Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes

Internship is slated to begin Jan 2010 -

Application process will begin before end of this weekend. – December will be all about applicants and gathering teams. First assignment will be handed out in the first week of Jan.

WHY LAUNCH THIS INTERNSHIP? -

I’m calling all super heroes with special abilities. Whether you need to teleport or borrow your friend’s bat-mobile, if you have ability to lead people, strong work ethic, an interest in media and technology and an eye for creativity then; I want YOU!

I need a sidekick. Actually, I need many sidekicks. There’s just too much that needs to be done and I simply cannot do it alone. We’re all members of this ummah and we all need to participate.

– –

I’ve had the opportunity to work with AlMaghrib Institute and producing their video marketing material for almost the past two years. In these two years AlMaghrib has GROWN to three different countries – United States, Canada and the United Kingdom with almost 30 different student bodies world wide – consisting of tens of thousands of students.

Because the student body has grown massively, the demand for content with a presentation style that is more widely appealing and professional in nature has also grown.

– –

WHAT IS THE SIDE-KICK TO DO? HOW IS THIS GOING TO WORK? -

From every student body location I’ll be selecting a team leader who will basically be my producer in training. The team-leader/producer’s job will be to:

• Apply – An application process will take place. followed by an on-the-phone interview to make sure that this is really something that is suited for you and that your goals are in line with what this opportunity offers.

• Gather a team – Three to five people from each location are to be part of the internship. No team = No internship. If you don’t have leadership ability, then this isn’t for you. Types of people you might want on your team are; [individual with quick technical learning ability], [individual with people skills], [individual with a likeness towards technology], and [individual with problem solving ability].

• Acceptance – First assignment that I hand out will be an acceptance assignment. Each producer will have 31 days to demonstrate their leadership ability and work ethic. If assignment is completed in 31 days then the producer and his/her team members are in.

• MessageMastery.com will be our headquarters. Each producer and his/her team members will have access to the members forum inside as well as learning content and I’ll be conducting all follow up and training there.

• Carry out assignments – There will be a DEADLINE schedule I lay out. If deadlines aren’t met, the team is dead. Producer and team members will be out of the internship. No excuses. As a producer, expect to put in about 5-10 hrs a week for the next few months. If you cannot commit that much time, then this isn’t for you.

• Types of Projects – The types of assignments and projects the producers will be responsible for will be in the range of short drama films, short documentaries, high quality lecture production as well as commercials.

– –

HOW TO PREPARE

One of the key things I’m looking for is your ability to demonstrate leadership.

I’ll be putting up the application form this coming weekend, so keep your eyes open.

Part of the application and interview process will be addressing your past performance as a leader. What skills you applied and the results you were able to achieve. Start thinking about them now.

When you gather your team, you’ll need to gather your tools as well. What I mean by tools is your camera production and post-production system.

My recommended camera production system is as follows:

• Camera – Canon HG10 ~$400.00 USD used on eBay
• Lens Filters – UV, Polarizer & Neutral Density ~$20.00 USD on eBay
• Lens – Wide Angle Lens between .38x to .5x ~$30.00-$60.00 USD on eBay & Amazon.com

• XLR Microphone – Azden SGM-2x ~$200.oo USD on eBay & Amazon.com
• XLR Audio Adapter – BeachTek DXA-2S ~$180.oo on Amazon.com & BHPhotoVideo.com

• Work Lights – 1000-Watt Halogen Work Light w/ Tripod ~$40 each on Amazon.com, Home Depot or Walmart – you’ll need 3 for indoor shooting
• Portable Lights – 130 LED Work Light ~$60.00 each on Amazon.com – You’ll need 3 for night shooting

• Tripod ~$30.00 at any electronics store
• Car - Look in your driveway. It comes with an expensive built in stabilization system. Makes for a great dolly

• Computer to Edit on – Adobe Premiere CS4 - Be resourceful
• 1TB Hard Drive for storage digital footage & projects ~$100.00 USD – see NewEgg.com

If you have any questions, ask right away.