- Talk about Jorbs.
- Yeah, 'cause Jorbs we have.
- And how we got them. - How we got them.
- Yeah, it's an endeavor
becoming an adult and getting a Jorb.
So, we thought we'd shed some light on how we got ours.
- Good Jorb, Devin.
- And, we're not gonna call it anything else
in this video except a Jorb.
- Jorb job, that's what you call it
when you get an upgraded job, you get a Jorb job.
(light whimsical music)
Kristin and Freddie did a video
where they talked about how they got hired at BuzzFeed,
and people were commenting that they wanted to more.
And so, yeah, Devin and I decided to take up that mantle
and talk to you a little bit about it.
- Yeah, I think that people are interested in general
on how we got our jobs at BuzzFeed
because these jobs didn't exist 10 years ago.
- That's true, that is true.
- So, people wanna know, like, A, how did you do this?
And, B, how can I do this?
Jen.
- Oh, me, okay.
How did you get your Jorb at BuzzFeed?
- When I was in school, I did film studies, basically,
and with an emphasis on production and writing.
So, I entered the workforce, applying for jobs that were
pretty typical for entry level entertainment industry.
So, I was applying for Assistant gigs,
I was applying for PA gigs,
and when I been in college, I been lucky enough
to be able to get some internships at production companies.
So, I done a few internships that had me specifically
working on set, where I would be
working camera, or doing a little bit of editing.
And then, I also had an internship where I was doing
development intern work, and casting department intern work.
So, I was doing a lot of office administrative stuff,
and then a mix of some on-set production work.
So, I felt like I had a fairly well-rounded resume
by the time I graduated college.
And I did know that BuzzFeed had an array of internships,
and, thankfully, I had a good friend from high school
who already worked at BuzzFeed,
and she was always encouraging me to apply.
She was like, you would like it, like, it's really cool.
You should apply for the BuzzFeed internship.
They have a thing called the Video Internship.
They want people that have production skills,
and they also want people that are creatively minded
and really enjoy coming up with ideas.
So, it checked a lot of boxes for me,
basically, this internship.
I applied, I wrote a cover letter,
I sent them some example video I had made,
and I didn't hear back for, like, six weeks,
and I thought that it wasn't gonna work out,
so I got a job at a Ramen shop very briefly.
Shout out to them.
I got hired at that Ramen shop, and then two days before
I was suppose to work my first shift, I got an email
from HR at BuzzFeed, being like,
hey, we'd love you to come in for an interview.
And, yeah, I set up the interview,
and I was actually interviewed, and then hired
by Ned Fulmer, of The Try Guys.
- Of The Try Guys fame. - Ned, yeah, Ned did hire me.
And then, my first week on the internship
I was assigned to a Try Guys shoot,
and it was the Try Guys BDSM shoot.
And, literally- - You saw some pene.
You saw some Try Guy pene. - I saw Try Guy balls.
Basically, I was like, a week, like literally
after getting hired by Ned,
my first week on the job I saw his butt.
And, it was like a weird transition.
He was very nice.
He was actually, Ned was my first boss at BuzzFeed.
So, for me, my first few months at BuzzFeed
were very much focused on my skills on set.
I was usually running camera, I was running sound,
I was assisting the art department.
I was also going on a bunch of prop runs,
which is like a very common thing for like,
the entry-level person to do on set.
But, yeah, I was originally hired as a video intern,
and then I turned into a video Fellow,
which you also did, where you are basically
a junior, junior producer, and your making videos full time.
When it comes to how I got my job, I do feel very grateful,
because I think I did get, I benefited from some luck.
I mean, people say that success is like,
when preparation meets opportunity, and that's
what I felt like happened with me.
Because I did work really hard,
but I also did get a little bit of help.
I wouldn't want to tell this story without acknowledging
that I did get help, and that it was a privilege that I had.
And I didn't get that help because I deserved it
more than anybody else.
So, it's sort of one of those things where it's like,
okay, like, that's how I got here.
That's the thing, and instills a sense of like,
you have to pay it forward in some way.
So, my story of how I got my job is like,
you gotta work hard, you gotta take advantage of the people
that can help you, if they can.
And then, if you do get help, you should be very aware
of the ways in which you can
bring other people up with you eventually.
- Yeah, totally.
- I feel like what people respond to, too, is the sense
of what if I don't know anybody?
Right? - True.
- Because, what if you don't, you're going into an industry
that's, maybe, not friendly to people,
or maybe you're at a disadvantage
for a lot of different reasons.
How do you get your foot in the door?
- I say, because my story kinda leads to that.
You have to be creative.
Because I didn't know anyone at BuzzFeed
when I got this job.
I majored in acting in college.
I got my BFA in Acting, and I got my BA in English.
And, my intention was to come out, graduate school,
and move to New York or Chicago, and act,
and be a stage actress.
Be an actress for the theater!
I wanted to be an actor for the theater!
But, I was in a show called A Very Potter Musical,
which everyone knows about and comments about,
which is very nice, thank you so much.
And, thankfully, we had an agent in LA at the time.
So, I decided to move to LA and do the acting thing.
And, I ended up hating it.
When I first moved out here,
my agent told me to lose 30 pounds.
She told me to dye my hair black,
because back then Zooey Deschanel was really big,
and so she said that my type was Zooey Deschanel.
This is before, kinda, this conversation we're having
about inclusivity and Me Too movement.
And so, everything you heard about the acting industry
at that time, it's pretty much true.
Like I would say I would walk into a casting,
and people would tell me put on more makeup,
or put on less makeup,
or, thank you for auditioning but you won't get this role
'cause you're not the right size,
just stuff like that.
That was pretty normal.
But honestly, that wasn't really why
I hopped out of acting for a bit.
It's more, I just hated the lack of control.
'Cause I was constantly, it's like hurry up and wait.
So, I was like, constantly putting all of my efforts
and energy into an audition,
and then I would wait and hear nothing.
And, it was just kind of devastating.
Like, little, it was like mini devastations all the time.
So, I decided to do some kind of freelance producing work,
since I produced some things before in college.
I liked organizing shoots, and everything like that.
So, I did that, and on top of that,
I was supplementing my income teaching pole dancing.
So, I had been doing that since I graduated.
So, I was in a bar in lower Manhattan,
complaining to my friend one night,
and this guy came up to our table and was like,
hey, sorry to bother you,
I just wanna hear more about your background,
and like, what you're about.
And, he sat down with us and we just started chatting.
And, he wasn't trying to hit on me or anything,
he was just really keeping it business and shop talk.
And he's like, the reason why I ask is
I'm a recruiter for BuzzFeed. - Oh, cool.
- And I just wanna hear about, like,
we're looking for video producers.
At that time, it was potentially in New York.
So he was like, Okay, give me a call
when you come back to LA.
So then, I came back to LA, and I reached out,
and he was actually working
at the company anymore when I reached out.
So, I was like, well, cool.
So, I kinda got a big fat no.
So, then I was like, well, I wanna try this again.
And, if I really want something, I make it infographic.
So, I made my cover letter into an infographic.
You know, a cover letter is typically a letter that says,
Dear Mr and Mrs BuzzFeed,
please hire me, I love your company, blah, blah, blah.
- That's me, I'm Mrs. BuzzFeed.
(laughing)
- Dear, Mrs. BuzzFeed.
- Hi.
- And so, when I got back into LA,
they had noticed that my cover letter
was sticking out like a sore thumb.
And so then they called me in.
I interviewed with Ned, and he hired me.
And I started as an intern, as well.
Which, at the time, because I was already freelancing
in development, was a step down for me in my career.
- Yeah.
- I was making less money at BuzzFeed.
It was definitely just like, work in the mail room, again,
which I had already done for years.
And so, that was a moment, a pivotal moment in my life,
where I had to kinda put my ego in the back seat,
because there was a part of me that was like,
you worked as in intern before, you've been done PA work,
like you shouldn't have to, should get a Fellow position.
- I feel like there's, like, a thing
for a lot of people at BuzzFeed, where it's like,
there are quite a few of us who this was, myself included,
this was your first job outside of college.
And then, there are a lot of people who've worked
at a bunch of different places well,
and are sort of coming in with a very different perspective.
That's always been an interesting conversation.
It's like, how people feel about this job, I think,
has a lot to do with what they were doing before,
and if it was anything.
- Yeah, yeah.
And so, I took a pay cut.
I had to gamble.
Starting January 2016 I started being a Fellow for Ladylike.
And I've been here ever since.
And I was our first Fellow.
- Yeah, I remember, we didn't have one.
- That time we had Benchmarks.
If you consider the video a success,
it had to hit a certain number amount,
and we called that a Button.
And then if it hit and even bigger Benchmark,
you actually got a hoodie.
And it was like, a big deal,
and that's kinda how they based the Fellowship, at least.
'Cause the Fellowship is all about,
can you prove to BuzzFeed that you can be a video producer.
I remember the night, I sat in the mirror.
I looked at myself, I was like,
Devin, you have to be undeniable.
Your numbers have to be so good,
that they can't not give you the job.
And so then, that's what I did.
One of the most popular videos I made
was a video where we tried to walk cats.
That's where I really, you know,
immersed myself in cat content.
Became the queen that I am, in cat content.
And that actually Hoodied.
- I mean, I think for me, advice I could give to people is,
don't be discouraged if you aren't gonna go to film school
or aren't gonna do something like that.
Truthfully, really what helps is just like,
if you're a creative person and you like to make stuff,
that's gonna be probably one of your biggest door openers.
'Cause you guys were college students
when you made that musical.
And, as long as you work hard on it and you're proud of it,
you're going to learn something from it.
There's no wasted time if you worked hard.
- Right, and also I think that a lot of times,
especially for in our industry,
you have to get exposure to sets
to really know what it's like.
So, if you're truly interested in this line of work,
see if you can, like, be a coffee boy or girl on a set,
just so you can see how it works.
Because there is a general assembly line
and have feeling when you walk on set.
- Yeah.
I mean, there's just no shame in whatever job you have to do
to get where you need to go. - No.
- Some of my college jobs I cleaned (bleep) off walls.
That's a true story, it's true.
So, I don't know, there's no job that, is it worth doing.
And don't be embarrassed by having to do a job
where you're like, I'm just a coffee boy.
'Cause it's like, everybody's gotten coffee.
- But you cleaned (bleep)?
- Yeah.
Well, the moral of the story is,
if you ever have to deal with poop early on in your career,
you will probably end up at BuzzFeed.
And be like, hey, in comparison, this is great.
- Better than poop.
- Just kidding, it's a lot of fun.
We have a lot of fun here.
- No, it's so true, it's so, so, true.
- Yeah, I am grateful that I'm here and I appreciate
all the people that I work with every day.
- [Devin] Yeah, totally.
(upbeat music)
- Hey, Unsolved is on a new channel.
And now your part.
- [Both] Subscribe here.
- That was my part.