How to hire a production internship

How to hire a production internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step production internship hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a production internship job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new production internship
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a production internship do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the production internship you need to hire. Certain production internship roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect production internship also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents production internship salaries for various positions.

   Type of Production Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Production Internship		$12-19
   Assembly Line Worker	Assembly line workers are factory or production floor employees who work on putting together company products. They are assigned to work on a specific part of the product... Show more	$10-16
   Generator Worker	A Generator Worker is in charge of operating generator systems on a daily basis, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities include performing installations and adjustments, understanding blueprints and schematics, and performing regular maintenance checks to ensure efficiency... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Video Production
   • Production Intern
   • Production Process
   • PowerPoint
   • Audio Board
   • Instagram
   • Facebook
   • Twitter
   • Control Room
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Video Content
   • Administrative Tasks
   • B-Roll
   • Photography

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all office aspects including general administrative duties and assisting with staff payroll.
   • Create PowerPoint presentations for managers to present design concepts to clients.
   • Assist on sets with camera and lighting/task with creating new Instagram video series
   • Research, write, report and edit broadcast news content for local ABC affiliate.
   • Update and maintain SharePoint site using HTML to ensure timely content for end users.
   • Help customers with their groceries, bag and help them out to their car.

   More production internship duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your production internship job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A production internship salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, production interns' average salary in alabama is 44% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level production interns earn 37% less than senior-level production interns.
   • Certifications. A production internship with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a production internship's salary.

   Average production internship salary

   $15.90hourly

   $33,066 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level production internship salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

   Average production internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$37,179	$18
   2	Nevada	$37,033	$18
   3	Oregon	$36,315	$17
   4	Massachusetts	$35,823	$17
   5	New York	$35,211	$17
   6	Wisconsin	$35,093	$17
   7	California	$34,701	$17
   8	Pennsylvania	$34,503	$17
   9	Ohio	$34,371	$17
   10	Minnesota	$33,509	$16
   11	Colorado	$33,214	$16
   12	Maryland	$33,086	$16
   13	Utah	$33,000	$16
   14	Michigan	$32,898	$16
   15	New Jersey	$32,850	$16
   16	Iowa	$32,833	$16
   17	Idaho	$32,212	$15
   18	Virginia	$31,999	$15
   19	Texas	$31,686	$15
   20	Tennessee	$30,454	$15

   Average production internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	ACLU of Illinois	$38,477	$18.50
   2	WestRock	$37,654	$18.10	70
   3	American Enterprise Institute	$37,430	$18.00
   4	Sony Pictures	$37,305	$17.94	10
   5	JBS USA	$36,855	$17.72	44
   6	Hiebing	$36,730	$17.66
   7	Oshkosh	$36,412	$17.51	9
   8	Sharp	$36,165	$17.39	3
   9	Valmont Industries	$35,519	$17.08	10
   10	Smithfield Foods	$35,507	$17.07	66
   11	First Solar	$35,479	$17.06	3
   12	Hormel Foods	$35,440	$17.04	16
   13	Bimbo Bakeries	$35,249	$16.95
   14	TDS	$34,344	$16.51
   15	Centurum	$34,319	$16.50
   16	Sunstate Equipment Co.	$34,304	$16.49
   17	Corbion	$34,238	$16.46
   18	Formlabs	$34,144	$16.42	6
   19	Sesame Workshop	$34,138	$16.41
   20	Berry Global	$34,047	$16.37

4. Writing a production internship job description

   A production internship job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a production internship job description:

   Production internship job description example

   Who We Are
   
   Our mission is simple: to rid the world of cheesy corporate videos. It's a tall task, and our work is far from done. That's where you come in - because behind every pixel we create exists an incredibly talented, highly motivated team relentlessly committed to producing incredible video content that elevates our clients' brand.
   
   About You
   
   You're an aspiring video editor who's ready to learn the ropes at one of the DC-area's top video production companies. You're someone who loves messing around in After Effects or Premiere to make something out of nothing. You possess a strong affinity for Post-Production, but would prefer a little seasoning before going all in within a specific discipline in Post. Between editing, motion graphics, color correction, or sound design, you just can't quite decide. But you're ready to put your skills to work in a creative industry.
   
   You're looking to join a team of skilled creatives where you can contribute across the post-production process. You're a problem solver, a meticulous organizer, and a skilled communicator who understands that success in this industry requires hard, often unglamorous, work. Most importantly, you're a curious, upbeat, and dependable team member.
   
   About The Internship
   
   Our Post-Production internship is a bootcamp in the processes we use to create incredible videos for our clients. Throughout your internship, you'll work directly with our Art Director, Creative Directors, and Producers and get hands-on experience helping our team develop killer creative.
   
   Interns must be able to commit to a minimum of 20 hours per week, but we won't stop you there. Interns must also commute to our Alexandria, VA office for the duration of the internship.
   
   Applications must include a link to a portfolio of recent and relevant videos. Applications without a portfolio will not be considered.
   Within 1 month, you will: Meet the 522 team and understand the mission and core values that drive us.Develop training goals and learn the basic steps of our production process.Learn how we organize files and projects throughout post-production; assistant edit projects in Adobe Premiere.
   Within 3 months, you will:Participate in team concepting sessions for 522 clients.Develop dailies, stringouts, and captions.
   Our internship program is a 90-day unpaid program. If it seems to be a great fit and an option for your availability, we are happy to consider extending a paid internship opportunity. In addition, we are also happy to work with your university on credits at any point throughout the program.
   
   What's Next?
   
   Bringing the right people onto our team is one of our most important responsibilities. Our interview process, particularly for full-time work, may consist of multiple rounds of phone, video, and in-person interviews. We take our time to make sure the process is done right. We'll do our best to respond to each applicant, but please know that we appreciate your interest even if a position with us isn't an immediate fit.
   
   If you want to be a big part of a growing business, if you want a team environment to collaborate on creative ideas, if you want to take the next step in your career-come talk to us.
   
   At 522 Productions, we're made stronger by working with people with a diverse set of backgrounds and perspectives. We're an equal opportunity employer and we're committed to providing reasonable accommodations to any applicant or employee with a disability.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find production interns for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any production interns they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level production interns with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your production internship job on Zippia to find and recruit production internship candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit production interns, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new production internship

   Once you've selected the best production internship candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new production internship. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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