Fanbyte Is Looking For A (Brand New) Paid Summer Intern!

Oi!

Do you like video games? What about writing and talking about video games? Podcasts, do you like those? Are you a resident of the United States?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, allow me to tell you about our returning editorial internship! Our summer internship program, or F.A.N.B.Y.T.E. (Fanbyte’s Awesome New-ish Blogging Youth Training Experience), is open to all current undergrad college/university students in the US over the age of 18. As an intern here, you’ll get an inside look at how a games and culture website is run, have the chance to create your own content, and assist in determining the site’s output over the summer. This, obviously, is a remote position.

The ideal candidate is eager to get their feet into games press, and has some experience with writing, video/audio production, and social content creation. You’ll have the opportunity to touch nearly everything we do here, including our podcasts and livestreams. We’d love to read your clips, see your video reels, and listen to your audio work. If you are from a background that is not well represented in this space we strongly encourage you to apply.

Gonna hit that one more time – if you are a BIPOC or a member of the LGBTQ+ community I strongly encourage you to apply.

Our podcast network is growing and becoming an increasingly important component of our publication. If you have experience creating audio (for your college radio station, your own personal podcasts, etc.) we’d love to listen to some of your work. If you have experience translating that audio into social content, we’d love to see that too. I do not need to see a boring ass cover letter. Save your time and mine, I’m not going to read it. Show me something interesting, show me why you think you are a good fit for the position. I would sooner watch a 3-5 minute long video resume or listen to an audio cover letter of a similar length – send me something like that, instead.

This is the second year of Fanbyte’s internship program, and I thought it’d be nice to include some words from Renata, our first ever intern. Ren, take it away:

My internship at Fanbyte really does feel like a turning point for me. Until then I was really unsure if there was any space for me in games media. I knew I loved to write and loved the idea of being on podcasts. I loved games. This internship gave me the space I needed to realize not only where I could fit in this industry, but helped me to better imagine what it can be. My internship at Fanbyte was a dream come true but, more than that, it put me in contact with an astounding group of people some of whom I hope will be lifelong friends. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to point me towards a future worth imagining. And neither can you, future intern. We should be friends BTW. This kinda feels like I’m being told my parents are having another kid except Fanbyte isn’t divorced and I am 20.

Thanks, Ren.

This is a fun job. I want you to learn and have fun while you’re working here. I also want to help you get your foot in the door of this industry, and I want you to forge connections that will last your whole working career (if you decide to stay in this space). We will care for you and do our best to make your time here as fulfilling as possible.

The internship is a paid, full-time ($22/hour, 40 hours/week) opportunity. If you are seeking college credit, we can do that too. (You’ll get paid either way, though.)

I am only a few of years separated from the internship grind, so I know how hard, confusing, and frustrating the process of finding a summer gig can be. I also know how much bullshit is involved in the application process – there is nothing worse than being left on read by a faceless company. To avoid tossing y’all into that lurch, we’re going to ensure that if if you submit an application, you’ll get a response.

The last thing I want to do is leave y’all grasping for a response in the middle of a damn pandemic. If you are continuing your education in light of the country and world falling apart you are unbelievably headstrong and deserve a pat on the back for that alone. I want to respect your time, so I’m going to outline the notification dates. These dates may change, but I will let folks know if that happens. I did my best to have notification dates not happen on Fridays so that any bad news doesn’t ruin your weekend.

January 20 – Application Opens

March 5 – Application Closes

March 11 – Applicants who progress to the phone interview stage are notified.

March 16-19 – Phone Interview Block

March 22 – Applicants who progress to the final interview stage are notified.

March 25-30 – Second Interview Block

April 5 – Offer extended, remaining applicants notified.

You can find the official job listing on LinkedIn.

If you have questions about the internship (or want to apply not via LinkedIn), you can email me at niki@fanbyte.com. You can also contact me on Twitter.

Also, if you have questions about what the internship is like from the perspective of the intern, Ren has kindly volunteered to provide her input! You can find her on Twitter, and can DM her your questions.

Get those portfolios in shape and send ‘em on over!