About

Any young person thinking about a creative career already knows what to expect: frequently unpaid internships, a lack of appreciation for the precocious talent that they have to offer, and often unequal and exclusive access to jobs in the industry. A failure of political leadership and a lack of effective advocates in this space only make things worse.

Against this backdrop, intern was founded to challenge this damaging status quo and champion young creativity. In 2013, we launched as an independent print publication to provide a much-needed space for frank discussions about careers in the creative industries and as an experiment to show young creatives their value. We proved that it’s possible to create a publication filled with incredible, original content while paying everyone involved, ensuring that everyone who is part of our rotating team of emerging creatives is properly compensated for their work because “exposure” doesn’t pay the rent.

With four issues under our belt, we developed a vibrant network of designers, writers, artists, filmmakers and young professionals who have gone on to become more visible in their fields. Building on that legacy, we made this online space our home so that the diverse voices we commission and the valuable stories we tell could reach an even bigger audience and have a greater impact.

We always prioritised quality over quantity. We weren’t interested in pushing out clickbait, non-stories or one-dimensional content. In alignment with our mission to support emerging creatives, we predominantly worked with young people, students and recent graduates by providing a platform for them to challenge their industry as well as to share their practice with the world. We did this by putting a spotlight on them and their work and by telling stories which confronted the issues most important to young creatives.

For years we’ve worked with universities around the world to provide career-focused creative education initiatives, and went on to make those sessions more accessible through a series of online courses which you can find out about here. 

We collaborated with brands who wanted to develop meaningful projects and campaigns that supported and empowered the next generation of creatives and remain open to hearing from you if you’re a brand looking to do the same. There’s more information here.

We made a point of paying everyone who created for us fairly. Although it wasn’t easy, there are no excuses; we’ve shown it can be done and led by example. You can support the ethos of our independent journalism by sharing our original features across your social accounts and tagging the creators in each case so that we can get more eyes on their brilliant work.

For now, the project is on hiatus. After almost ten years of fighting for the next generation of creatives, our Founder, Alec is a father of two and so has shifted his focus to raising his more immediate next generation. As a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Fashion Institute, he now prepares students for their creative careers through a range of innovative, experiential education projects. You can keep up with his work and get in touch for collaborations via LinkedIn.