Name: Julie Kutchin
Internship Company: Viacom
Title: Digital Studios International MBA Intern (Summer 2019)
Can you tell us what department you worked in and provide a brief description of their work?
Viacom Digital Studios International (VIMN) handles all of Viacom's content that lives on digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook, etc from development phase through marketing and distribution. The international team also coordinates efforts with Viacom's offices around the world.
What did you do for work before coming to Stern?
I worked in entertainment before school as well. I worked in Ad Sales at NBCUniversal and Integrated Marketing at Discovery Communications.
What was your role or what projects did you work on?
This summer I predominantly worked on one project - a YouTube revenue strategy project for the entirety of Viacom's international YouTube channels. I investigated revenue streams, identified opportunities for growth and prepared comprehensive recommendations to boost revenue across channels. I also spent a lot of time networking with people throughout the company and learning about a variety of departments.
What skills or knowledge were necessary for success in your internship and how did Stern help prepare you?
Excel, PowerPoint and YouTube's analytics suite were the tools I relied most heavily on this summer. Remembering back to my strategy class and what I had learned from Professor Marciano helped me as I analyzed data, formed hypothesizes and prepared my revenue strategy recommendations. Also, being familiar with Viacom's shows was helpful.
What advice would you give for people interested in this role?
Stay on top of industry news, get comfortable with Excel and hone your data analysis skills. Things are always changing in a digital team, so be comfortable with ambiguity and be agile.
How would you describe your recruiting experience? Please include as much detail as possible (such as timeline, how you prepared, types of interviews, etc.)
I went to the Viacom MBA day at their office and applied without a cover letter in November. I was contacted by the recruiter in January to say she thought I could be a good fit for a specific team and I had a phone screen with her a few days later. She moved me on to an interview with the hiring manager, which took place in person later in January. It was a 1-hour interview with no case style questions. He told me there would likely be a second-round interview but I would hear back regardless in a few weeks. I ended up hearing back from the recruiter about a month later that I was offered the internship, I did not have a second-round interview. The hiring manager reached out to me in April to come into the office to have a regroup before my internship started where he explained a bit more about my summer project and introduced me to the SVP I would be working closely with.
What has been your best entertainment & media experience (class, event, internship, trip etc.) at Stern so far?
The Cannes Film Festival course, hands down.
What's your favorite TV show or movie right now?
The Man in the High Castle