I received an internship over the summer with Miramax Films in the publicity department. Miramax is one of the top movie production companies in the U.S and all around the globe. The company has offices based in many locations including Los Angeles, C.A. and three offices here, in New York City. The New York offices are the basis of the company, this being where the head honchos, Harvey and Bob Weinstein operate from. Also, most of the business in conducted in New York City because it is the business and entertainment hub of the world.
One day I got a phone call and it was from Miramax. The woman on the other side of the telephone, Niritte (my future supervisor), interviewed me right there and well the rest is history. I found out a few of the details and discovered I would be working with Niritte Brodsky, assistant to Dan Scheffey, SVP (senior vice-president) of publicity, and Alex Dubin, the assistant to Dennis Higgins, the other SVP of publicity. These two are very funny and delightful people to work with as well as the rest of the staff at Miramax.
Orientation was held one week before I was to start. At this time, I was shown where everything was including, the mailroom, the supply closet, and many other places that would be important for my daily chores. Next, I was introduced to some of the other publicist on the floor as well as their assistants. Then we walked over the other two buildings where Miramax conducts business. I learned a lot that would be pertinent throughout the entirety of my internship.
Well I started my internship at Miramax on September 10, ~oo1. For this day, I worked with Alex only, because Niritte was in Canada for the film festival. Alex showed me the ropes and said basically, that I would be involved in a lot of "normal" internship duties including answering telephones, faxing, copying and running errands. I was a little wary at first but I knew things would get better.
Due to the tragic World Trade Center disaster, I was unable to attend work for the next two weeks. Miramax is located less than a mile from the disaster site, which caused the company to shut down for a few days, and then work out of temporary offices for the next weeks.
On September 24th I was called and told I could come back to work. I, then again, had to be reintroduced to my duties, since I had only had one day of training. I began learning many of the aspects of the publicity department is and what exactly it entails.
I finally got to work Niritte, since by this time she was back from Canada. She is a great person to work with, friendly and pleasant. I was showed how to prepare and distribute breaks (stories and article about either upcoming movies or the company and its affiliates). Niritte explained to me how one has to look through all the daily newspapers and daily/weekly magazines each day and prepare and distribute breaks to everyone in the entire company. Alex, very patiently, showed me where and to who needed to be given the breaks. I assist with this each day of my internship.
I was also recently exposed to the regional section of publicity. For regional publicity, I was asked to compose junkets for an upcoming movie called "On the Line". I learned that a junket is equivalent to a press packet. It contains the hotel information, scheduling for the stars, television and press schedules, and many other elements. It was interesting to see what another aspect of publicity has to deal with.
October 3rd was one of the most exciting days of my internship. I was asked to attend the premiere screening and premiere party for the Miramax film "Serendipity". I found this to be exhilarating.
At the theatre I helped to distribute names for the VIP seats and rope off that particular section. Once the audience members and the stars were allowed to enter, my job was that of a seat guard, not as exciting as escorting John Cusack or Kate Beckensale into the theatre, but almost as important. I was in charge of helping the guests to their respected seats and trying to maintain order. Once the picture began, we were all sent over to the Central Park Boathouse where we had to set up for the party.
Upon arriving at the Boathouse, I met up with a woman from US magazine, here was my chance to network, considering I am graduating in January and will be looking for employment. I spoke with her and she gave me her number and told me to keep in contact, that's exactly what I plan to do because it's not always what you know but who you know.
At the party I was assigned to a specific table, Jeremy Piven's to be exact, and my job was to guard the table and make sure no one other than his guests' sat at that table. After a while my job there was done and I was assigned to hand out gift bags at the end of the party. By the time the whole ordeal was done I was amazed. A lot of work goes into establishing and promoting a new movie, not to mention a ton of money. I plan to go see the movie over the weekend and I'm sure it won't be a disappointment to Miramax.
My next exciting venture was the "On the Line" premiere. This was even more fun than "Serendipity". At the theater I was, once again, a seat guard. But this time I was a seat guard to the stars. I had the opportunity to meet, Emmanuelle Chirqui, who was the ingenue of the film. I also got to seat one of the co-stars, Joey Fatone of NSYNC, and his family. Both stars seemed polite.
As for the party, it took place at Planet Hollywood in Times Square, and was amazing. I was a table guard for a little while. After my job was done I walked around and mingled with the guests who included JC of NSYNC, Gabriel Byrne, and the musical group Blaque. To my surprise one of my favorite musical groups was in attendance at the party, Jagged Edge. I worked up enough nerve to go talk to them, and eventually ask for their autographs (now this is not really allowed because Miramax doesn't want to guests to be hounded by fans, but I did it in a very tasteful and non-fanatic way). Toward the end of the night I was asked to hand out gift bags to the departing guests. This night was probably the best, and most exciting, time I had throughout my internship.
The next premiere I attended was for the movie "Amelie". This is a French film, so it was a bit more low-key. It wasn't as exciting as the other premiere because I wasn't familiar with those involved with the movie, but it was still fun to be in the presence of VIPs (very important people). I was a seat guard at the theater. The movie was premiered at the Paris Theater. I had the opportunity to see a bit of the movie. I am looking forward to eventually seeing Amelie, which is subtitled (I don't particularly like subtitles but in this case I won't mind them).
I was a table guard at the party, which took place around the corner from the Paris Theater. It was very diverse from the other premieres. Being the majority of the people where of French decent, there was a different ambience in the air. I had never experienced the French culture before. Both the screening and the party were small and intimate. I really enjoyed myself.
Working at Miramax was a wonderful experience, a once in a lifetime opportunity that I would not trade for the world. I had the chance to be immersed in the entertainment film business and see how it operates.
Since I have spent the last three months at Miramax, I have gotten to know a lot of people in the publicity department. I have also learned a lot about the different movies and upcoming projects for the future. Many of them seem interesting and hopefully Niritte or Alex will keep me updated on the future happenings at Miramax. Niritte and Alex were fun people to work with. Even though a lot of my duties where "menial", they knew how to make it interesting. I too, was an asset to their daily workday, bringing laughter and joy into the office. Niritte and Alex were helpful in all aspects of my learning experience. I plan to keep in touch with both of them, not only as business contacts, but also as friends.
My internship has opened my eyes to another possible career option. I never considered going into publicity until I started with Miramax. Publicity can either make or break a movie's success. It is a very lucrative and important field when dealing with the film industry. I am pleased that both St. John's and Miramax allowed me to participate in such a wonderful program.
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