"An internship at MTV in London might sound impossibly glamorous to some: I'm here to tell you that it was not. Back in the 1990s, I found myself working in the channel's communications department, and the job pretty much entailed being wedded to the photocopier or making coffee for higher-ups. But, occasionally, there were the moments of madness. It was also my job to 'man' the viewer enquiry telephone line."
"From an internship at MTV to working at record labels and interviewing A-listers as a journalist, I have had a ringside seat to the rise of the superfan. So much so that one of them inspired my debut novel... An internship at MTV in London might sound impossibly glamorous to some: I'm here to tell you that it was not."
An internship at MTV in London in the 1990s involved working in the communications department and performing mundane tasks such as operating the photocopier and making coffee for senior staff. Occasional chaotic moments punctuated the routine. Managing the viewer enquiry telephone line required answering a wide range of questions from fans. In the pre-Google era, research tasks included finding out how fans could write to artists, identifying video directors, and explaining how to become an MTV presenter. Subsequent work at record labels and as a journalist interviewing A-list figures provided close exposure to fan culture. Engagement with superfans became pronounced enough to inspire a debut novel. Those experiences show the evolving relationship between media professionals and intensely committed fans.
Read at Independent
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