Overview
Japan Society seeks a highly reliable, digital-native creator for a short-term Marketing internship. Reporting directly to the Marketing Manager, your primary focus will be capturing the live energy of our membership and public events and translating it into compelling, cross-platform narratives that bridge American and Japanese audiences.
This is an accelerated, hands-on learning experience designed to build your portfolio and operational pacing. Because you will be executing on the event floor, you will also serve as a frontline representative of Japan Society. We need someone who is outgoing, eloquent, and comfortable pausing to answer guest questions or converse with attendees with unpretentious professionalism.
Responsibilities
Live Capture: Attend weekly Japan Society events (primarily on-site, occasionally off-site) to capture high-quality video and photo assets.
Content Production: Produce, edit, and tune engaging Reels and Stories to recap events and drive future programming across Instagram, TikTok, Threads, LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, and Facebook.
Brand Stewardship: Operate as a digital brand ambassador—feeding the algorithm and leveraging trends while strictly maintaining the integrity of Japan Society’s visual and tonal architecture.
Frontline Engagement: Act as an approachable, knowledgeable representative for the Society while operating autonomously on the busy event floor.
A natural digital storyteller who understands how to calibrate content for a cross-generational digital audience.
A strategic creator who can balance the high-velocity pacing of social media with the responsibility of representing a major cultural institution.
Highly reliable with strong spatial awareness. You know how to read a room, engage gracefully with guests of all ages, and execute independently without constant supervision.
We index heavily on capability, not pedigree—your work speaks louder than your transcript or enrollment status. This internship is open to self-taught creators, recent grads, college students, and local high school seniors who can collaborate during after-school hours. If you have a proven ability to create compelling digital content, we want to see your portfolio.
Bonus: Proficiency with a DSLR camera.
Bonus: Conversational Japanese or a strong grasp of Japanese cultural nuances.
Bonus: Fluency in Canva, CapCut, Adobe Premiere Rush, or similar agile digital creation and editing tools.
Because you are capturing live events, this role requires evening availability (most events run from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM) as well as availability on select weekends.
You must also be available on at least one day between Tuesday and Thursday during standard business hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) for in-person team alignment and tactical check-ins.
While this is an unpaid, short-term internship, we are deeply committed to making it a high-yield learning experience:
Academic Credit or Portfolio Acceleration: If you are a student seeking academic credit, we will partner fully with your university to fulfill all sponsor requirements. If you are not enrolled, we treat this as a high-impact mentorship deployment designed to rapidly build your professional portfolio and early-career signal.
Expenses: We fully reimburse travel and all required work-related expenses.
Perks: Complimentary access to many of our internal programs and free admission to member museums of the New York Council of Museums.
To be considered for this role, you must submit proof of execution. Please send your resume alongside links or attachments showcasing Reels, TikToks, or Stories that you have personally filmed and edited.
Applicants for this internship will be considered on a rolling basis until this internship is filled. Due to the volume of applications, only applicants who are invited for an interview will be contacted directly. Please refrain from direct communications via email or LinkedIn regarding this internship.
Skills Required
- Submit a resume and portfolio or examples of personally filmed and edited Reels, TikToks, or Stories
- Create, edit, and optimize compelling photo and video content for social media
- Attend weekly primarily on-site events and operate independently on the event floor
- Provide evening availability, typically from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM, and availability on select weekends
- Be available at least one day Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM for in-person team alignment
- Communicate professionally with guests and answer attendee questions
- Maintain Japan Society’s visual and tonal brand standards
- Proficiency with a DSLR camera
- Conversational Japanese or strong knowledge of Japanese cultural nuances
- Fluency with Canva, CapCut, Adobe Premiere Rush, or similar creation and editing tools
What We Do
Japan Society is a New York-based nonprofit organization connecting people in the United States and Japan through Japanese arts, culture, business, and society. It supports international exchange through arts and cultural programming, business and policy initiatives, and education. The organization convenes conversations on issues linking the two countries, champions emerging creators, and promotes mutual understanding, while sharing the story of Japan with audiences in New York and around the world.







