PrintWhat do Michael Eisner, Regis Philbin, and Eva Marie Saint have in common? They got their start as pages at NBC. Jobs in film and television are hard to come by, but the NBC Page Program can be a way in—especially for recently-graduated college students. Founded in 1933 at Rockefeller Center, the program later moved west to establish another branch in Burbank, California. It’s been fostering young talent ever since.
From beginning to end, the job is a difficult one. A page candidate must have graduated with a degree relevant to the film industry and a minimum 3.2 GPA to even be considered. NBC also looks for a little something extra—the network wants someone who has an outgoing disposition and who has completed other film internships or worked in a media-related area in college, like the school newspaper or the local television station.
Even with the strict criteria set in place by NBC, the applicant pool is surging these days. The Page Program is more popular than ever thanks not only to the media opportunities it provides but also to the very public figure of page Kenneth Parcell, played by Jack McBrayer, in NBC’s hit comedy “30 Rock.” Daniel Morais, a 2007 alumnus of the East Coast Page Program, remembers being told at the time he applied that “about 80-85 out of about 10,000 applicants are hired annually.” With an acceptance rate that low—even lower than Columbia’s—the competition must be fierce and the standards high.
Morais fits the criteria laid out by NBC. He majored in film and media studies at Johns Hopkins University and completed internships at Spike TV and a smaller media company near where he lives in New Jersey while in college.
Once hired, the new employees don’t immediately begin working on shows filmed at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Pages spend the majority of their time in the Guest Relations department giving studio tours. Later, they’re shuffled through other departments like News, Entertainment, Publicity, Production and Marketing. The change of venue provides a good foundation for the pages to get a complete overview of the industry. Pages can also choose to complete projects and assignments a few months into their tenure, sometimes even working on such shows as the “Tonight Show” and “Saturday Night Live.”
Upon an application’s acceptance, there is a lengthy interview process that spans month, says Morais. Pages are the face of NBC—they give studio tours and are audience ushers—and so NBC must be sure that they can trust the pages not to tarnish the network’s reputation.
Acceptance into the program ensures a year of long days and low wages with an average of 50 hours worked per week. A page is expected to work six days a week for $10 per hour. While the pay isn’t much, it does provide a steady job for recent college graduates in a famously unsteady industry during a time of rising unemployment.
“30 Rock”’s Kenneth comments continuously on the Page Program and how difficult it is—for example, he asks Tina Fey’s character, Liz Lemon˜, for special permission to work only 20 hours one day. While Kenneth’s dialogue is exaggerated for comedic effect, it’s not actually as hyperbolic as it seems.
No one becomes a page for the money. Instead, the program gives an opportunity for networking with professionals and for gaining real industry experience, something that can’t be taught in the classroom.
“The opportunities are more in the people you’re exposed to [at NBC] than in the work you’re given in those first weeks and months,” says Morais. “The nature of the building and the industry is such that the density of goings-on at 30 Rock can be a major advantage in helping make the right connections to take the next career step.”
While that does not necessarily mean a page is guaranteed a job after completing the program, there are “quite a few former pages that work at NBCU,” says Morais. Although Morais did not stay a page for a full year, he says that he originally found out about his current job at NBC “by doing informational interviews when I was in the Page Program and expressing an interest in getting involved.”
There are other perks to the NBC Page Program besides the possibility of later employment opportunities. Each page is given a Brooks Brothers suit free of charge, five paid vacation days, and the possibility of a chance encounter with a celebrity at the local watering hole. “When you work full time in a densely populated building that houses network TV shows … you do run into celebrities and recognizable faces from time to time,” says Morais.
The program can also provide a smooth transition from college life to company life. “The Page Program provides the unusual opportunity of being part of a group of fifty or so young people, mostly recent college graduates, while getting exposed to a corporate environment,” Morais says, “so it’s a fun way to transition from the mindset of college to the day to day of working in a more professional environment.”
With statistics stacked so steeply against the applicant, it can be discouraging to apply for the program. Still, a low acceptance rate shouldn’t deter the most determined would-be entertainment moguls. Breaking into the film business requires getting contacts—no easy task. With some hard work and dedication, a page position can lead to bigger and better things. After all, even Michael Eisner had to start somewhere.