Internships in Communications/Photography

SALARY:  $17.45 per hour
DATES:  June -  August 2024 (Start and end dates flexible)
HOURS: 25 hours a week for a total of 12 weeks
LOCATION: Washington, D.C. (Onsite is required)

The External Relations department at the Wilson Center seeks an energetic and self-motivated student or recent graduate interested in event photography and logistics, communications, public policy and international affairs for an internship this summer. Consistently ranked as one of the top think tanks in the world, the Wilson Center provides opportunities for hands-on experience working on a wide range of issues that impact today’s public policy debates.

The intern is involved in virtually every aspect of the Wilson Center’s External Relations department – a dynamic team managing external communications for Wilson Center events, publications, media relations, and digital communications.

The intern performs a range of duties including event photography and registration, researching and drafting blog posts, writing press releases and media advisories, monitoring media hits, and communications strategies for highlighted Wilson Center events and projects. The intern also assists with the maintenance of the Wilson Center website and media contacts databases. Other duties may also be assigned. 

The External Relations team usually selects interns for each academic term (i.e., for Fall, Spring, and Summer internships of approximately three to four months); however, appointments can be made throughout the year for periods of varying length. No internship will exceed one year in duration. As a general rule, the External Relations office is looking for individuals who are willing to devote 25 hours per week, onsite at the Wilson Center. 

These internships are designed to provide the individuals selected with the opportunity to gain practical experience in an environment that combines academic study and public policy. Internships also provide opportunities to attend events within the Wilson Center and around Washington.

Assignments might include:

• Photographing live events in an auditorium and or conference room setting to include speakers at podium, panel discussions, award ceremonies, etc
• Photographing posed shots of groups and individuals for portrait/headshots
• Sometime travelling to external locations for off-site event photography (embassies, Congressional offices, etc)
• Post-production work to include photo editing, caption writing, uploading into a DAM system.
• Assisting with event registration for on-site events
• Drafting posts for the website requiring research, writing, and publishing via the content management system
• Drafting press releases
• Drafting media hits reports
• Aide with data clean up and classification of YouTube analytics
• Assisting with social media toolkits for the Wilson Quarterly
• Researching, selecting, and optimizing photos for use on the website
• Researching and writing stories on Wilson Center alumni
• Making edits to existing content on websites and blogs
• Assisting the preparation of publications and/or outreach materials
• Updating contact databases
• Performing administrative assignments in support of External Relations office activities

Applicants should:

• Experience with DSLR cameras
• Proficient understanding of operating Canon cameras
• Skilled in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
• Proficient understanding of shooting in manual mode
• Experience with and comfortable photographing people and live events
• Possess strong research, writing, and/or administrative skills
• Be detail-oriented
• Be able to work both independently and as part of a team
• Be enrolled in a degree program, recently graduated (within the last year), and/or have been accepted to enter an advanced degree program within the next year.

This is a paid internship. The Wilson Center is an equal opportunity employer and follows equal opportunity employment guidelines in the selection of its interns.

How To Apply

To apply, please submit a resume, cover letter, a link to an online portfolio of your photography, and a short writing sample (between two and five pages in length).

Please submit your application via e-mail to lauren.booth@wilsoncenter.org with "[Season] [Year] Internship" in the subject line (e.g. "Summer 2024 Internship").

The deadline is rolling. Applications are accepted until the positions are filled. Due to the high volume of resumes, only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.