Week 2 at ICM

At ICM, most of my training has been informal. Because I work most closely with the agent's assistants in the talent department, they have been my main resource for my education here. When they don't have tasks for me to do, or scripts for me to cover, they will have me listen in on their phone conversations through a "splitter", which attaches to their phone, and allow me to listen in to the agents business conversations. The overall environment of ICM really lends itself to interns feeling comfortable asking questions, because it is such an open, inviting environment where everyone is very comfortable with each other. Also, because I sit next to the assistants in an open seating plan, they are always available to answer my questions, any time I may have any.

At our intern lunches every Monday, an agent will come and talk to us about their background and experience, and any advice they may have for us. We then have time for question and answer, and they always urge us to come in to their offices any time we'd like and speak with them about any other questions we may have, or just have a conversation about our experience here. They have been great mentors and also these lunches have made them seem much more approachable and less intimidating.

Two of the agents assistants' around me, Jared and Nadi, have proven to be possible mentors for me. I was officially assigned to be the intern for Lorrie Bartlett, whose assistant is Nadi, so I spent a lot of time shadowing him initially, but Jared was immediately friendly and adamant on me also listening in on his calls so that I could get a more well rounded experience. They both told me about their background and how they ended up at ICM, and let me know that they would be happy to write me letters of recommendation if I may need them.

Jared

Nadi

My Michigan mentor is Brittany Hapner, who also works at a production company. We got along so well, and had so many similarities, namely our majors (communication) and that she works in the entertainment industry, and that I hope to! We met for dinner at Urth Caffe, and I was so grateful that I was assigned a mentor who has a career that I would love to emulate. She really inspired me with her story of how she now got this great job, and walked me through all of her internships, and explained how they all were equally important, and led her into her next one. She also gave me the names of teachers and classes that she loved at Michigan, and recommended that I get involved with MACS, the Michigan Association of Communication Studies, a student organization that she was, and still is, heavily involved with. She also gave me great advice about how to always maintain a professional dynamic with people, and gave me advice on how to handle interviews and follow ups. She was so friendly and relatable and it was a great experience for me!