CEO at Lionsgate

I had the pleasure of actually being able to meet and interact with the CEO of Lionsgate. It was amazing to watch how we worked. He has a very creative and strategic mindset that has allowed him to build Lionsgate into the company it is today. I can only imagine how much stress he is under all the time and wonder if that is something I would ever want in my life one day. He does a great job and really seems to care about his employees and the company.

On the other hand, if I were to be in my boss's position, as the SVP of Corporate Communication and Investor relations there are a few habits I would change. First off, he is an extreme control freak and has a hard time accepting help and delegating work to others. He does not work very efficiently, which ultimately creates a lot of stress for him. He often puts in really long hours and stays at the office late into the night. He recently hired two new people to help him out with his tasks, but he just can't seem to trust anyone else with his work. On the flip side, everything he produces is great quality and been super important for the company. Since I do not have much to compare my experience to it is hard to point out what else I would change. I learned that it is very important to have constant and clear communication, praise employees when they have done a good job, and treat everyone you work with in a professional and respectable manner.

Blog #6 CEO for a Day

If I was in charge of running this organization I would try to create less of a hierarchy. While everyone within the office, whether an intern or the CEO, was treated with respect, there is definitely a tier system. In my time as an intern I only came into contact with one of the three CEOs once for about half a minute. While this would be normal at a large corporation, there are only 26 employees, so I expected to interact with them a bit more. All of the higher ups are also extremely dependent on their assistants, as most tend to be, but they were so dependent that some assistants were not allowed to leave their desks, or if they did, it could only be for a few minutes. I understand that in order to go far in most fields, especially the entertainment industry, you have to pay your dues, but everyone deserves a break, even if it's just grab a sandwich, or go to the bathroom. Another big part of this industry is communication, and while the assistants are really good at their jobs, no one is perfect. There were a few times that I heard a higher up scream at their assistant for making a mistake, which I found to be counterproductive, and a little abusive. Yelling at someone, and overreacting, tend to make the problem worse, and calmly asking them to fix whatever it is, is equally, if not more, beneficial.

CEO for the day @ The Tennessean

This is an extremely difficult prompt to address about the Tennessean, seeing as there have been so many changes as of recently, in which everyone got fired and are now reapplying for their jobs.

That said, I don't know what I would do as CEO for a day. As a reporter, my heart and allegiance lies in the newsroom, with the people I have seen working hard and writing stories, and doing their jobs diligently and passionately. I wish that every single one of them could stay in the newsroom. I would never call any of them dispensable, nor would I say that they're unnecessary.

The world of newspapers needs to change. That's the truth. Newspapers are behind the times, and a drastic change is required in order to make that change. And, change is always hard, especially when that change results in good people packing up a box full of their things and leaving their place of work.

If I were CEO for the day at the Tennessean, I would ensure that the employees knew how much I appreciated everything they've done. I'd tell them that their work is valued, and important, and that people care about what they are writing, and they should never stop doing what they love. I'd tell them that there will always be journalism, no matter what form it is delivered in.

I would never want to be CEO for the day, however. I could never make the hard decisions that would put good people out of a job.

Looking Back/Overall Insight

As I complete the last week of my internship at Unearth the World, I realize that my experiences at UM helped shape my success this summer. When I had first applied for the position, I was interviewed by my boss Kathryn and she was very interested in my research experiences that I had gained through my years as being part of the Global Scholars Program. We had completed research action projects that gave me greater insight on research as well as facilitation, teamwork and leadership. My membership with Kappa Alpha Pi Pre-Law Fraternity was also of great help in giving me a sense of leadership and teamwork. These were important attributes to have for a company that required well documented country guides and a need for more international partners. Me and Kathryn and Mike became a very hard working team and I was told that I contributed greatly to their efforts to grow as  a company and I can only attribute this to my LSA education and all the papers and research I have had to complete. I posted and reviewed blogs on our website every week and my writing skills related to the topics were well informed. My International Studies and Spanish Majors were also great backgrounds related to my work because I had to know a great deal about culture shock and other international travel topics for the blogs and I even was able to speak Spanish with some of our potential future partners in Peru. I was surprised by the voluntourism industry in general because prior to starting my internship I hadn't really known much about it. My first few weeks in I thought it was a wonderful concept to send people to other countries to volunteer but what surprised me was that there were many negatives of this industry as well. I never knew such a good concept could also be so bad but it made it even more essential for us to portray this and to show how our company is different from others that send volunteers without proper training and without sustainability in mind. This can cause irresponsible volunteering and it is something we hope to improve upon. I was able to handle portraying these in our blogs and through researching articles and blogs from people that had gone through such voluntourism trips to further my understanding of what their experiences were like and what they would or could change. Another thing that surprised me was how much more difficult it was to find a volunteer partner in the U.S. It was much easier to find needs to meet in other countries but finding a good partner that provided requirements such as housing and food for the volunteers was extremely difficult. I was able to tackle this by being more creative and thinking of organizations that would need volunteers for a short term trip and that's when I sought to approach places where they needed help in housing, such as New Orleans, and Indian Reservations and these proved to be great partners because they also provided a cultural exchange to the volunteers on the sites. Going through University websites on spring break trips and finding partners at UM and other schools also proved to be helpful in allowing me to find more U.S. partners. Overall, I learned a great deal during this internship and my research and writing experiences I gained through my LSA background were helpful in allowing me to spread the word on voluntourism.

CEO for a day

I would not want to be in charge of the financial operations of a print publication these days. It's a grim job, I suspect.

I got decently familiar with both the Editor in Chief and the Managing Editor for the Reader, both of whom were very nice. While I partly longed to achieve their status some day, I also don't envy the decisions they've had to make.

If I was CEO, I would do my best to find a way to keep print alive. I know it's unlikely the decision most people would make but I would at least try to make it work. Also, depending on the budgetary constraints, I'd do my best to pay writers by salary, not by story. Story-by-story pay is bleak and I'd want to entice writers with at least some semblance of job security.

Also, I would get free lunch in the office as much as possible. If there's one thing I've learned journalists love, it's free food.

Looking Back

Actually, my liberal arts education hasn't prepared me much for my work as a journalist.

Since Michigan doesn't have a journalism school and I'm a public policy major, most of my knowledge of journalism comes from work experience at the Michigan Daily and previous jobs.

That's not to say my education has been useless. I've tried my best to take a diverse array of classes that touch on a variety of topics. Because of this, I have an varied background in many areas that helps me understand the stories I pursue and the issues I write about.

I'm not particularly surprised by this. Michigan's classes do offer some great opportunities to quickly learn about new topics and periods of history. However, I maintain that the most beneficial things you will learn that can be applied to a future job come from the actual work experience. My education in my prospective work field is going to come from fellow reporters, senior writers and anyone else I meet as I continue to work. Still, my hope is use my Michigan education to gain an expertise in a particular area so that I can write more confidently on it in the future.

CEO for a day

The company I worked for is a massive company a member of the fortune 100. I therefore never met my CEO and it is difficult to introduce micro level changes in such a position. Hypothetically though, if I was CEO I would like to take the time out to meet all the new interns at the company. This would really help new interns feel welcome and a true part of the company. Selfishly I would invest in a sports team so that I can get a box seat for my friends, family and of course myself to watch all the home games. I would focus on recruiting more Michigan students because in my experience here they are some of the brightest and most well rounded students in the country. I would also open a branch in Karachi, Pakistan that is my hometown to encourage economic and technological development in my country Pakistan.

Looking Back

My education at Michigan really helped me during my internship. I am a computer science major and I learned how to code during my time here. The skills I learned in school were therefore, vital for my internship.  Unfortunately, the programming languages, which were being used by the company, I was working for I was not familiar with because I had been taught to code in Python and C++ at Michigan. My internship required me to use C# and SQL. These were languages, which I was not previously familiar with and therefore had to teach myself how to code in these languages. However, I found that the Michigan had provided me with a good basic foundation through which I was able to pick up these languages fairly quickly and easily and be productive during my internship.

Another issue I found was the my internship was fairly unstructured in the sense that I found myself having to ask for more projects or work or give my input without being prompted. I found that the confidence I had because of my liberal arts education at Michigan during which I am constantly encouraged to air my thoughts and ideas.

Changing Perspectives

I don’t know if my perceptions about journalism ended up changing by the end of the summer but they certainly swung from one end of the spectrum to the next.

At the start of the summer, I was impressed to see how passionate the writers at the Reader were and how much they loved their work. I wanted to be just like the news staff: well informed, experienced in city reporting, and insightful about all city issues. It got me really excited to be a writer and had me eager to do more work and get serious about a journalism career.

However, as the summer went on I watched the unsettling truth unfold as the Reader had to deal with some difficult budget decisions. The print-newspaper model is dying for sure but there is still plenty to be gained online. I sat in on staff meetings where management had to tell some people to work from home while office space was being consolidated and other, similar cuts were made. It has definitely scared me in terms of future job security in the industry and makes me think it could be very risky to pursue a career as a writer.

Still, the one thing I have found is that no one actually knows what the future will hold. Everyone seems to have a strong opinion about which way the wind is blowing but it doesn’t seem like anyone has a better understanding of the situation than anyone else. I think as long as I continue to work hard and perfect my craft, there will be jobs out there.

Overcoming Obstacles

To be completely honest, I’ve been a little disappointed in myself in terms of the amount of work I got done.

The Reader allows interns to pitch stories as much as we’d like but they still need to be up to the Reader’s standards. I found pitching to be incredibly hard. Not only is the Reader a weekly paper, meaning they don’t do breaking news like a daily newspaper, they are also alternative, meaning there is a different voice and tone to their stories from the typical news story.

I had trouble getting a hold on both sides of this. Because I’m an intern, I wasn’t able and didn’t have the time to do a full feature of any kind but because it’s a weekly paper I also wasn’t able to just do the quick breaking news write-ups an intern might do at the Sun-Times, for example. Additionally, when I did turn in work it was usually cut up pretty good because I wasn’t used to the writing style. Actually, after talking with Mick, it turned out that I was trying too hard to match the style and it was harmful to the clarity of my writing.

Mick and I talked about the work I was doing and he said that my reporting was still solid and that’s what was important. I’m still proud of the few clips I did write, they are indeed solid bits of reporting and I learned a lot in the process of putting those stories together.

In the future, I think I’m going to just go with any idea I have and not tie myself down with trying to find perfect ideas. I’ve learned that editors are very receptive and happy to help adjust an idea into something workable if you give them a starting point. 

Getting to know my colleagues

The environment in the Chicago Reader's newsroom is pretty quiet. People come in and do their work without a ton of interaction between each other. It's odd, it's a stark contrast from the Michigan Daily newsroom where people are chatting all the time. It's probably the result of having so much content and such a small staff at the same time; there is constantly work to be done and quickly. 

Still, the staff was very receptive to me and was eager to have me be involved. I worked most closely with Mick Dumke, a senior writer who I think I’ve mentioned in previous posts. While I always had to be proactive in asking for new opportunities, Mick was always willing to get me involved and have me pitch story ideas.

Throughout the internship, I got to know Mick and the rest of the staff much better through the Chicago-wide media softball league. The Reader plays once a week against teams from the other news organizations in Chicago (the Tribune, Wall Street Journal’s Chicago branch, NPR, etc.). It was a great way to connect with the staff outside of work and made it easier for me to approach them when we were all back in the office.

The Reader actually held an intern lunch where we could pick the brains of the staff about journalism as a profession. As plenty of people know, journalism is a rapidly changing industry and there are some grim opinions about the future prospects for young writers. The staff very honestly told us about their low pay and tough hours. However, they stressed that they love their jobs and said if we feel the same way that we should absolutely pursue a career in journalism.

It was very helpful to hear from the staff and talk to them so candidly about the job. I’ve learned that if I do choose to go into journalism, it will be a lot of tough work and that I have to be very dedicated. 

Looking Back at Lionsgate

This summer my role as the Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Intern at Lionsgate was exciting and educational. For me, the most valuable aspects I took away from it were the connections I made and the insight I gained about the entertainment industry. At first I was kind of bitter about being the only intern placed in the corporate department, but it ended up being a great thing. I familiarized myself with some pretty powerful people in the industry and learned about all aspects of business from TV, film, distribution, marketing, and the list goes on. It opened my eyes up to many positions that big companies, and in particular studios need to function. Looking back I wish I could have taken more advantage early on of my surroundings, because initially I was intimidated by everyone. It was a real pleasure working for Lionsgate because of their high-energy environment and dedication to grow the company.

While talking to other colleagues I often asked why they thought working at Lionsgate is better than other studios. Most responded with size of the company. While Lionsgate is a big company with 600+ employees across 3 office locations, it does not come close to the size of other companies like FOX, CBS, Universal, or Disney for example. Most other studios are huge corporations with intricate bureaucratic structures making it difficult to feel like you are really making an impact on the company in such low positions. My colleagues also expressed the challenges and politics of larger companies.  Overall I learned a tremendous amount while interning at Lionsgate and while I don't have the experience to compare it to other companies, it seems like it would be a great  place to work one day.

Looking Back

Michigan is definitely an academically rigorous school, which worked to my advantage in general. But, the main thing I found surprisingly difficult to work with was Excel (of all things!). I started on Excel and eventually moved on to Google spreadsheets for the main project I was assigned this summer, and I have to say it got a little stressful at times. Being the only person working on this specific assignment, I’m glad I get to take all the credit for myself, but that also meant I didn’t want to mess things up. I know that it’s going to be presented at a corporate meeting eventually (probably after I’m already back at school), and based on results SoulCycle is going to adjust their marketing strategy. It’s cool to know that something I’m responsible for can have that much of an impact, but at the same time that means it really has to be perfect. Fortunately, it went really well and my boss told me my work and analysis were excellent, which was so gratifying. As my internship comes to a close, I’m happy to say that I really feel like I accomplished something this summer. Although there wasn't always a ton for me to do, at least I finished something that will actually help the company. Managing time and stress at U of M overall definitely made me equipped to manage my time and stress level as an intern, and the two experiences definitely built upon each other nicely. 

Changing Perspectives

Going in to this internship, I had an idea of SoulCycle as a consumer that it was a place where everything was perfect and nothing bad could ever happen. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing place that is extremely well-run, but it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows 24/7. People run in to problems at work that need solving, and sometimes it takes longer than you’d like to figure things out. As I’ve said before, the working environment is very supportive, and everyone is just as much friends as they are coworkers. I only wish I had more time here to get to know everyone better! As my internship winds down, I still can’t help but think that this was the best possible way for me to spend the second half of my summer. I got great working experience and was able to meet and learn from fantastic, intelligent, hardworking people. As a Communications major, I’m glad I got a taste of what the marketing world is like, since those kinds of professions are so applicable to my field of study. Although there are things I like about the job more than others, overall I’m thrilled to have had the chance to work at SoulCycle.