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Nickerson Research, Inc. (NRI)

NRI Summer 2022 Image Research Internship (Remote or Hybrid)

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Are you curious about how advertising campaigns as well as film and TV entertainment media productions use third-party content from archives, photographers, commercial stock footage vendors, YouTube, social media posts, and other hidden sources?

 

Applications are now being accepted for a Summer 2022 Image Research Intern at Nickerson Research, Inc. (NRI). This internship will support one individual from a traditionally marginalized identity group, and applicants are encouraged to concurrently apply to the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) Pathways Fellowship Program, for which NRI is pleased to serve as a host site if an applicant is accepted into both programs. The goal of this internship and the AMIA Pathways program is to support and mentor the professional journeys of aspiring individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to find their learning objectives and help guide their development as professionals in the field of audiovisual archiving. 

 

Role: AMIA Pathways Fellow/Image Research Intern

Location: Remote or Hybrid (Remote + Onsite if NRI opens its office during the Internship and if Intern is based near Los Angeles/Culver City, California). Position is also open to applicants in the US who are outside the Los Angeles area.

Location Parameters:  United States residents (unfortunately, we are currently unable to offer an internship to those residents living in New York or Oregon)

Length of Internship: 10 consecutive weeks

Tentative Schedule: June 1 – August 24, 2022 (but there is some flexibility here if needed)

Pay: $23/hour

Hours: 30 hours per week, with 3 hours per week allocated for Pathways Fellowship activities and meetings

Work Hours:  Flexible with availability between the hours of 10 am - 3 pm Pacific

 

 

Nickerson Research, Inc. (NRI) Overview:

Nickerson Research, Inc. (NRI) has been finding and clearing information, footage, and photographs for over 30 years. Cutting our teeth on documentaries, music videos, and feature films; we swiftly moved into television advertising and that became our niche. Our clients (which include world-class global brands such as Nike, Google, and Facebook to name a few) value us for our creative approach and discerning eye, our meticulous attention to detail, and our love of deep digging. We specialize in sourcing and clearing visual images (both moving & still). We have a well-informed and diverse staff, which enables our creative brainstorming and problem-solving sessions to be multicultural and global. Check out some of NRI’s past projects here.

    

Position Description:

The NRI Summer 2022 Image Research Intern will work closely with the Research Team, which focuses on finding third-party content for NRI clients (usually advertising campaigns).  The client brief may require any of the following:  historical, sports, documentary, nature/wildlife footage or stills, viral videos, or “beauty shots.” The Research Team is sometimes tasked with researching story ideas, casting suggestions, or audio clips.  The selected intern will learn about search techniques, digitizing and uploading, as well as tracking and logging clips.  In addition, every day is a learning opportunity as the researchers must learn enough about the subject at hand in order to research it properly. The Clearance Team may also request occasional assistance if that is something that the intern is interested in and well-suited for. Most of the day-to-day work is solitary in nature (especially during this period of remote work) however it is broken up by virtual Zoom team meetings, Slack discussions, and company-wide events (remote Lunch n Learn sessions via Zoom, general NRI meetings, Drag Queen Bingo or similar fun events).

 

Sample Intern Duties (NRI):

  • Searching for, visually filtering, and delivering digital content

  • Train in downloading, editing, and posting digital content clips and files and posting to internal and client facing file management systems

  • Collaborating with team to find creative solutions and alternate digital content suggestions when possible to fulfill the parameters of the project

  • Possible assistance with the clearance team

  • Special projects may be added for an intern based in Los Angeles (if we open our office – we are all currently remote), for example:  Libib organization of the NRI Library (aka the Womb of Knowledge), digitizing various formats of analog videotape and the accompanying organization of those newly digitized assets, creating a database and repository of press, videos, and other records of NRI’s 30 year history

              

REQUIREMENTS/ATTRIBUTES

While there are no specific requirements for the NRI Internship, the expectation is that the below skills will be part of your prior experience and the attributes listed will be comfortable for you to fulfill.       

            Please note, prior experience in this field is not required.

  • Computer proficient and comfortable working on a MacBook Pro, including working with spreadsheets and databases, especially Google Drive

  • Comfortable learning about digitizing, uploading, downloading digital visual files

  • Knowledge of social media & other digital content platforms, experience with online resources for searching, understanding of photography & artistic imagery terms (or interest in learning) 

  • Comfort with Slack or similar communication portals 

  • Ability to respect and uphold strict confidentiality agreement

  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively

  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with quickly changing needs per client’s creative or legal requirements as well as high pressure deadlines.  This ability should include group settings as well as on your own.

  • Strong oral and written communication skills

  • Extreme attention to detail, highly responsible and great follow-through

  • Quick, self-starter and flexible learner

  • Empathy for others within a multitude of possible life or work situations, some of which may be quite unlike your own

  • Interest in the American advertising industry

  • Interest in feature films, TV, pop culture, viral videos, and/or social media creative content

 

Likely Learning Opportunities

  • An understanding of the broadcast advertising production process, from idea to execution to launch

  • A familiarity with copyright and privacy/publicity issues as they relate to the advertising industry

  • The pipeline of sources for third-party content and the steps which must be undertaken to legally license material for advertising use

  • Inclusion in Lunch n Learn sessions which cover a variety of topics either tangential or intertwined with NRI’s work (archival bias, Wikipedia, facial recognition, ethics in advertising)

  • Direct access to and interaction with Founder/President Susan Nickerson during the internship via company meetings as well as at least one personal (remote) one-on-one meeting 

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Eligibility and Requirements:

NRI invites applicants from groups historically underrepresented in the professions of audiovisual archives, film/TV, or advertising to submit the items below by April 1, 2022 to Christina Lutz at careers@nickersonresearch.com

Subject: Summer 2022 Image Research Internship

 

●  Resumé

●  Cover letter which includes your goals, experiences, and interests and how those may align with the NRI internship, as well as the overall field of audiovisual archives and the subject of third party use and licensing of existing visual content.

●  Contact information (email + phone) for two references

 

Please also submit your application for the AMIA Pathways Fellowship using their online form.

Any NRI Internship offer is contingent on the applicant also being accepted to the AMIA Pathways Fellowship.

  

Compensation:

The intern will be paid $23/hour, up to 30 hours per week.  Within the 30 hours each week, the intern will be allocated 3 hours for AMIA Pathways Fellowship meetings and activities.  The total compensation for the 10 week internship, upon completion of 300 hours, will be US $6,900.  

 

Timeline:

NRI applications are due by March 15, 2022, and an intern will be selected by April 15, 2022. Please check the AMIA Pathways Fellowship site for AMIA’s deadlines.  The 10 week internship must have a start date of between May 15, 2022 and June 15 and an ending date no later than August 30, 2022.

 

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements

All onsite NRI employees and visitors must be fully vaccinated for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) with an FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccine or have an approved Reasonable Accommodation granting an exemption from vaccine requirements.

 

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