Internship Opportunties

WORK OPPORTUNITIES. Interns typically work on one or more programs in conjunction with their formal courses of study at their university, college or high school. Their work is not paid and must be approved by the appropriate school administrator or faculty member. Each person usually designs a program and schedule which works best for him or her. Interns are responsible for meeting all internship requirements and for obtaining and completing all paperwork. Opportunities available at our show vary greatly. This internship is for those looking to gain experience in Marketing, Communications, Development, and Production. 

Volunteering. The purpose of the volunteer program is to give people a chance to assist with the television program because they support its objective of promoting civil discourse. These people are volunteering for the Democracy & Media Education Foundation (“DMEF”), which supports the programming. The DMEF is a Section 501©(3) organization.

Volunteers have more flexibility in what they do and how much time they elect to spend on the show. They may work with other volunteers, with interns, with Station staff, and/or with USA-TN staff. Volunteers are not permitted to represent themselves as working on behalf of USA Talk Network.

HOURS PER WEEK : Each intern or volunteer may work as little or as much as he or she wants but interns usually need to have a specific schedule.  Typically, this will total 10 to 20 hours of work each week.  Interns have great flexibility in setting their schedules.  A regular schedule is more important than the total hours worked.  

CONTACT INFORMATION :  If you are interested in becoming an intern or volunteer, send your resume to [email protected] to inquire about available opportunities. 
LOCATIONS: All interns will be expected to do most of their work from their schools, their offices, and/or their homes. Interns usually are invited to attend “live” tapings of the show at various Denver Metro-area locations. Travel opportunities may occur for research projects and for clip tapings (especially for celebrity interviews).

APPLICANT QUALIFICATIONS. All internships are unpaid, volunteer positions. Students must be enrolled at a qualifying Colorado institution of secondary education, higher education, or vocational education. Again, a resume or vitae — no matter how short it may be — and any additional information should be provided.

START DATES AND EXPECTED COMMITMENT : Positions can start at any time and can be held throughout the entire school or calendar year. Positions are expected to last at least one semester at a time. In most cases, an initial minimum 90-day commitment is expected so both parties can see if the arrangement is a good one for everyone involved.
EXPENSES. Interns and volunteers are not expected to incur any out-of-pocket costs for materials, supplies, travel, and similar expenses attributable to their work. In most cases, such costs will be covered in advance. In the rare event you need reimbursement, simply get approval for it. You will be reimbursed for all pre-approved expenses. Approvals are done simply by e-mail and reimbursement. If you incur an expense which has not been pre-approved and is not reimbursed, you usually may be able to take a tax deduction for it.
SUPERVISION : All interns should be supervised by a staffperson at their school with assistance from a member of the USA-TN staff or other appropriate organization. Due to the nature of the work, candidates who are creative and motivated self-starters will receive preference. Much of the work will be done individually and not on-site. As a result, pairs or groups of interns who are friends, colleagues, or schoolmates are encouraged to work with you as part of a team on a project.
TEAM-WORK : All interns are treated as full-fledged members of the production and research team. If you have a friend or colleague who would like to intern with you, this is encouraged. In this manner, you will not always be working alone on an assignment. The staff will give you as much support as possible but, due to constant demands of the productions, this support often can be inconsistent so people who are highly independent, motivated, are self-starters, and have initiative are preferred.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

There are several areas where interns and volunteers can be of assistance. The selection will be based on each person’s background, academic field (past) or program (current) of study, as well as his or her interests. It is helpful if you tell us what your strengths are and what you believe you would like to do. Much of the work will involve developing and updating confidential contact lists. Interns usually will focus in one or two of the following areas:
* TOPIC SELECTION AND RESEARCH. Helping propose show topics and designing individual programs is an opportunity for interns. The programs require a wide range of topic and guest background research – all which can be done with available local and on-line resources. For topics selected for broadcast, data needs to be researched and questions need to be developed for each show. Everyone can be involved in the research of shows whose subjects interest them.
* GUEST BOOKING. This involves identifying and booking guests from the worlds of politics, government, art, business, education, entertainment, law, media, and sports for future shows, and coordinating the guests’ appearances. Coordination with Denver-area events such as speakers, book signings, concert appearances, et cetera, all need to be developed and integrated into programs. “List-development” will be a key function. Your ideas about appropriate guests will help shape the shows. One goal is to seek more national guests as they visit Denver – from political figures to actors to bands and other musicians as well as a wide range of other entertainers, performers, and speakers.
* MARKETING & PROMOTION. The shows need major marketing and promotional efforts to complete their PBS underwriting goals. Marketing plans and budgets need to be developed and implemented. Some may be in conjunction with marketing classes at local colleges and universities as well as with advertising agencies and other professionals. You can be involved in the design and implementation of low-budget marketing and promotional efforts.
* PRESS & PUBLICITY. The programs offer newsworthy opportunities for Press coverage and need a coordinated, scheduled Press effort to announce show topics, guests, and other offerings from USA-TN and KBDI on a weekly basis. Contact with the Press will be extensive. Development of Press Contact e-mail and mailing lists will be high priorities. There needs to be communication with a wide range of Press and Media entities in Colorado and across the nation.

*  SCHOOL COORDINATION AND OUTREACH.  Programs need to be developed in conjunction with colleges and universities for internships, research efforts, and both panelist and guest opportunities. 

* PRODUCTION.  Before, during, and after the actual production of the show, there are a number of opportunities to assist.  They range from writing scripts for the show, writing scripts for promoting each show, greeting guests as they arrive at the Studio, doing make-up, tracking down missing guests, helping to seat the guests, taking both staged and candid photos of the guests and the host, assisting with “mike-ing” the guests, operating the CG system, assisting with the Teleprompter, being available to help in the Control Room, staying with the incoming guests for the next show (i.e., while another one is being taped), making tapes and DVD’ copies of shows and sending them to guests, editing shows, making commercials for the program, going out on shots for clips around the Denver Metro area, scheduling shots and interviews, producing a new “open” for the program, responding to requests for tapes and interviews, et cetera. 

* SET DESIGN.  Programs need sets.  “The Aaron Harber Show” and its related programs always are interested in considering new sets.  Backgrounds which make Web broadcasts and viewing easier to watch and which avoid guests disappearing into a poor background are highly sought after.  Sets for other special editions of the show also need to be designed.  Creative approaches to the sets are desired and will be encouraged.

* WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT.  There needs to be an ongoing effort to update, improve, and even re-design the programs ‘ current Web site – “www.HarberTV.com” – as well as maintain it with information on the next broadcasts and improve it as a means to have the audience participate, interactively on a unprecedented scale, in the development of future programs by suggesting topics, guests, questions, et cetera.  Inputting information and photos as well as helping improve the site provide opportunities to explore the connection between broadcast television and the Internet.  The site also needs to be timely in putting all the programs on-line for viewing over the Internet.  There also are additional Websites which need to be designed, built, and maintained.

* SPECIFIC NEEDS FOR “THE AARON HARBER SHOW” typically include the following from which interns and volunteers can select one or more categories:

  • Developing program topic ideas and doing topic selection
  • Program topic research and question development
  • Researching guest possibilities, doing guest booking and coordination
  • Creating sponsor slates and underwriting reels
  • Promotional “spot” creation, development, production & distribution
  • “Watch Aaron…” promo collage project for television spots
  • Camera operation
  • Control board operation
  • Still photography on the set, on location, and for future programs
  • Audio equipment operation and audio editing
  • Make-up
  • Wardrobe
  • Assisting with on-location tapings
  • Location scouting and advance work
  • Studio security and location security
  • On-location coordination and shooting for non-studio productions
  • Photograph captioning, organization, and display
  • Denver Open Media ingestion and scheduling processes
  • Colorado program distribution and syndication (and expansion)
  • National program distribution syndication (and expansion)
  • Website Copy-writing
  • Follow-up investigation of guest statements; verification, fact-checking (“Definitive Programming”)
  • Website development, coordination, enhancement and maintenance
  • Implementation of Sponsor obligations and verification of completion
  • Fundraising research and target identification; prospect qualification
  • Internet funding strategies (selling ads/space; access to Websites)
  • Music Performance fundraiser production development and organization
  • “Thank You” event organization
  • Updating and maintenance of email databases
  • Cataloging of all shows & guests (including taping & broadcast dates)
  • Archiving programs in a preferred electronic storage format
  • Selecting clips from programs for use in “opens” and promotional spots
  • Press relationship development
  • Expansion & distribution
  • Marketing planning & educational institution coordination
  • Promotional strategies development and implementation
  • Public Service Announcement strategies and production (Domestic Violence, Literacy, The Law, etc.)
  • Expansion of relationship with COMCAST Entertainment Television
  • Expansion of relationships with Public Access stations
  • Set design for improving the existing set and designing new sets
  • Reviews of products and services; submission of reviews nationally
  • Award competitions and other profile-raising award opportunities
  • Assisting with the development and implementation of “The Energy Roundtable”
  • Assisting with the development and implementation of “The Great Climate Change Debate”
  • Assisting with the development and implementation of “The Real Iraq”
  • U.S. City Tour (broadcasting from different cities)
  • International Tour (broadcasting from different countries)
Remember to send all resumes and e-mails to Producer@HarberTV.com. Thanks, again, for your interest in working with us.  These opportunities should be seen as one way we can involve the community in our programming. We will do our best to make your intern experience educational, interesting, challenging, and fun but be prepared to work hard, too! And thanks, again, for your interest in promoting civil discourse in America.