Grady InternViews: Demi Lehman

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

Demi is participating in the Grady LA field study and internship program. She has two internships, one as a development intern for the Motion Picture Corporation of America, and another as a casting trainee with David Kang Casting.

Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities.

David Kang Casting focuses primarily on casting music videos, commercials, film, and digital content. Their previous projects include casting for Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Bad Blood” music videos and Katy Perry’s “Roar” music video. Some of my responsibilities include writing and posting character breakdowns to casting websites, reviewing auditions, and communicating with producers and talent.

The Motion Picture Corporation of America (MCPA) is a production company that has produced a wide array of films from Dumb and Dumber to Netflix’s The Princess Switch series starring Vanessa Hudgens. As an intern, I am responsible for reading and covering scripts, assisting in making pitch decks, and social media and agency outreach.

What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned so far?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and do more than you’re required to. Your supervisors want you to learn and make the most of your time, so they will appreciate it when you take initiative.

What about this position has surprised you?

For both of my internships, everyone has been so flexible and open with catering my responsibilities to my interests, as well as making sure I am getting what I want out of the internship. I wasn’t expecting there to be this much flexibility in the industry, especially at the intern level, so I have appreciated their efforts to adapt to my interests and needs.

How will this role guide your future career path?

My supervisor at my casting internship knows I have a background in acting, and that I want to pursue acting professionally when I graduate. Because of this, she has encouraged me to audition for our company’s casting calls that fit my demographics to get practice and get seen by L.A. producers and directors. I wasn’t expecting that I would be able to be both a casting assistant and actor at the same time, so this has been an amazing discovery to learn it’s possible to do both. Even if I decide to stop pursing acting, I love getting to work in casting to help uplift other actors following their dreams.

What has been your favorite part about your internship so far?

At both of my internships, my favorite part has been getting to connect with new people. I have met so many kind and hardworking individuals who are happy to share their knowledge and experiences in the industry with me. I also enjoy getting to know the other interns I’m working with and building a network for myself to have for when I am out of school.

What advice would you give to students who are looking to pursue similar opportunities?

Don’t be discouraged if you’re not getting offers immediately when you’re just starting out on the internship hunt. I remember being confident I would find something in two weeks, when it actually ended up taking me about three months and reaching out to over a hundred people. Networking and prospecting takes time, so start early – but don’t consider how long it takes as an indicator of your self-worth.