European Film Business Intern Review

by Warner Bros. Discovery

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

4.2/5
  • The Role
    4.2
  • The Company
    3.8
  • The Culture
    4.6

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I absolutely loved my time at Warner Bros and believe that it has been the perfect placement opportunity. Working in a big international company and living in London has been incredibly exciting, and the many other interns here make it very easy to find friends. My team is very helpful and welcoming, and I was given a lot of responsibility. A placement at Warner Bros will look amazing on your CV, but the year itself has also been a blast! The job comes with perks such as the occasional premiers or movie screenings, but I also learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes movie industry and the effort that goes into releasing a movie. So not only was the job itself interesting, but since there is an intern in most departments in the building you get to work with your friends who are going through the same experience with you.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • My opinion was always valued and asked for, and we were expected to contribute to the team. Being given real responsibility and being relied on is exactly what I wanted from my placement. My department has a really friendly and welcoming atmosphere and I'm always encouraged to ask questions. I definitely feel part of the team! The social aspect of your department can vary, I would say mine was definitely one of the quieter one's and we still went for drinks and meals every now and then. I have felt comfortable in my team from the start, and have always been thanked for the work I have done.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I had a two week training period with the previous intern, and after that my managers and colleagues checked in to see how I was doing. I might have started the job feeling anxious but not for long. Warner Bros is great at looking after its interns (since it has so many) with multiple workshops such as presentation skills. Three times during my placement my line manager and I had performance reviews in which I could voice any concerns. I definitely always felt welcomed to ask questions.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • This really depends on how many/what movies we are releasing at that moment, but I never felt too overwhelmed or bored at my job. There is always something to do, but you are given realistic deadlines and I barely ever had to stay after work. Once at the beginning of the placement I didn't know what to do, brought up the issue with my manager, and he gave me some ideas on how to improve our reporting system. Since then I have worked on my work rhythm and have been allowed to be creative and come up with new charts etc. However we are never told to do things just for the sake of it!

    3/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I am incredibly happy with the level of responsibility I was given. After the first initial months of training, getting my head around the job and proving myself, I was gradually allowed more responsibility. Now I have taken over some of my line manager's jobs, especially when he is out, and get to draft/send reports to managers high up in the company which is exciting! You are definitely not expected to make coffee or do photocopies, but will be invited into most meetings, some skyping with our head offices in Burbank, US. I was definitely part of the team and felt that my work was just as valued and relied upon as everyone else's.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • It's one thing to study Business, it's another to actually work in an office! I feel that I have learned a lot about how to behave in a big company, how to interact with colleagues from different departments, even little things like professional email wording! This might seem trivial but will give me a lot of self confidence in future interviews or assessment centres. I also know how to work independently now, within a fixed time frame, and just how important attention to detail is! You learn from your initial mistakes and use those experiences to do a better job next time. I'm sure that during my final year I will be more motivated and better prepared for responsible studying within a proper time frame.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Very relaxed office atmosphere, there is no pressure to be constantly working and breaks are encouraged. The office is open plan and you can easily talk to your colleagues, which makes asking for help and guidance much easier at the start. There were some initial team bonding socials and meetings, which shows how easy going and friendly the atmosphere is.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • I was impressed how well organised the intern process was. There were several workshops and training sessions for interns, and many socials to meet other interns at the beginning of your placement. There was financial help with the oyster card available, and a reverse mentoring scheme within the company for interns. I felt very well taken care off, especially as WB has their own performance review which allows you to get some feedback and know what you can improve on in your placement.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • There were many 'Lunch and Learn' sessions in which you learn more about different areas of the company and get to network with colleagues on all levels. Some of my intern friends also visited companies that WB works with to learn more about the business, and there were IT courses like Excel available to us. I participated in two volunteering days organised by Warner Bros, as well as the Sleep Out with Centrepoint for which I got a day off. I always felt like WB took its employees extra curricular life serious as well and never had any trouble with my manager if I wanted to go to any training or charity meetings within the company.

    3/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Subsidised/Company Gym

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • Unfortunately there are no graduate jobs available in my department, but we have always been encouraged by WB to reapply and come back to the company. Ex-interns are often contacted first for open job positions, and a large part of interns does indeed come back to work with Warner Bros. I would certainly be open to it too, and as WB has many different branches and sectors it is easy to stay with the company but try out different things.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Many of my university friends are the only interns at their company, here at WB we had over 50 other interns! It makes such a difference to meet people who are going through the same experience, and living in London as well as working at a big international company for the first time becomes much easier! My tip is to live with other interns too, WB organises some intern meet ups prior to the start of the placement so you can meet your fellow housemates there which is what many interns do. There first few weeks have organised socials after work as well as lunch together with all other interns, and after that everyone kind of finds their group of people, but it's all really one big friendly group who go meet up together fairly often.

    5/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • London is obviously an expensive city to live in, and it is very tempting to indulge in the take-aways and nightlife scenes. This is all part of the fun and after all you are on a paid placement, so it is not that hard to get by and save some money. Flat hunting can be daunting in London, but as long as you have a couple of days to dedicate to it full-time, are quick with your decision taking and are sharing with other people, you should be fine. There are places available for every price range, and many cheap one's fairly central as well. Socialising can be expensive at the start, but once you get to know the cheaper places it can really be as expensive as you want it to be.

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Cannot complain at all about the nightlife in London! Holborn is as center as it gets, and just a 10min walk away from Soho and Leicester Square if you fancy drinks after work. Shoreditch is the top place to go to for going out, as well as Camden, especially if you enjoy live music. Living in London is an amazing experience, and there is always something to do no matter what time of the day it is! There are many events and festivals on, and you certainly will never have to be bored.

    5/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There were many other non-work related activities organised by WB, such as the Lunch and Learns where you can learn more about the different areas of the company, and charity talks where we got to know different charities and how we can help. Two volunteering days were organised in the 12 months I've been here, and other charity activities (Sleepout, Tough Mudder) are encouraged. We were often invited to movie screenings outside of work, and every now and then even a premiere.

    5/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

London

June 2016


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