Be our spring intern!
/Out There seeks (remote) production intern for spring 2021
Photo by Torsten Dettlaff
This internship is an excellent opportunity to work one-on-one with an award-winning podcast team, and develop your audio production and editorial skills.
About Out There
Hosted by former Wyoming Public Radio reporter Willow Belden, Out There is an award-winning show that explores big questions through intimate stories in the outdoors.
What do we mean by “outdoors”? Anything outside your door! We believe the outdoors is for all, regardless of where you were raised or the color of your skin, because if you've stepped outside your house for any reason, you have a connection to nature. We seek to celebrate those connections and amplify stories that are often sidelined in mainstream media.
What are our stories like? Here are a few examples:
“A Series of Unlikely Events” is a love story between a Black kayaker and a white rock climber, which explores whether you should take a chance on someone, even if things seem too good to be true.
In “Out of the Shadows,” a trans woman sets out to climb the highest mountain on every continent, in order to shift the narrative about trans people.
In “Before It’s Too Late,” a woman with African American and Cherokee roots travels to Mongolia, in hopes of regaining the eco-literacy that her own family has lost over the past few generations.
Most Out There episodes take the form of narratives, with highly edited scripts and detailed sound design. Occasionally, we also run interviews when the subject matter is spot on.
About the Internship
“As a recent graduate, I was looking for an opportunity to collaborate with an experienced podcast producer. The experience is truly all-encompassing: I learned some basics of the business side of an independent podcast, I was tasked with providing insight and critiques on scripts and pitches all while brainstorming and creating on my own Out There episode. Willow is extremely talented and organized; her experience in audio is something I feel lucky to learn from! I definitely recommend this opportunity if you are looking to sharpen your knowledge in audio storytelling!”
— Stephanie Maltarich, fall production intern
We want you to be doing work you’re excited about, so we’ll tailor the internship to you, based on your goals, interests and skills.
Here are some things your internship could focus on (please indicate in your cover letter which of these interest you most):
Audio production — cutting tape, editing interviews, doing sound design/mixing for stories (this would require basic knowledge of audio editing software, such as Adobe Audition, though we will work with you to hone your skills)
Editorial — evaluating story pitches, pre-interviewing guests, booking interviews, editing scripts
Suggest your own focus — if there’s something you could bring to the table that’s not listed above, we’re all ears.
Audio mix of an Out There episode
What You’ll Get
“Working with Willow and the team at Out There has been such a bright spot for me this fall. The internship has given me the opportunity to continue to build my audio reporting and production skills in a constructive and collaborative environment. And Willow guides you through it all, from evaluating incoming pitches and editing narrative scripts to mixing episodes in Audition. … If you're an early-career audio maker looking for a supportive mentor with loads of experience in audio journalism, I definitely recommend this internship.”
— Anmargaret Warner, fall production intern
This internship is a chance to work one-on-one with an award-winning podcast team.
It’s unpaid, but you’ll have weekly meetings with Out There Host Willow Belden via phone or video chat, and you’ll get to put your mark on the show’s content.
Think of it as a mentorship, where you’ll learn what’s entailed in running a professional media operation, and gain fluency in skills you want to develop.
You’re also welcome to pitch us a story of your own; if it’s a good fit, we’ll work with you to develop it, and we’ll compensate you financially for it.
Script editing for Out There (Photo by Willow Belden)
Time Commitment
The internship runs from mid-January through mid-May 2021 (exact dates are flexible). We ask that you be ready to devote an average of 8 hours per week to it.
To Apply
Send a resume and cover letter to willow@outtherepodcast.com by Dec. 10, 2020 with “Internship Application” in the subject line.
Please make sure to highlight relevant experience/skills, as well as the areas you’d most like to focus on (eg. audio production, editorial, etc.). If you’ve done previous audio work, please provide a link to a story that showcases your skills.
One final note: We strive to be a welcoming place for people and stories of all stripes. We want diverse voices on the show and behind the scenes, telling stories that encompass a wide array of experiences. If you feel you would bring an underrepresented perspective to Out There, please let us know!
