“I replayed this moment for months/ Alone in my head, waitin’ for it to come”. These lyrics from Sony Music artist, Camila Cabello, in her song “Don’t Go Yet” is how I feel as a Sony Music Intern. I have waited for this moment ever since I was younger. As a strong-willed creative with a passion for the music industry, I found my way to Sony Music Entertainment this summer.
My name is Jocelyn Peña, a first-generation college student at The University of Georgia majoring in advertising and minoring in business. It is an honor to share my internship experience and most recent accomplishments. I am a Radio Promo Intern at Sony Music Nashville, working under Arista, RCA, & Columbia Records. In addition to interning at Sony, I am part of the 2021 Multicultural Advertising Internship Program. I am one of the first five Sony Music Group Impact Fellows alongside Madilyne Nguyen-Acosta, Laura Souto, Jacob Lam and Morganne Stephenson interning at Sony Music Entertainment.
MAIP is a talent development program in the advertising and marketing industry that gives talented and diverse entry-level students opportunities in a multitude of industries. I was in my finance class when I got a call from Amber Vidals, senior associate of The Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP). When she mentioned that Sony Music Entertainment wanted to extend an offer, I put her on mute and screamed. The stars were beginning to align for me. I mentioned to my professor earlier in the semester that I wanted to work in the music industry and that it was where I saw myself in the future. Getting that call was when I knew I had to be my best self and go all in. Sony Music and MAIP have given me an amazing opportunity to pursue my passion, develop my skills, and network with professionals and like-minded peers.
Everyone that works at Sony has a passion for what they do, and they are willing to mentor their interns. Sony offers many workshops where people in the company come to speak, such as DeMiya Williams: senior coordinator, copyright; Karissa Keller: manager of touring & events; and Kazzandra Tarnowsky: international marketing specialist. Having the opportunity to network with people that I look up to has been surreal. In this internship experience, you not only get to meet people in your department or location but from all over the company.
One of my greatest accomplishments is successfully covering several tasks for my supervisor while he took a well-deserved vacation. I handled analyzing daily airplay and consumption reports for promotion staff and artist managers that included streaming numbers, sales, Shazams, spin-statistics and update artist calendars for travel and logistics. It was a big deal for me because I had earned my supervisor’s trust in just a few short weeks. My attention to detail and confidence strengthened. I was challenged and I was able to grow during that experience. It was an honor to have him trust me with these responsibilities.
Aside from working at Sony, MAIP Fellows attend weekly labs where we receive additional training, mentorship and hear from guest speakers at different agencies and companies such as Google, Amazon, Dentsu, and other large advertising agencies. You are also assigned two additional summer projects. I had the pleasure of working with David & Goliath Agency for Jollibee, and Adam & Eve Agency for IZZE as their PR strategist. MAIP is rooting for you, your MAIP coach, your group partners and everyone in the MAIP class.
As I spend my summer interning at Sony Music and MAIP, I think back to my younger self and I just know she would be proud — proud of all the sacrifices she made when she would stay after school while her friends went out, proud of the time she took her chemistry packet to a concert to study while singing her lungs out and lastly, proud of being able to tell her immigrant parent’s she is climbing up the ladder. Thank you, Sony Music and thank you MAIP for paving the way for more opportunities in the music industry.