It is Firelight’s mission to mentor our interns and give them the skills and experience to be the next generation of film, media, and arts administration professionals. Our internship program will give dedicated and driven participants the opportunity to assist our Firelight Media and Firelight Films teams with a variety of projects depending on their area of interest. Opportunities include the production and development of documentary film projects; graphic design and social video production; fundraising and arts administration, and more.
Firelight is two separate organizations with one mission: to support communities of color in front of and behind the camera. We seek interns in several departments: Production, Communication, Operations, Development.
Overall Intern Tasks and Activities
- Orientation – All interns will be invited to attend a group orientation session to learn about Firelight’s work and meet staff and fellow interns across all departments.
- Weekly Check-ins – Interns will be supported via weekly check-ins with department staff.
- Evaluations – Interns will be provided with a mid-term evaluation as well as a final evaluation from their direct supervisor(s) upon request.
- Lunch and Learn – Interns will participate in a series of lunches/meetings about different topics related to documentary production and arts administration.
- Masterclasses with Stanley Nelson – Interns will be invited to attend a series of Masterclasses with Stanley Nelson and other leading documentary filmmakers to gain insight into the field of documentary filmmaking and humanities scholarship.
Production interns work with staff and crew of Firelight Films on upcoming productions and provide general support for the production company.
Production intern tasks include:
- Working closely with the Production Manager to learn the ins and outs of setting up shoots; location scouting, researching crew, ordering supplies, tracking shoot expenses, etc.
- Organizing and backing up project drives – strong media asset management is preferred.
- Working closely with archival producers to research, organize, and log relevant photos, articles, and videos into Filemaker database.
- Opportunity to join as a production assistant on local shoots in NYC (tentative).
- Working alongside Office PA to maintain and organize project deliverables which include transcriptions, cast and crew logs, visual cue sheets, music cue sheets,
- Are invited to attend a dedicated Documentary Filmmaking Masterclass with Stanley Nelson.
Program Requirements
Interns are given the option to work two or more full days per week (Mon-Fri), or a minimum of 15 hours per week This is currently an unpaid internship but we can provide academic credit or recommendations based on internship performance.
NOTE: Internships will be conducted remotely, as the majority of Firelight staff work remotely from locations across the U.S. Interns who desire to work occasionally on-site at Firelight’s headquarters in Harlem, NYC, or at special film screenings and events should indicate this in their cover letter.
If you’re interested in learning more about documentary filmmaking and arts administration and gaining hands-on experience, Firelight might be the place for you!
Send your cover letter and resume to the contact listed for each department. Please write “Firelight Internship” in the email subject and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. For general inquiries about Firelight’s internship opportunities, please write to info@firelightmedia.org.