For Jazmine and Gabriel, Paramount Australia was beyond just an internship through CareerTrackers, it was an opportunity to grow through experience, connect with industry professionals, and pull back the curtain on a global entertainment company. From networking to conducting interviews with sports stars, Jazmine and Gabriel discovered more about their chosen fields of study and themselves.

To kick us off, tell us about yourselves.

JAZMINE: Hi, I’m Jazmine, from Goodooga NSW, my mob is Ngemba.

GABRIEL: My name is Gabriel Stephens; I am an Indigenous man who belongs to the Wiradjuri mob. I was born and raised on Dharug Country in Wilberforce.

What are you studying and which uni are you at?

JAZMINE: I’m studying a Bachelor of Business at Macquarie University, from this degree

GABRIEL: I am studying a Bachelor of Communications at UTS, majoring in journalism.

Where do you see your career heading?

JAZMINE: I am looking to get out of the degree, a future in the film business on the HR or content side.

GABRIEL: Sports journalism.

What do you like doing in your free time, whether that’s at home, with mates, or with family?

JAZMINE: I love spending time with my family, friends exploring the city, listening to music, animals, and going to the beach.

GABRIEL: I enjoy watching and playing sports, collecting records, going to gigs and quality time with my family.

Which departments did you work with during your internship, and how was your experience at Paramount Australia?

JAZMINE: I worked in the Human Resources department; it was a great experience. I learnt more about a global corporate company and myself.

GABRIEL: During my internship with Paramount, I had the pleasure of working with a range of different departments. Beginning with corporate communications, spending some time with the afternoon news team, then a week of afternoons with 10 News+ and most of January with Sport News.

My experience with Paramount has been nothing short of incredible. I have gained three months of hands-on experience in journalism and corporate communications. The teams have been a pleasure to work with in every department. I am excited to take the knowledge and experience I have gained into university and future employment opportunities.

What’s been the highlight of your internship over the last three months?

JAZMINE: I would say my highlight of my internship was the people I met in other departments, as well as it opened me up to many opportunities I could look into.

GABRIEL: I have two highlights from my internship that I can’t choose between. The sport news team sent me out with a cameraman to interview Lawrence Thomas from the Wanderers and Harrison Devenish-Meares from Sydney FC, after only 8 days into my internship, I was trusted with conducting these interviews on my own. Grabs from the interview were used on the 10 News and so for a moment I was able to live out my dreams of being a sports journalist.

The second highlight is all the work I was able to do on the UFC. Diego Lopes came into the office for an interview and although it wasn’t me that interviewed him it was up to me to come up with the questions. The Sport News team knew I had a deep knowledge of the UFC, so they trusted me with this task. Then when UFC 325 came around the company surprised me with a free double pass to the event. I took my older brother with me, and we had an absolute ball.

What have you learned through CareerTrackers?

JAZMINE: Through CareerTrackers I have learnt how to communicate professionally, and build transferable skills and knowledge that will contribute to greater performances at university and work, including presentation and public speaking etc.

GABRIEL: CareerTrackers has been integral in teaching me strategies in networking and making a first impression. CareerTrackers has also set me tasks throughout my internship to ensure that I am learning the functions of as many departments as possible.

What advice would you give to future interns?

JAZMINE: To future interns, I would say try your best to always ask questions, and don’t be afraid to meet other areas and enjoy yourself.

GABRIEL: Become comfortable in the uncomfortable. It is so important that you put yourself out there and challenge yourself. Build relationships and make connections, make yourself top of mind for as long as possible.

Anything else you’d like to add?

JAZMINE: My time at Paramount was a huge opportunity for me, so thank you HR team for having me!!!

GABRIEL: I want to thank Paramount for giving me this internship opportunity. My expectations were high and they were still blown out of the water. I have truly enjoyed every second spent inside the office or out on the road with the crew.