Working as a Creative Intern at the Walt Disney Company

Hi, I’m Amina, a Film and TV Production student here at York. I’m currently doing a Placement Year working as a Creative Intern at The Walt Disney Company.

Why did you decide to do a placement?

I wasn’t planning to do a placement year until one day when our department sent around an email about two placement opportunities at the Walt Disney Company. I wasn’t keen on applying as I knew it is a highly competitive process and I was sure I wasn’t going to get accepted. However, my father encouraged me to apply by saying that “I have nothing to lose”. Then, after a very long application process and several interviews, luckily, I got the job.

How did you find the opportunity?

I received an email from my department advertising the role.

What’s your typical day?

Working in a creative department at Disney is overwhelming. Every day is different. We’ve got so many projects are in production at the same time which means that I get to work on all of them. Some days I’ll be running on shoots, or recording a voice-over in a studio while other days I will be delivering adverts to the channels or editing a sizzles reel in the office. It really depends on what’s in production. 

At first, it was challenging to adapt to the working hours, new environment and workload. However, as time went by, I got more comfortable with the place and understood my job better. What’s great about my job is that I am constantly learning. Every project we create is different which makes you pick up a lot about the different areas of filmmaking. 

What’s also amazing is that as an intern I’ve got creative control over the projects we make. I get to attend brainstorm sessions where I help my colleagues come up with fun and exciting ideas for our upcoming projects. There is no better feeling than seeing your ideas come to life.

Working at the Walt Disney Company also gives you a lot of exciting opportunities as watching films before their release dates, attending premieres, get free Disney merchandise and most importantly be part of creating the magic. 

What did you get out of it?

I got to make a lot of connections in the film industry. Moreover, I was able to apply what I studied in real life. I got to experience the reality behind all the production phases. From the very first phase which is pre-production to the final one which is delivering the TV commercial to channels. 

How has it influenced your future career options?

I came here not knowing whether I would like to become a producer or a writer/director. After I’ve been involved with several products I fell in love more with directing while also realising that producing is not for me. Hopefully, I’ll get to discover myself more while I work here and know exactly what I would like to do for life.