TechBuzz is seeking interns from technical writing, business, English, communications, technology, journalism and other majors to interview companies in Utah's vibrant economy in the state's technology sector and write news articles about funding events, startup companies, etc... Eventually interns will run whole interviews and be responsible for writing the final articles. This internship can be flexible, with projects found in social media marketing, data collection, video editing, graphic design, podcasting, and more.
Objectives of the TechBuzz Internship
Interns will work with TechBuzz senior staff, Mark Tullis (Managing Director) to research Utah technology companies, mostly software as a service (SaaS) companies, but also life science, biotech, medical tech, fintech and other companies that are connected with Utah. Students will participate in in-person or Zoom interviews with CEOs, founders and executives of dozens of dynamic Utah companies that are making a huge contribution to the state. Past companies include Divvy, Adobe, Lucid, Instructure, Ancestry, Clene, Health Equity, Pluralsight, Sarcos, Vasion, Recursion, MX, Qualtrics, and many others. Interns will first observe and eventually conduct interviews, having prepared a list of questions in advance. Interns receive the recording and a transcript of the interviews and then create a first draft of a story, reflecting the ideas, facts and content of that interview. They will work with TechBuzz staff to edit and refine their draft into an article suitable for publication on both our website, TechBuzz.news, and on partner sites such as UtahBusiness.org which is owned by Deseret News. Utah Business has syndicated, or re-distributed, most of our stories, including those written by interns. Students are listed as author in almost all articles they contribute to.
Expected Outcomes of this Internship:
This internship will afford students an opportunity to become published writers and to build their resumes. They will learn about online journalism, the writing process, especially in connection with professional writing, and about specialized and technical technologies. This will enable them to develop both professional and technical writing skills. Interns will develop skills in corporate communication as they learn to use software such as Slack, Otter, Pickle and Zoom. They will also become familiar with our publishing software, LOIS. They will learn about social media marketing as we promote our stories on the major social channels. They will get to know Utah’s vibrant technology community and the economy in general. They will become acquainted with many of Utah’s business leaders and investment houses. Many of our interns have received job offers from interviewees based on their performance in interviews, the quality of the communication after the interview, and their published articles. Some have gone on to work for major broadcast news stations or other large tech companies in Utah.
Other points:
· Article frequency. We would like interns to complete an article every 7 to 10 days, or more frequently for shorter articles (400-500 words)
· Style. Interns will learn a particular journalistic writing style that we follow (see our site for examples). We will provide a style guide that we expect them to study and follow. It reflects general journalistic writing principles that most news publications embrace. We strive for accuracy. Interns will have the opportunity to interact with interviewees to verify facts and accuracy before we publish the article.
· Communication. We will check in with interns via Slack on a regular basis to discuss progress on existing projects, new projects, new ideas, suggestions, etc. We encourage interns to communicate regularly with us via Slack, text or phone, as needed to continue progress on writing projects. We may have a one-hour weekly call with all TechBuzz interns to discuss projects.
· Internship Duration. The duration of this internship is flexible depending on internship requirements. We are flexible on hours per week, but 10-15 hours will be typical for most students. The internship is unpaid.
· Contacts. Students will be working with TechBuzz Editor and Managing Director, Mark Tullis, who will be the main administrative contact for the internship.
Interested students may apply on Handshake at https://byu.joinhandshake.com/stu/jobs/4805879?ref=open-in-new-tab&search_id=ce1e7088-00de-4ab6-b898-8cec201c55ee.
