It is a truth universally acknowledged that a literary, film and TV agency in need of creative talent, must be in want of an intern (or two).
Perhaps this is not how Jane Austen summarised the need for internships amongst literary agencies searching for new talent, but at David Higham Associates, we’re always on the hunt for passionate readers and screen enthusiasts who are ready to start their career in the publishing or film/TV industry.
We see paid internships as a key pathway into the industry for candidates who need to earn a living while they build experience and offer a fair salary as standard. We are keen to attract applications from candidates from under-represented backgrounds in our shared aim to make publishing a more diverse and fully representative industry.
Our internships, one in the Books department and one in the TV, Film & Stage department, are usually offered on a six-monthly basis, to give as many candidates as possible the chance to take their first step into the industry but also to ensure they have the opportunity to take on varied responsibilities.
Typically Books interns manage our submissions inbox, read and report on manuscripts, assist one of our book agents with client-related tasks, help out the translation rights team, fulfil permission requests, help organise our Open Day events and attend and minute Books department meetings amongst other tasks.
Our TV, Film & Stage interns record submissions to producers, create pitch materials for our books, manage social media posts, read and report on scripts and take minutes in departmental and producer meetings, amongst other jobs.
Both interns undertake a variety of office tasks and act as receptionist, answering our phone line.
Interns leave DHA with a good insight into all the functions of an agency and a developed sense of which role interests and suits them best. We mentor our interns with one-to-one sessions throughout their tenure and assist them as they start their permanent job search. We are extremely proud of the varied, exciting roles our interns have since gone on to secure since our internship programme was initiated over a decade ago – not least that, as of spring 2024, no fewer than four of our current permanent staff began as interns.
This is how some of our talented alumnae have summarised their experience with us at DHA:
Anna Barnes, Head of Picture Books at Puffin:
I loved my time interning at David Higham. I learned so much about the industry – from big, fundamental things like how contracts work and how agents and publishers work together to find, launch and nurture authors and illustrators; to small but crucial things like how to write a good email. It was the best possible start to my publishing career.
Aimée Felone, Managing Director of Knights Of, British Books Awards 2022 Children’s Publisher of the Year:
I honestly look back at my time as an intern at DHA with such fond memories! Getting the (paid!) opportunity to work at such an illustrious literary agency gave me the much needed skills and confidence to start formulating my ideas of what I wanted my career to look like and what I wanted my impact in this industry to be.
Rebecca Jamieson, Editor at HQ:
My experience interning at David Higham Associates was invaluable. Not only did I meet some of the most amazing people and brilliant minds, but it gave me an extraordinarily helpful introduction to the publishing industry and agenting. The internship is what you make of it, so if you put yourself forward and get involved, you can learn so much – you could be working on inspiring projects, like the DHA Open Days for Under-represented Writers, or reading submissions and writing reader reports for agents, alongside the internship duties required. For anyone trying to break into the industry, I highly recommend applying to this internship at DHA.
See below for details of any vacancies we have at the agency:
TV, Film and Stage Agent’s Assistant
We’re looking for a meticulous and self-motivated TV, Film and Stage Agent’s Assistant to join our department!
The role is full-time at our offices in Soho, London with working from home days to be discussed.
Please see here for more details about the role and instructions on how to apply. Applications close midnight Sunday 5th May 2024.
We can’t wait to read your applications.
Film, TV & Theatre Intern
We’re looking for an enthusiastic and organised Film, TV & Theatre Intern to join our department for 6 months!
The role is full-time with a minimum of four days a week in our offices in Soho, London.
Please see here for more details about the role and instructions on how to apply. Applications close midnight Wednesday 1st May 2024.
We look forward to reading your applications.
Assistant to Nicola Chang and Harriet Moore
Applications for this role are now closed.
Due to the volume of applications, if you haven’t heard back from us, please assume you have not been successful this time.
Launched in 2018, the DHA Open Days aim to demystify the industry, and support writers from under-represented backgrounds to gain valuable industry knowledge and develop their work. We run Open Days for adult literary and commercial fiction and also for scriptwriters.
Our 2023 Open Day built on the success of previous years, inviting ten exceptional writers to take part in a day of free workshops and seminars from authors, editors, and leading industry professionals, alongside an in-depth 1-1 feedback session on their submitted work with a DHA agent.
Check back here for news of the next Open Day or follow us on X for the latest info.