| Sophomore Nayirie Kuyumjian Explores the Business Side of MTV
 When people think of MTV, the first thing to come to mind is probably not economics or business. But for sophomore economics major Nayirie Kuyumjian, MTV Networks seemed to be the perfect place to explore her career goal of becoming an entertainment lawyer. So when she learned of an internship in their music and media licensing division, which is part of the business and legal affairs department, on Barnard's Office of Career Development website, she jumped at the opportunity. She has been interning there since the fall of 2004.
MTV Networks' programming (which includes shows on MTV, VH1, Spike and other stations) tends to center around clip-based shows. One of Kuyumjian 's main responsibilities is to research rights issues and legal concerns pertaining to these programs. Working on such VH1 programs as The Fabulous Life , I Love the 1970s ; VH1 Celebrity Weirdness Explained , she makes sure the many agreements, licenses and releases are up to date and signed by both parties to make them legally binding. Kuyumjian also researches publishing, label and sub-labels for music used in these programs. This information is then used in decisions on which songs to include in programming.
"This internship has solidified that I want to go into entertainment law," Kuyumjian, a native of Oradell, New Jersey, says. "I'm working very closely with a wide range of people in the entertainment industry ranging from attorneys to top level executives. On a daily basis I'm viewing how they work, the work they do, and I'm really interested in pursing it as a career."
In addition to her straight legal duties, Kuyumjian has taken on responsibilities for MTV's New Media Task Force. Her advisor Melinda Lee, director of music and media licensing, asked her to attend one of the task force's meetings and then create a report on new media advancements from trade magazines like Billboard , Daily Variety Gotham, The Hollywood Reporter. Kuyumjian distributed the report to task force members in New York, Nashville, and Los Angeles, and the response was so positive that the senior vice president of the music and media licensing department asked her to make it into a regular, biweekly report. Kuyumjian titled the report Trade Talk and not only writes summaries to accompany the packet but also presents the packet during the new media task force meeting on Fridays.
"They treat me like an employee," Kuyumjian says. "I do not do any administrative work. I am working on the actual projects of the department and thus gaining real exposure to how the company and the department work. And reading the trade reports every week keeps me updated with the entertainment industry action and it also makes me aware of what is going on."
Kuyumjian has taken advantage of other opportunities as well. This past April, all of MTV's interns were allowed to apply to interview a top-level executive. Kuyumjian was one of five interns chosen (out of several hundred), and she interviewed Leslie Leventman, the executive vice president of special events and creative services at MTV. Leventman was one of MTV's first employees, and Kuyumjian was impressed with her poise and her humility in discussing how she got to where she is through hard work.
"Speaking with her connected things for me. The reason why MTV Networks is so successful is that all the different departments have such strong leaders who are so experienced in the field. All these minds together produce something that is incredible."
Kuyumjian will continue her internship with MTV this summer thanks to the Shirley Estabrook Wood Internship Fund. She hopes to attend law school after she graduates in 2007, and then to get a broad background in civil or criminal law before specializing in entertainment law.
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f you would like your work as an intern featured on the Barnard web site, please send an email to Suzanne Stein, Internship Program Coordinator, at sstein@barnard.edu. Indicate where you are interning, what you are doing, and why you would like to be considered.
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