Posse Scholars Explore Careers in Entertainment at Paramount Pictures
Stephanie Pujadas (Bucknell Posse 1) was looking to combine her passions for business, media relations and community. After months of research, networking and interviewing, she was hired for an internship in the corporate responsibility department of Paramount Pictures, a Posse Career Program partner. She was joined at the studio by interns Lindsey Blais (Dickinson Posse 6) and David Persley (UW-Madison Posse 7).
“Posse Scholars have a drive and passion for their work that is evident from the first impression,” says Jenny Weatherholtz, manager in corporate responsibility at Paramount. “Stephanie was a true asset to our team; her strong work ethic and attention to detail made a positive, lasting impression.”
Paramount has been hiring Scholars for engaging and meaningful summer internships since 2010.
“We believe Posse is developing Scholars for the future workforce,” says Lisa Buch, director of next generation workforce and programs at Paramount. “We are continually impressed with the caliber of talent coming from the Posse students. We enjoyed having David, Stephanie and Lindsey on the lot this summer. They embraced our culture and left a lasting impression at Paramount.”
Lindsey, an international business management major, applied for her position in the home distribution-operations department to learn about the entertainment industry. She had the encouragement of Posse’s Career office and Dickinson Posse 4 alumnus Phillip Casal, who interned at the company in 2010 and 2011.
“I [was] able to learn not only about my own department, but about every facet of the mechanics of Paramount,” says Lindsey. “Between intern events, speaker series, Friday meetings and many reports, there was never a dull day at Paramount. Everyone on the lot makes you really feel like you have joined the Paramount family.”
David flourished in his role in the archives department where he was able to express his passion for movies in a unique way.
“My role … included a wide range of things from helping to protect original film negatives, complete inventory on film assets and conduct quality assessments on materials,” David says. “Within all these different roles, the overarching goal is to organize and preserve all of Paramount Picture’s produced works.”
As part of Paramount’s Centennial Celebration, the Scholars collaborated with all of Paramount’s summer interns on digital short films celebrating a unique aspect of the studio. Within their small groups, each of the Scholars was able to build relationships with undergraduate and graduate students from across the country to create a lasting snapshot of Paramount’s influence on the entertainment industry. In a business that stresses the importance of personal relationships, these connections will serve the Scholars well into their professional futures.
