Internships
AN INTERVIEW WITH HELENA RUSEHelena writes for The Project (Channel 10) and creates at Leftovers Sketch Comedy, with her newest web series INTERNMENT exploring the lows and... lows of internships. Here we talk about Helena’s work and her own interning experiences, what a good internship looks like, how to find the right one, and why having a crack at your own projects is a great way to learn instead. Listen, or read, the interview below.
HR: What do I do? That’s a good question. I do comedy, I guess you’d say. Sketch comedy mainly, but also transitioning into web series and hopefully in the future something a little bit more broad. So I suppose... I am... a maker of things.
EM: What was your interning experience like?
HR: My interning experience was - I’m gonna say bad. But also in hindsight it wasn't that bad. As in, it didn’t give me any skills (laughs) and it was so far from what I was expecting, however it was just doing work for free. So it wasn't as bad as some of the scenarios in our show - That was definitely an exaggeration of the truth, all those scenarios in our show. But the actual feeling behind it was I think quite accurate. Both myself and Pippa and our director Andrew, we’ve all had internships or unpaid experiences that haven't really been helpful… and also maybe slightly humiliating at times. So nothing in [INTERNMENT] was a 100% true, but it came from a feeling that was true.
EM: Is there anything good that came from any internships?
HR: I’ve actually thought about this a lot recently because all the things I am doing now are from an experience I had earlier in my life or something that I've done, so you know, even making sketches and everything has now led to me where I'm working now. All that kind of stuff has been helpful even if I didn’t think it back in the day. So with my internship it was something I had to do for uni, so whatever I say now it doesn't matter - I had to do it anyway.
I think internships are actually really important, I wish I did more of them, or I wish I sought out something that was going to be beneficial to me, or maybe somewhere I would have met a lot more people, or maybe not even an internship, just something that I would have volunteered my time towards. But my specific internship felt like a lot of manual labour, and I don’t really feel I got a lot back from that.
I think it is important to try and find those internship roles because that's where you meet people and that's where -the whole -this whole industry is meeting people, and knowing people. So I wish I tried a bit harder with that.
EM: As you mentioned for you it was part of study, and it is for a lot of people. Do you think it's essential? Do you think internships are an essential part of making creative work?
HR: If they were better, sure. But, no. I think all my skills I developed through just doing our own thing, like a couple years ago, and developing through that way. So no I don't think it's essential, and I think -I feel like a lot of older people say, ‘you've got to do that free, you've got to do that early hard work, do the internships’ all that kind of stuff. I think, nah (laughs) Like, volunteering so much free time when you're not that passionate about the workplace that you're in, the internships that you’re in, feels like a waste of time. But, as I said before, if you found a good one -which I'm sure there are, I just didn't have one, then, no. I guess everyone has a different avenue. So it's just making the most of what you do or what you can get. But I -there was so much value for me making my own stuff and doing it myself.
EM: You have written about what -and experienced what, a not great internship can look like. What does a good internship look like?
HR: Probably, finding a mentor. Probably, gaining some awareness of -I mean I think a lot of people (this is also just in this specific field of film and television) I think probably a lot of the time, people may not know how a show fully works or how some sector of this art world works like as a job rather than a hobby. So it would be like finding out how things actually work, gaining a skill, and meeting people is, it would be an ideal internship.
EM: I think people are largely willing to give up the time to help students and artists because if you are in a position to give an internship you have also done one before.
HR: Yeah I agree. I don't think anyone's trying to make this suck for anyone but it's the nature of free work, and then it becoming that awkward thing -I know so many people who have done an internship or volunteered themselves for a while and then it just goes on. So they've been there for a year and haven’t been paid it all, and that's when a company or a person or whoever giving that internship should be like, ‘Okay, this person -they may feel awkward coming up to me and asking for money,’ or asking for something else. They have to be the ones to offer something else. I think that the main painful part of all that is just offering so much time for free and not many people can afford to do that.
EM: Yeah. It’s definitely a privilege to be able to do that in concurrence with your study. So do you have any tips on how to find the right internship?
HR: Well, I think -and this is something all mums are going to tell you, but just email people. All the time. I thought [an internship] was something that I had to find either through my uni, which was great, but you don't have to wait for emails or look on people's websites for structured internships ‘cause they may not really exist. Just asking people that you know, because generally people -Like, no one’s seeking an intern, but when someone approaches them and says, ‘hey, I really want to learn, I'll just sit by your side,’ most people I think are very much willing to have you there. And then it means you're probably finding something that is a little bit more specific to you, because you’ve sought it out.
EM: How do you survive an internship?
HR: I survived my internship because there was a cool goal at the end of it: I got to go to this massive event for free. And that was worth all the painful times. So just give yourself a goal. Or, my internship also ended at the same time as my whole degree, so that was kind of like, ‘yes, sweet, we got there.’ Tell them it's your birthday and then you get a cake or something. Just lie! (laughs.)
EM: Offices do that, it’s a good perk! My final question for you, do you have any advice for creatives starting out, whether it be at an internship, or in general?
HR: What we were talking about before. If you can, if you have the ability, and the access to make something, even if it's crap, you should definitely make it and put it somewhere to be seen. You can still develop skill by making something and not showing anyone, but I think it's also a huge benefit to you to then show people, or put it somewhere, or showcase it, whatever that may be. Because people often -as much as you can go up to people and offer your skills or whatever, people come up to you, which is also so nice as you're not always running after things. And then you just build up a network, and then from the network you will definitely find work. People can ask you to work on their things, they can come work on yours -like, that's why people go to uni, because you need to find your network. But also, at uni you’re not always going to find your network, like you're not always going to find your niche. So definitely: Make stuff, if you can.
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HR: What do I do? That’s a good question. I do comedy, I guess you’d say. Sketch comedy mainly, but also transitioning into web series and hopefully in the future something a little bit more broad. So I suppose... I am... a maker of things. EM: What was your interning experience like?
HR: My interning experience was - I’m gonna say bad. But also in hindsight it wasn't that bad. As in, it didn’t give me any skills (laughs) and it was so far from what I was expecting, however it was just doing work for free. So it wasn't as bad as some of the scenarios in our show - That was definitely an exaggeration of the truth, all those scenarios in our show. But the actual feeling behind it was I think quite accurate. Both myself and Pippa and our director Andrew, we’ve all had internships or unpaid experiences that haven't really been helpful… and also maybe slightly humiliating at times. So nothing in [INTERNMENT] was a 100% true, but it came from a feeling that was true.
EM: Is there anything good that came from any internships?
HR: I’ve actually thought about this a lot recently because all the things I am doing now are from an experience I had earlier in my life or something that I've done, so you know, even making sketches and everything has now led to me where I'm working now. All that kind of stuff has been helpful even if I didn’t think it back in the day. So with my internship it was something I had to do for uni, so whatever I say now it doesn't matter - I had to do it anyway.
I think internships are actually really important, I wish I did more of them, or I wish I sought out something that was going to be beneficial to me, or maybe somewhere I would have met a lot more people, or maybe not even an internship, just something that I would have volunteered my time towards. But my specific internship felt like a lot of manual labour, and I don’t really feel I got a lot back from that.
I think it is important to try and find those internship roles because that's where you meet people and that's where -the whole -this whole industry is meeting people, and knowing people. So I wish I tried a bit harder with that.
EM: As you mentioned for you it was part of study, and it is for a lot of people. Do you think it's essential? Do you think internships are an essential part of making creative work?
HR: If they were better, sure. But, no. I think all my skills I developed through just doing our own thing, like a couple years ago, and developing through that way. So no I don't think it's essential, and I think -I feel like a lot of older people say, ‘you've got to do that free, you've got to do that early hard work, do the internships’ all that kind of stuff. I think, nah (laughs) Like, volunteering so much free time when you're not that passionate about the workplace that you're in, the internships that you’re in, feels like a waste of time. But, as I said before, if you found a good one -which I'm sure there are, I just didn't have one, then, no. I guess everyone has a different avenue. So it's just making the most of what you do or what you can get. But I -there was so much value for me making my own stuff and doing it myself.
EM: You have written about what -and experienced what, a not great internship can look like. What does a good internship look like?
HR: Probably, finding a mentor. Probably, gaining some awareness of -I mean I think a lot of people (this is also just in this specific field of film and television) I think probably a lot of the time, people may not know how a show fully works or how some sector of this art world works like as a job rather than a hobby. So it would be like finding out how things actually work, gaining a skill, and meeting people is, it would be an ideal internship.
EM: I think people are largely willing to give up the time to help students and artists because if you are in a position to give an internship you have also done one before.
HR: Yeah I agree. I don't think anyone's trying to make this suck for anyone but it's the nature of free work, and then it becoming that awkward thing -I know so many people who have done an internship or volunteered themselves for a while and then it just goes on. So they've been there for a year and haven’t been paid it all, and that's when a company or a person or whoever giving that internship should be like, ‘Okay, this person -they may feel awkward coming up to me and asking for money,’ or asking for something else. They have to be the ones to offer something else. I think that the main painful part of all that is just offering so much time for free and not many people can afford to do that.
EM: Yeah. It’s definitely a privilege to be able to do that in concurrence with your study. So do you have any tips on how to find the right internship?
HR: Well, I think -and this is something all mums are going to tell you, but just email people. All the time. I thought [an internship] was something that I had to find either through my uni, which was great, but you don't have to wait for emails or look on people's websites for structured internships ‘cause they may not really exist. Just asking people that you know, because generally people -Like, no one’s seeking an intern, but when someone approaches them and says, ‘hey, I really want to learn, I'll just sit by your side,’ most people I think are very much willing to have you there. And then it means you're probably finding something that is a little bit more specific to you, because you’ve sought it out.
EM: How do you survive an internship?
HR: I survived my internship because there was a cool goal at the end of it: I got to go to this massive event for free. And that was worth all the painful times. So just give yourself a goal. Or, my internship also ended at the same time as my whole degree, so that was kind of like, ‘yes, sweet, we got there.’ Tell them it's your birthday and then you get a cake or something. Just lie! (laughs.)
EM: Offices do that, it’s a good perk! My final question for you, do you have any advice for creatives starting out, whether it be at an internship, or in general?
HR: What we were talking about before. If you can, if you have the ability, and the access to make something, even if it's crap, you should definitely make it and put it somewhere to be seen. You can still develop skill by making something and not showing anyone, but I think it's also a huge benefit to you to then show people, or put it somewhere, or showcase it, whatever that may be. Because people often -as much as you can go up to people and offer your skills or whatever, people come up to you, which is also so nice as you're not always running after things. And then you just build up a network, and then from the network you will definitely find work. People can ask you to work on their things, they can come work on yours -like, that's why people go to uni, because you need to find your network. But also, at uni you’re not always going to find your network, like you're not always going to find your niche. So definitely: Make stuff, if you can.
Helena’s interview was part of the first iteration of make it, work released in October, 2019.
You can watch the INTERNMENT web series and more of Helena’s comedy here.
Thanks Helena!
You can watch the INTERNMENT web series and more of Helena’s comedy here.
Thanks Helena!