Name: Michael Ham
Internship Company: Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN)
Title: International Multiplatform Business Development Intern
What did you do before Stern?
I worked as a Digital Content Producer for the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. My main responsibility was producing and directing instructional videos for the online education department.
What was your role over the summer?
I worked with VIMN’s Multiplatform Business Development team with a focus on growing international engagement with Viacom’s Comedy Central and MTV brands.
What were your responsibilities?
Apart from day-to-day reporting tasks, I had ownership over two major projects over the summer. One involved developing an international expansion strategy for the animated show South Park and the other looked at best practices for redirecting MTV.com’s international traffic to local sites. Both projects required data mining/analysis, Excel modeling, and collaboration across a diverse range of functions and departments.
How did you spend your time preparing for recruiting and interviews?
In addition to attending all the knowledge management sessions, I made it a habit to read entertainment and media news every morning during my commute to get a high-level overview of industry trends and events. I highly recommend the “Biz” section on Variety’s mobile app.
What experiences (if any) helped prepare you for this internship?
As a career-switcher with very little business experience, I wanted to find part-time internships during my first two semesters at school that would help me prepare for a full-time internship during the summer. Even though I felt over-extended at times, these in-semester internships got my mind thinking about business in a professional setting and taught me lessons that I applied directly to my summer internship at VIMN.
What was the best advice you received during the recruiting process?
The best advice I remember receiving was from Professor Sonia Marciano. Basically, she said to spend the most time on activities that would add the greatest value toward my career goals. It sounds simple enough, but it really helped me prioritize during the chaos of first year.
Movie/TV recommendations:
Go see In The Fade starring Diane Kruger (Inglorious Basterds). It was one of my favorites at Cannes and well-deserving of the Best Actress award.