I applied within 2 days of the position being posted online and then emailed my thesis advisor, who used to work with them. That same day they reached out for a group interview at the LA headquarters. It was a very interesting interview format that took about an hour with around 8 participants. At first the idea of the group setting was a little unnerving, and seemed like an assertion of their claimed “collaborative” environment, but all and all it felt more like a conversation which was refreshing. Additionally, there was the added benefit of making connections with fellow interviewees so even if you weren’t hired, you still left with something useful. The same day I sent thank-you emails (I had to ask for contact info after the interview) and was asked the next morning to complete a coverage test. I’m not sure if that was standard or because I emailed. I was given 24 hrs to complete it (which was not very considerate of my other internship at the time) and no template or example to work with. By the end of the week the interviewer personally informed me that they were going forward with other candidates with the standard “don’t hesitate to apply in the future”. Although I met her through the interview process, we’re still LinkedIn connections today. Overall, it’s clear that “university nepotism” plays a large factor. Everyone who was eventually hired was from a “UC” or NYU, which is very disappointing because I’m still from a top- rated film program. It felt like they were just covering their bases, as if I was interview filler (even though I and several others had resumes and recommendations that were better. They hired a guy who disclosed that it would be his second internship ever). Additionally, they don’t seem too worried about diversity when it comes to interns. Women, sure, but the only non-white person I saw in the office was the connection I formed, based on our shared racial identity. Additionally, I have no idea if I would’ve actually gotten an interview if it weren’t for *my* contact so it’s just further evidence that who you know feels like it’s a lot more important than what you’ve accomplished.