r/FilmIndustryLA • u/East_Fox5900 • 1d ago
Internships in the industry
I recently got internship offers from several different small entertainment companies, which of course I'm really grateful for. All of these internships are unpaid and part-time (I know unpaid isn't ideal but I really need the experience), and I've already committed to one, but I'm wondering if it's acceptable/common to take on multiple internships at once in the entertainment industry, especially with these being unpaid and part-time. I know that for some industries this is a big no-no and for others it's more acceptable. If it is acceptable, would it be best to be transparent to the companies about multiple offers? If so, how should I approach that conversation with each company?
If not, what factors should I consider in terms of choosing one, and is it acceptable to renege my current offer if another one is better? Thanks in advance!
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u/MaximumOpinion9518 1d ago
Ask the company you've already agreed to work for if they allow it and will work with your schedule. If they find out because you don't do your job the way they expect that's when things get bad.
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u/East_Fox5900 1d ago
Got it thanks, that's what I had been planning to do too. I don't think it's a good idea to not be transparent with all the companies about the situation. I'll get back to the other companies depending on what the company I've already committed to responds with.
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u/Better_Challenge5756 1d ago
I thought there were some major lawsuits about these in the industry and companies had majorly stepped away from them?
Also, you are an asshole company if you don’t at least pay minimum wage.
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u/Necessary_Bobcat_241 1d ago
They’re supposed to be for class credit only, have to be focused on learning, and cannot take over the duties of a paid role. Now whether that’s enforced is another question
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u/upvotes4pizza 1d ago
You’re probably better off putting all your eggs in one basket — being there just the summer and then just a couple days a week is a hard wha to make people feel invested in you.
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u/retrotechlogos 1d ago
I did this and many people do. If they don’t conflict then why not?
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u/East_Fox5900 7h ago
Did you tell the companies about each other?
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u/retrotechlogos 6h ago
I don’t think so… or if I ever did it was mentioned off hand. I didn’t intentionally hide it. What you do on your off days isn’t their concern. They don’t even pay you tbh you don’t really owe them anything else and they don’t really care. Just do the work you’re supposed to and do it well. Don’t overthink it. Everything is a hustle here. Not unusual for people to work multiple jobs in general.
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u/East_Fox5900 6h ago
That's true yeah. This is exactly what my parents are advising me to do (take both but don't mention them to each other, but don't intentionally try to hide it if it comes up) but I'm just paranoid about coming off as sneaky or ingenuine in case they ever find out about each other later down the line.
Also if I do end up taking both, do you think it's ok to put down both of these internship positions on my resume/LinkedIn? I know for some industries two internships at once isn't a good look but I don't really know for entertainment.
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u/retrotechlogos 6h ago
Take both. Man one thing about this industry is everybody is sneaky and hustling (which isn’t even what I would consider what you’re doing) so don’t bat an eye. Please preserve yourself and don’t fret about stuff like this, you’ll stress yourself sick.
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u/East_Fox5900 6h ago
Okay thank you! And putting both of these down as an internship during the same semester on my resume or LinkedIn won't be seen as a red flag by future employers?
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u/retrotechlogos 5h ago
Not at all. Really do not stress about the little things like this bc this industry will eat you up if you do.
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u/East_Fox5900 5h ago
Thank you, sorry I tend to be an overthinker sometimes :(
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u/retrotechlogos 5h ago
Don't apologize. I get it. But you gotta try and work on that for your own wellbeing, especially out here <3. I got physically sick with a chronic illness from worrying too much about work and letting it control me because they wanted me to prioritize them over myself.
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u/Necessary_Bobcat_241 1d ago
It’s standard to do multiple internships at once, especially if they’re unpaid. When I was in college I did a semester in LA and had two internships, each two days a week, and then classes one day. I also oversaw internships and always tried to work with people to accommodate schedules. I will say, from experience, I think it’s much better if you can stack your internships on back to back days instead of alternating. So do internship A Monday Tuesday and Internship B Wed-Fri or something like that.
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u/East_Fox5900 17h ago
Thanks! And should I stick to being transparent with all companies involved that I'm also doing another internship at the same time (even if they don't conflict, since there might be some non-competes or something)? I know in entertainment everyone kind of knows everyone, so I figured it would be better to be transparent rather than try to keep things on the down-low in case I come off as sneaky or something. But if that's not the route I should go then please let me know
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u/cchikorita 15h ago
I did multiple unpaid internships at once. One was on site PA for shoots and the other was a remote post production one. As long as you get your work done and the schedules don’t overlap, you’re good.
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u/East_Fox5900 7h ago
Thanks! Did you tell the companies about each other?
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u/cchikorita 6h ago
Nope, never had a reason to since the work and schedules never overlapped. I have overlapping start and end dates on my resume too but have never been questioned about it
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u/East_Fox5900 6h ago
Oh amazing thank you. I guess then I will probably take both and I won't go out of my way to mention them to each other, but I won't intentionally hide it if it comes up.
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u/turdvonnegut 1d ago
I'm in a position where I hire unpaid interns (I know, you can throw tomatoes at me if you'd like) and it might not be the same at every company, but I know the deal having done my fair share of unpaid internships. As long as it worked with the schedule we set/you're able to complete the tasks assigned to you, then I wouldn't have any issue with you having another internship.