Write a blog article about how a father helped his son find an internship in the entertainment industry...

With all the buzz in the market I could not help wondering if ChatGTP would be able to help me become a more prolific writer. I had a draft of an article I wanted to write about the search my son and I went through for his internship but had been putting it off. I finally got around to it today and entered the title you see above as the prompt. The output came up with John and Michael as father and son. I have changed that to "I" and "him" to make it more authentic. All other edits by me and comments are shown in [brackets]. While I knew that ChatGTP could write well, the similarity between the real story and what this AI bot came up with is downright terrifying!

The Internship Search

The entertainment industry can be a challenging field to break into, especially for those who are just starting out. However, with the right guidance and support, it is possible to land an internship that can lead to a successful career. This is the story of how I helped my son find an internship in the entertainment industry and the valuable lessons we learned along the way.

My son has always had a love for the entertainment industry. He had always been interested in film and television production, and had even taken a few classes in college to learn more about it. [OK, maybe he took one class] However, like many students, He struggled to find an internship that would give him the hands-on experience he needed to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

I knew that finding an internship in the entertainment industry could be difficult, but I also knew that with the right guidance and support, my son could succeed. So, I decided to use my own connections in the industry to help him find an internship.

I began by reaching out to my contacts in the entertainment industry [through Linkedin], asking if they knew of any internships that might be a good fit for my son. [Actually, I told my contacts that my son is interested in their industry and an internship and would they mind if I shared their email with him so that he could reach out and ask some questions. I think asking right away for the internship at there company would have been too aggressive plus I wanted my son to be the one who asked.]  I also looked for opportunities on industry job boards and websites. [I did not do the job boards, I advised my son to do that himself]  As I searched, I realized that many of the internships available were unpaid and that the competition for paid internships was fierce. [Actually, we realized quickly that there were very few companies offering internships at all, paid or unpaid.]

Despite the challenges, I didn't give up. I encouraged my son to apply for as many internships as possible [To speak to as many people as possible.] and to be persistent in his efforts. My son followed my advice and applied for several internships [Talked to many people]. Finally, after several months of searching, he landed an unpaid internship at a production company.

The internship was a valuable experience for him, giving him the opportunity to work on set, learn from industry professionals, and gain hands-on experience in the entertainment industry. The experience was challenging, but it was also very rewarding. I was proud of my son's determination and hard work, and knew that the experience would help him in his future career.

Our experience illustrates the importance of persistence and determination when searching for an internship in a competitive field like the entertainment industry. It also highlights the value of having a support system, like a parent or mentor, who can provide guidance and make valuable connections. With the right approach and support, it is possible to break into the entertainment industry and start building a successful career. 

[Allow me to add some practical content here at the end. I did a search on Linkedin for anyone in my connections in the entertainment industry. I had a list of about 100 suitable contacts and sent roughly the same message to all of them:

Hi, my son is a rising senior at (name of college) and is looking for an internship this summer. He is very interested in (insert company name here) and I was wondering if it is OK for me to give him your contact so he can reach out directly to you for some guidance?

The response was positive and I would hand off the contacts as they came in to my son who would then send his own message to them. His message would ask them for some time on the phone or zoom so he could ask some questions and learn more about the industry. I helped occasionally after that with drafts of messages or recommendations on when to follow up. As ChatGTP pointed out correctly, persistence and determination are what won out in the end and he did find an internship at a production company.]

Next blog article? Write a winning college essay to help my daughter get into Tufts. Will have to see what ChatGTP has to say about that one!

The HeadhunterDad, AKA Lawrence Kieffer, is a professor of career studies at Temple University, Japan campus, the COO for Fidel Consulting an APAC Recruiting and Staffing firm focused on IT professionals, a devoted husband, and father of two amazing kids. Follow on Twitter, Linkedin or Facebook.

Image by kjpargeter on Freepik