Internship Spotlight: truTV

By Lauren Houston

This summer I had the opportunity to intern in the development department for truTV.  It was the most career eye opening experience I could have had.  Working under the VP of Program Development, I sat in on weekly pitch meetings.  I was able to voice my opinion on shows the producers were selling and help decide if they were a good fit for truTV's brand.  Being able to see what ideas are currently floating around, how people are trying to sell them, and what is and isn't working with the network execs, taught me how to be a better producer.  I also pitched my own ideas for one-offs and series and they were taken seriously.  Working as a part of the Turner Entertainment Networks, I accessed the live feed of the May upfronts for tru, TNT, and TBS seeing what all the fuss is about.  Through this internship I was able to be a fly on the wall of the corporate offices and learn first hand what networks look for in new programming.  For an aspiring producer nothing could have helped me more.