Be our summer intern!
/Out There seeks (remote) production intern for summer 2021
Photo by Soundtrap on Unsplash
This internship is an excellent opportunity to work with an award-winning podcast team and develop your audio and storytelling skills.
Think of it as a mentorship, where you’ll collaborate one-on-one with the show’s creator, Willow Belden, and learn what’s entailed in running a professional media company.
If past interns are any indication, you’ll walk away with highly marketable skills, impressive additions to your portfolio, and the confidence to thrive in a competitive industry. Nearly all of our past interns have landed full-time audio and/or journalism jobs after completing our internship.
“I found a job pretty much right away, after working for [Out There], and the skills that I gained from that internship were what set me apart from other applicants. Usually, you have to take quite a few internships before really being noticed, but the work that I did with Out There was kind of all that I needed.”
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 outdoors.
What do we mean by “outdoors”? Anything outside your door! We believe the outdoors is for all, regardless of where you were raised, the color of your skin or anything else about you, because if you've stepped outside 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:
“8 Miles in NYC” shows how the simple act of walking to work helped one young woman learn to belong in a new city.
“A Series of Unlikely Events” is a love story between a kayaker and a 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.
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.
Audio mix for an Out There episode
About the Internship
“My experience working with Willow ... gave me so much confidence, during a time when the job market was really, really competitive.”
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. Regardless, here are some things you can expect to try your hand at:
Story selection & editing — evaluating pitches, developing story ideas, pre-interviewing guests, booking interviews, editing scripts
Audio production — cutting tape, editing interviews, doing sound design/mixing (this would require basic knowledge of audio editing software, such as Adobe Audition, though we will work with you to hone your skills)
Producing your own story — if you pitch us a story that’s a good fit for Out There, we’ll work with you to develop it. So far, all of our past interns have produced long-form narrative stories that have aired on the show.
If there’s something you could bring to the table that’s not listed above, but that you’re excited to work on, please let us know! We love experimenting with new ideas.
scripts for Out There go through multiple rounds of edits before production begins (Photo by Willow Belden)
What You’ll Get
You will receive a $500 stipend for the semester.
We are an independent show on a shoestring budget, and we can’t pay as much as we would like to. But we work hard to make the experience valuable for you. It’s important to us that you receive more from the experience (in terms of learning, skills, and published works for your portfolio) than we get from you in labor. We see you as an integral part of the team, and look forward to helping you put your mark on the show.
In addition, if you produce a story of your own for Out There, we will compensate you for that as well.
Time Commitment
The internship runs from early June - late August 2021 (exact dates are flexible). We ask that you be ready to devote an average of 8 hours per week to it. You’ll have weekly meetings with Out There Host Willow Belden via phone or video chat; outside of that, you can set your own schedule.
About You
Diversity is key to our success as a podcast. Our mission is to amplify voices that are often sidelined in outdoor media, and explore the myriad ways in which humans engage with — and learn from — nature.
To succeed in that mission, our team needs to encompass a wide array of perspectives and backgrounds. We want Out There to be an environment in which all perspectives are heard and valued, and no matter who you are or what your background, we promise to support you.
We also recognize that the most talented storytellers sometimes come from nontraditional backgrounds. You don’t need a degree in journalism or a portfolio of audio stories to be on our team (although those are great too). We have accepted interns in the past who lacked formal training as writers/producers, but who have made outstanding contributions to the show nonetheless.
What matters is that you have a passion for storytelling, an insatiable curiosity, and a desire to learn and grow.
To Apply
Send a resume and cover letter to willow@outtherepodcast.com by April 30, with “Internship Application” in the subject line.
Please make sure to highlight relevant experience/skills, and tell us how you would help us fulfill our mission of amplifying underrepresented voices on Out There. If you’ve done previous audio work, please provide a link to a story that showcases your skills.
