and continuing to work well with the rest of the Entertainment Lab team. As I finish my internship in the next few weeks, I have noticed my enhanced communication skills in a professional setting. The entertainment and film industry is fast paced and one of a kind, but definitely worth it for someone if they are very interested!