Hi! My name is Morgan White and I’m a current senior at Chapman University. I’m an SCC major with a minor in Public Relations, Advertising, & Entertainment Marketing, and I graduate in the Spring of 2023. 

Wheel of Fortune – Stage 11

In January, 2023, I interviewed for an internship position at Sony Pictures Entertainment. I found the position online via LinkedIn and within a few weeks I was hired. The role, Social & Digital Media for Game Shows, caught my attention right away– specifically on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. I’ve had prior experience working as a production assistant and this job was in-line with my career path. I started working on January 30th and I’ve been loving the role since, with aspirations to continue working at Sony Pictures post-graduation. 

I’m passionate about television and film and discovered my dream of becoming a producer at a young age. The combination of SCC, PR & AD genuinely helped prepare me for this position– specifically writing in AP style, writing copy, creating pitch decks, and understanding current trends.

My senior seminar last Fall prepared me the most for my career goals, and my biggest takeaway was creating my personal website. Before this course, I was struggling to hear back from positions I applied to on LinkedIn. When I made my website for the class, www.morganwhite.site, I realized that I could utilize it as a form of a resume. In the following weeks, I heard back from four internships and was hired for three. I believe having visuals about what you can bring to a team is highly important in the competitive entertainment industry. I can’t thank Dr. Weber enough for encouraging this project. 

A typical day at Sony Pictures begins with my commute from Orange to Culver City. I arrive around 9 a.m. and meet with the rest of the social & digital team located in the Cohn Building on-site. For the remainder of the week, I work remotely from 9-6. For several weeks, my primary responsibilities included analyzing data on Jeopardy!’s TikTok, writing copy for social content (FB, Twitter, Instagram), and creating pitch decks. There are weekly meetings where I’m given the opportunity to ideate creative concepts for both WoF and J! as well as hear feedback from the rest of the team. I work alongside one other intern, Hannah, who’s a student at USC and I’ve grown very close throughout our experience together. 

Morgan & Hannah at the Alex Trebek Stage

Most recently, I was given the project of a full-time employee while another team member is on leave. This responsibility means I run the entire social/digital calendar, schedule posts across all social media, and write extensive copy. The best part is that I’m directly posting to Jeopardy!’s social media channels on Facebook and Instagram using Meta, and I’m so grateful for this experience. I’ve scheduled about 40+ social media posts for April and May and I’ve posted directly on socials 10+ times so far. This responsibility required a lot of learning and group effort as well as teaching myself. The social & digital team is incredibly supportive and nothing would be done without each individual’s efforts. Teamwork makes the dream work, and learning how to effectively communicate during SCC truly helped me take on this responsibility. 

Another amazing part of the role is getting to experience the magic of live TV. In the past few months, I’ve sat in Jeopardy!’s audience for several tapings of the show. This May, there is a new series, Jeopardy! Masters, which premieres May 8, 2023. It’s so much fun to watch the film process and be part of the team that makes it all happen. I’ve done a lot of work for Masters in this role so it’s really exciting to see it all happen behind the scenes.

A day on the Sony lot

My impact on the team stems from my passion for content creation. Last year, I started my Pinterest journey as a creator and learned how to use the platform for business. When I was hired, the team was highly interested in hearing my thoughts on Pinterest and I’ve worked closely with a supervisor to create my own pitch deck for Wheel of Fortune’s Pinterest account. I pitched my deck at the end of April, and I’ve already received incredible feedback. I’m excited to see where this pitch takes me and I’m hoping to run the account in a future role. I’m now referred to as the “Pinterest Pro and Ace Intern” and I’d like to consider this my success story. 

Example of posted Social Content

This whole experience has brought so much value to my life. I was struggling for a year trying to figure out what I wanted to do, where I wanted to work, and how I was going to get there. I was also dealing with emotional distress, loss, and mental health. It’s stressful to find positions in entertainment, and even with prior experience, I thought that I was out of luck. What truly motivated me was changing my mindset and allowing only what’s going to let me grow in my life. My mom always tells me to, “Just Do It” in Nike’s voice, which helps me when I’m indecisive. If you want something, you will get it! You have to keep pushing yourself even when it’s difficult. My advice is to apply to as many roles as you find interesting, create a website, and focus on what you’re good at doing. I wasn’t ready at the time I was applying to positions in 2022, both physically and mentally. When I started taking care of myself and protecting my Peace, work found me. It sounds cliche but trust the process. Always make sure to follow up after interviews and ASK QUESTIONS at the end! My first time applying to Sony Pictures, I didn’t ask any questions… learn from my mistakes. My second time applying, I was prepared to probe meaningful questions– and I was hired the next day. Take from this what you will, but don’t give up. 

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, especially if you’re reading this and it feels similar to you! For now, I’m confident in my ability to continue my journey at Sony Pictures Entertainment and I’m excited about what the future will bring. Thank you, SCC, and thank you, Chapman!