Miami Proud: Adrienne Arsht Center internships spotlights careers in theater management
MIAMI - Kat Martinez is part of the team bringing top Broadway shows and entertainment to life at the Adrienne Arsht Center.
She's an information technology lead who started in 2017 as an intern while attending Florida International University.
She knew a long time ago this is where she wanted to work.
"Growing up I saw this building being built. I thought 'I want to work there, in the theater,'" Matinez recalled.
Her team is responsible for the network systems, cybersecurity, and digital signage throughout the Arsht Center's 50,000-square-foot campus -- and now she's showing the ropes to intern Roman Hernandez, a Broward College student about to complete his degree in networking technology.
"I did my degree during the height of COVID so I have a lot of book experience but not a lot of hands-on experience. I can now see what I'm working with, touch it, plug things in and take things out, scrap them, fix them," he said.
The paid internship is a great opportunity possible in part through the generosity of business leader and philanthropist Adrienne Arsht.
In April 2022, Ms. Arsht made a $10 million endowment gift that transformed the Center's internship program into a fully paid program, creating greater and more equal access to hands-on professional experience in arts management.
It is very competitive to get in.
"It was very exciting you feel like you're chosen for something that is a great opportunity something people want and compete over. I felt very lucky to be chosen," Hernandez said.
Martinez explains how IT gives interns a chance to interact with every role in the theater organization.
"They get to work with everyone, from development, programming, marketing, and public relations. You get a little bit of everything, and you experience everything pretty much. Then they go on the work at bigger and better things they go on to work at TikTok and the NFL and other opportunities," she bragged.
From the very start of the six-week program, Hernandez knew he was in the right place.
"Just walking into the IT department immediately. I understood that this is a group of very capable people who are very knowledgeable. I got the feeling that they want to teach you and help you grow and that's exactly what I was looking for."
The intern program is all year long and you can learn more about here.
