Meet an intern: Anthony Howard at HBO Max

Rising junior Anthony Howard doesn’t see trajectories. He sees opportunities.

“I want to learn everything,” he says.

He may be on the journalism track at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, but that’s only a jumping-off point. During Howard’s time at Carolina, he’s been exploring his options so that he lands in the best possible place after graduation.

In high school, Howard interned at a radio station, and then, after arriving on campus, he began writing for The Daily Tar Heel – giving him exposure to both broadcast and print journalism.

This summer, he’s continuing to expand his options and see what else is out there as an intern at HBO Max. During the 10-week program, he’s working with the social marketing team to learn about creating buzz around original programming.

“I’m not trying to limit myself,” he explains. “That’s a big mantra I go by. I don’t want to put myself in one box, and that definitely speaks to the internship I’m currently in because it’s not even journalism-focused. It’s more on the marketing side.”

The experience has been eye-opening. In addition to brainstorming content for HBO Max’s social channels, Howard has gotten to peer behind the curtain. “I’m sitting in meetings where I’m talking with producers,” he says. “I’m able to sit in pitch meetings where we’re auditioning ideas about what looks best on Instagram and what looks best on Twitter. It’s been a great experience.”

Although the internship would have typically been onsite in Los Angeles, the company kept all interns remote because of the pandemic, so Howard has been able to stay in Raleigh and work from home. While he would’ve loved to go west for the summer, he admits that interning remotely has been a financial help.

“I appreciate that it’s virtual,” says Howard. “It allows me to save my money because I know that if I was in Los Angeles, I’d have to look at housing and support myself. I’m not saying I couldn’t afford it, but I’m appreciative that I’m able to stay home because I’m able to save my money for school and use it for other things.”

Unpaid internships or internships in expensive cities can limit who gets to take those opportunities. And when internships help open doors to important things like experience, professional development and networking, access is critical.

That’s a subject Howard is passionate about. “Few people can take an unpaid internship,” he says. The pandemic has, perhaps unexpectedly, created more access and more equity for internships. “Students are able to look at more opportunities now just because they can be anywhere, whether that’s in their college dorm or college apartment,” he adds. “I think that opens the door. It did for me.”

As big an experience as his internship at HBO Max has been, Howard knows he didn’t get there alone. “I want to give credit to the T. Howard Foundation,” he says. The organization works with students of color who are interested in the entertainment and media industry. “They help those who are admitted to their intern class prepare their resumes, give them workshops, give them networking advice and take us to that next level.”

With his time at HBO Max winding down, Howard is already investigating internship possibilities for the fall. “I want to try it all and see what’s out there for me,” he says. “I’m exploring and trying to network and connect, so I can one day be sure and confident that this is the job for me.”