Question About Internships

[Ian Miller]

As of now I'm a senior in high school, and about halfway through the year. My school offers a program called CHOOSE (Forgot what it stands for), where for the last quarter of the year, any student who chooses to do so can intern someplace where the type of work would reflect what they wish to do after college. It's completely free, the student doesn't get paid, and it counts for school credit.

I'm very interested in working in the comics field someday, whether being an artist or an editor. I've tried to contact Marvel about possibly getting an internship there, but after several emails, I haven't heard back from them.

In short, does anyone know of some possibly smaller companies which may actually answer my emails and phone calls that have internship programs? Or perhaps if any of you need an assistant, I'd be happy to help you out for free. I'm from Westchester, New York, about an hour from the city, so anything within the city or around it would be the perfect distance for me.

[xadrian]

Isn't DC in NY too? I'm sure a bunch of small press are in NY who could use some print runners or coffee getters.

I'd use you, but I'm in Texas and it would be a lot like working for Kramerica.

[Inkthinker]

Yeah...if you were down here, I'd get you an unpaid internship scanning frames and sweeping floors.

We get one or two kids like you every year for the studio, usually from one of the local prep schools ('cause that's where the boss went)... some of them fade out after a couple of weeks, some do a good damn job, and some even come back for more.

Buncha budding little masochists...

[Chris Piers]

Send real mail. It's much harder to ignore and shows that you're not lazy.

[snakeI]

man, i want to intern at an animation studio...i don't think there are any here in the austin area though...

[Inkthinker]

Originally posted by snakeI
man, i want to intern at an animation studio...

Nah... we make 'em work too hard on a lot of boring things that we don't want to do ourselves.

Scanning and processing frames is booooorrrrriiiiinnnnnngggg...

[xadrian]

Another Austinite!!!! Now I'm scared about your job thread that said "Same here." You don't work in my building do you?

[snakeI]

nope, I'm at Dell in the "corporate headquarters" I just meant same here about the cubicle life.


Ink-
I'm sure proccessing frames is boring, but I'd just like to learn more about the industry. I love making little animations (I don't know if you saw my Kung Fu thread over in the sketchbook section). A part of me wants to devote some time to putting together a demo reel and trying to get a job doing it, but time isn't something I never seem to have anymore...plus with no studio close to here (as far as I know) I don't know how far I'd be willing to move to do it. My fiance is certifying as teacher in Texas, so I can't move out of state anyway...sigh.

[Ian Miller]

I was thinking of DC, but I was afraid they would be too busy to answer me back, like Marvel. I asked the advisor for this program at my school about interning at Marvel today, and he said that a few years ago some kid from my school did some stuff at Marvel. He said it would be good to do, but the kid never learned anything about making comics or the industry, because all he did was photocopy art and memos and junk like that.

However, another kid who used to be in my art class was a comic buff, and didn't even physically meet his employer. He worked with an artist who sent him a script to draw, and he would draw it in pieces and send it off for critiques, then fix up whatever was wrong. So he basically stayed at home and spoke to this guy over the phone. I asked who this artist was, but the advisor guy couldn't find any info on him.

But I know I probably wouldn't be doing much art. It would be cool to be able to help with touch-ups, but if the artist is too big of a figure, then they may not let me go near their work.

[Inkthinker]

If you can go to Manhattan, why not just go to the Marvel offices in person, dressed nicely, and ask for an internship application?