Dalton's Story: Script Development Internship in New York

This is Dalton!

Dalton is a Creative Writing graduate from Otterbein University, where he completed his studies in 2025. Having a strong passion for writing and storytelling, Dalton joined the ArtBound Initiative program and completed a script development internship at Jean Doumanian Productions (JDP), an Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated, and Tony Award winning film, television, and theatrical production company who produced works such as the movie Galveston starring Elle Fanning and the award winning Broadway musical The Book of Mormon.

Interested to know more? Read through Dalton's experience below.

How would you describe your day-to-day at Jean Doumanian Productions?

My daily routine at Jean Doumanian Productions was pretty simple. I'd come into the office, sit down at my desk, and my supervisors would already have a slate of TV, Film, and Play scripts for me to read. Each of them took roughly 40 minutes or more to get through, plus the additional ten minutes of writing up coverage. I tried to be as detailed as possible with my reports. Myself and the other interns typically turned in about 2-4 script coverage reports a day.

What aspect of your internship is the most rewarding?

The most useful part of my internship was the learning aspect. Every week or so, my supervisors would sit me and the other interns down for intern seminars. During these seminars, they'd give us in-depth knowledge on the inner workings of the industry, the production process, and generally how things get done. I learned a lot, and was further surprised by the things I either didn't know or misunderstood prior to gaining that experience. It was incredibly helpful learning what I did. 

The environment (in the office) was great. I came to New York expecting their production companies were large like the ones in LA, only to find out that they're actually quite small. This was in no way a problem, because the small number of staff made the entire office feel more intimate and homely. We interns got to know one another and our supervisors well, and we all had a lot in common, and would frequently talk about the stuff we were reading or the stuff we'd seen outside of work. It was a nice environment and I hope to keep working in spaces like that in the future. 

In what way did ArtBound Initiative helped you the most?

ArtBound was incredibly supportive throughout my journey. I appreciated the frequent check-ins and talks, they gave me great perspective, and helped me orient myself during times when I was starting to question what I was doing or what I was getting out of the whole thing. ArtBound has since helped me gain more professional opportunities now that my first internship is over, and I look forward to remaining a part of their network. 

Dalton

Script Development Internship | Jean Doumanian Productions

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Interested in the program but don't know where to start? Check your eligibility here!

ArtBound Initiative is a fee-based global internship program for creatives. We prepare students for their careers through an online coaching curriculum and by helping them secure an internship in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, London, Berlin, Melbourne, Sydney, and Virtually. With an expansive network of leading creative companies, our program provides access to creative industries that are notoriously insular.

Read more about ArtBound Initiative New York Internship here.

Questions? Contact us at info@artboundinitiative.com