When I went through the final stage of applying for the Channel V, V Raw internship I attended the interview at the XYZ Networks offices at FOXTEL in North Ryde. I could tell from the moment I walked in the door that this was where I wanted to be. The floor was buzzing with friendly faces and a bunch of hard working music lovers.

A few days later I got the call that I had made it through and would be doing three days a week for four weeks with Channel V. On my first day I took a moment to stand outside the FOXTEL building, looking up at the big orange sign and got that flush of excitement, when you know that you are about to embark on something huge.

The amazing thing about working within the Music Channels at XYZ Networks is the passion and knowledge everyone has of music. Yes, music is what they are dealing with on a day-to-day basis, but being immersed in music conversation and debate amongst the staff is something truly inspiring for a music lover. Each desk in the Music Channels offices has a TV constantly streaming the music channels which often fuels opinions and debates as various clips play throughout the day.

One thing that stood out for a person like myself who has been through various unpaid roles and internships was how generous the staff were with their time. Each of the different departments were prepared to teach me the proper methods to get things done and how their work contributed to producing all the on air material. At the beginning of my time at Channel V I sat down with the legendary Stella Wong, head of marketing for XYZ Music Channels. She took me through the various teams in the office and identified all the places she thought I might enjoy getting some experience. This way each week I had a stint in each department. I even sat in with the production team on one of the film shoots of V Music News, which was great fun. Doing my internship this way really broadened my knowledge of the available options in the music marketing industry, appropriate for someone ambivalent about their career like myself.

Luckily my time at the internship coincided with the search for the new Channel V Presenter. The office was overwhelmed with applications for the position and I was fortunate enough to be putting all the applications through the system so I got to watch the video applications and witness the buzz of excitement surrounding the search for the next VJ. I also worked on different promotional competitions and saw how marketing deals work between the various music Channels when they promote a touring artist or event.

You certainly know you are in the right direction when you wake up every morning excited to go to work and that was what working at Channel V as a Marketing Assistant was like for me. Thank you V Raw for organising such great and relevant industry opportunities. Thank you to XYZ Networks, particularly the Music Marketing Team for teaching me so much and being so warm and generous.