Entry-level positions for aspiring Creative Managers, Social Media
Mitchell, a Creative Manager at ESPN, highlights internships as crucial entry points, emphasizing that "it's like a long audition" for showcasing skills and work ethic. The ESPN CAP/Next program, a rotational program, also provides a pathway, allowing individuals to "pivot into that specialty" after gaining experience in different company areas.
Internships, Entry-Level Positions, Networking, Career Pivoting, Professional Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Mitchell Clements
Creative Manager, Social Media
ESPN
University of California, Santa Barbara (2013)
UCLA Anderson School of Management (2026)
Political Science, American Studies
Arts, Entertainment & Media, Sports & Fitness
Creative
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Internships provide a valuable opportunity to showcase your professional skills and collaborative abilities, acting as a prolonged audition for potential full-time roles.
2. Entry-level positions in sports media may not always be directly in your desired area (e.g., social media), but starting in a related field like production can open doors to other opportunities within the company.
3. Rotational programs, like ESPN's Next program, offer a chance to explore various departments, gain diverse experience, and discover the best career path for your skills and interests within a larger organization.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider?
I think a lot of internships these days are paid, which is great. They certainly weren't when I was entering the industry, but it's become the norm for people to get actual pay for their internship work.
I'm mentioning internships for a specific reason. I recently hired one of our designers, who is our entry-level role for the design group. She started as a summer intern after graduating from college.
Initially, she was meant to do a hybrid role, primarily posting to social media feeds and also creating custom graphics as a designer. She even created a Boston Celtics graphic during the NBA playoffs that summer, which we took into account.
She applied for the designer role opening, and everything aligned for her. She did amazingly in the interview, and people loved working with her.
Internships offer a long audition period, about three months, to see how you'll interact with coworkers long-term. This includes professionalism, collaboration, and delivering on your promises.
The bar is a bit lower to get your foot in the door through an internship compared to a proper full-time entry-level job, though there are many great opportunities for those as well.
My entry-level job at ESPN wasn't in social media, though those roles are important. Mine was in production and called ESPN Cap. It was a rotational program that moved you to different parts of the company.
It's since been rebranded to ESPN Next and still aims to bring in talented people, have them impact the company in a role for the first year, and then help them align their career path. I've seen people move from production to programming and other areas within the Walt Disney Company.
Getting your foot in the door often means being willing to do whatever work comes your way. If you're in a company with good management and opportunities, you can always pivot into your desired specialty. That's how it worked out for me.
So, look out for internships within roles you like, or broader entry-level roles like production assistant, because you never know what doors might open afterward.