My internship with Viacom/Nickelodeon


Name: Eric Duran

Major: Broadcast Media and International Relations, Honors College

Where did you intern? Viacom International Media Networks

What did you do there? At Viacom, I worked with the production development team to bring Nickelodeon’s I Am Frankie to life. Our team helped approved scripts, wardrobe, props and sets for daily production. I also assisted in monitoring social media for the network and talent, creating the end credits for the show and organizing daily media.

How did you get your internship? One of my professors at FIU shared the opportunity. After I applied, I went through several interviews before finally landing the internship!

What projects did you work on? I primarily worked on Nickelodeon’s I Am Frankie, but I also got to help with the development of some international shows like Nickelodeon’s Vikki RPM and MTV’s Swipe Date.

How did your internship connect back to your coursework? Working on a scripted series was a lot different from the live-news background we learned in our classes. It did help emphasize the importance of planning before starting any project and communication in such a large production.

What was the coolest thing that happened during your internship? On one of the first days of my internship, I was able to sit in on the first table read with the entire cast of I Am Frankie. It was also cool seeing the cast film the intro to the show, which still amazes me today!

What did you like most about your experience? The Viacom Studios are such a creative space. It felt like so many ideas were always being thrown around everyday, which made the internship so much fun.

What did you learn about yourself? I learned not to doubt myself. Every person and voice in a team counts, doesn’t matter if you’re the executive producer or just an intern.

How did the position increase your professional confidence? Working with experienced professionals and getting industry knowledge from them made me feel a lot more confident in my future and abilities. It was just an internship, but everyone starts somewhere!

How did you expand your professional network? I got to work with a lot of amazing people! Some of the production team worked on Moonlight, others worked on major channels like MTV or Discovery. More importantly, I got to make friendships with a lot of fellow Panthers who will work in the field with me someday.

How did it help you prove yourself in the “real-world?” I quickly learned that there is no better way to learn how to do a job than to jump right into it. Even when I doubted myself, I did my job the best I could and proved that I was there to help my team.

What advice do you have for those beginning the internship process? Someone once told me “Put your name in the hat,” and that’s a motto I live by. Always apply to any opportunity you find. You’ll either get the experience of a lifetime or lose nothing in the process.

– Sarah Hernandez contributed to this post.