Digital Research Intern Review

I had a great year at NBCUniversal, it was my first role and have learnt a lot during the year. My role was hands on and I had responsibilities that were mine and real work to do, I wasn't just making tea or coffee. I had the opportunity to learn a lot about media and how a big corporate company operates, and this was an invaluable experience. And talks from business leaders were also very insightful.

My colleagues always gave me a fair and equal opportunity to contribute in team meetings/discussions. I felt my views were listened to and not just neglected as I was the "intern". My team were very willing to hear my contributions and actively encouraged me to share work/articles in team meetings. A very warm and inclusive culture was created and this was something that I liked, as a I felt valued, and was greatly appreciated during my internship.

My supervisor was always willing to help me, and was approachable at all times. He appreciated it was my first role, and didn't expect me to come in with a significant amount of knowledge/skills. No question was a stupid question. He also helped significantly in my development, encouraging me to make the most of training and networking opportunities. He even organised virtual conversations for me with other areas of the business whilst we were in lockdown.

Research is a support department. My team supported the TV Distribution (Sales) team, New Media, and hayu predominantly. This meant that we received ad hoc requests from different areas of the business. Therefore, there were periods where I was busier than others, as workload was dependent on the number of requests we had (and nature of these requests). But the regular reporting was always there regardless of the number of requests we had from the wider business.

I was responsible for the monthly and quarterly SVOD (subscription video on demand) reports. These reports were used by the sales team, and by senior individuals in the business at director level and above. I was given a lot of freedom on these reports, analysing the data alone and picking out the insights that I thought were most crucial. I was supported with this, but was given increasingly more freedom as the placement year progressed.

The skills I developed will help me in my future career for sure. I have developed my presentation, communication and critical thinking skills in particular. Just working for a year and being in the office environment has taught me a lot, that will be invaluable in the future. For example, regular catch ups with my manager is something that I wouldn't have invisaged happening, but now I understand that these help foster a good relationship.

The team had an inclusive culture, but it was quite a quiet office during the day. The team are definitely very hard working and there was hierarchy, and I think the culture with the rigid structure comes from the top of the team. The pandemic and lockdown measures may change this though. However, our team wasn't representative of the wider company culture I don't think, as other teams were regularly having socials in the kitchens.

No big graduate scheme which is a shame as some placement students can leave their placement with a confirmed job for after graduation, but this is sadly not the case at NBCU. They have analyst/entry level roles but you must apply like any other candidate and are not fast tracked in the process. There is a Future Leaders Programme as well but intake on this is just 4 per year, so very few given that there are 60+ interns and external candidates can also apply.

The early careers team were very good at encouraging socialising amongst interns within the company. There was over 60 interns in total in the company. They organised several events when we joined to encourage us to get to know each other, on both a professional and personal level. Also, they organised a Christmas social which was ping pong at Bounce and was another enjoyable evening. And this meant there were always other interns around to talk to.

The office was in central London so prices were high. But I was being paid a salary, and was lucky to be commuting from home so despite a long commute, I didn't have to pay rent so I saved a significant amount of money there. There are plenty of bars, pubs, restaurants and other things to do, being right in the heart of London, so socialising definitely wasn't an issue given the prime location of the office.

There are a lot of bars & clubs in central London so nightlife is very good for those who want it. Regardless of someone's taste in music or preferences, they will be able to find an activity for sure that they will 100% enjoy. The office is right in the heart of London and there are very many things that you can do straight after work that are walking distance from the office, another plus.

There are opportunities as there are several employee resource groups (ERGs). The Young Professionals Network (YPN) is a big one for interns/ placement students as it helps them meet other interns and improve their network. They also have some amazing speakers and other socials which are good fun! The early careers team also organise intern events, such as a lunch and learn, where we have the opportunity to learn about a different part of the business