Meaningful Internships

One of the cool benefits of working at Detroit Public TV is that you meet a lot of creative, smart people. Recently, I shared lunch with Aaron Dworkin and his team from the Sphinx Organization, which is working hard to increase the number of African American and Latino string players in classical music. Hearing about their innovative efforts to get violins into the hands of young people sparked a number of ideas about how public television could help them achieve their goals. A day later, Steve Hamp, the former head of The Henry Ford, now leading the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan, and an all-round brilliant guy, spoke to our staff about efforts to retain and attract young people to Detroit.
Among his many interesting observations, Steve shared research which showed that young people who participate in meaningful internships at local businesses and non-profit organizations are more likely to stay in the area once they embark on their careers. I know this to be true from my experience at Detroit Public TV. Many of the people that we’ve hired over the years started as interns. We get to know them; they learn about us and have the inside track once a job opens up.
So… here’s the deal. We need interns at Detroit Public TV. Put your skills to work in TV production, internet research and writing, graphic design and other areas. We’ll promise not to waste your time or make you fetch us coffee; in short, we’ll try to make your internship with us meaningful. In return, you’ll volunteer your time, learn about our biz, and maybe even share lunch with a few smart people. Interested? Contact us at tcozad@dptv.org.