This is a series dedicated to highlighting the insights our students gained during their internships.
Name: Katie Hancock, Department of Film & Media Arts
Internship: Art Production & Marketing Art Intern, Avalanche Software | Disney Infinity
What responsibilities did you have as an intern?
The first month of the internship:
- Daily updates to the asset database
- Daily updates to the schedule
- Daily check-ins with the team - getting progress updates and sharing those updates with leads/managers
- Schedule and prep meetings
- Meeting notes and distribution
As I successfully handled the workload the responsibilities increased.
What new skills/knowledge did you gain from your internship?
I came from a medical office background of 10 years so I had to learn everything - the basics and essentials being - the studio culture, how things worked and how I fit in, workflow processes, terminology, software/programs.
What connections did you make and how do you think those connections may help you in your career?
I love the people I worked with at Avalanche and couldn’t have hoped for a better first stepping stone into the games industry. I made life-long friends there, and as my career progresses they have helped me connect with industry professionals through LinkedIn, via email introductions, and sometimes Instagram. Because of my Avalanche connections I have landed life-changing interviews which have been incredibly vital to my career.
What advice would you give other students who are interested in a similar internship?
Work hard - work really hard, and then do even more.
How did your internship compliment your arts education?
It was a great to experience firsthand what it takes to do the job (I thought I wanted). I started my internship thinking I wanted Path A, and after a month or so I knew I definitely didn’t want Path A, and I jumped to an entirely different discipline.
