Next Best Thing to a Pro Contract: The GamJams Internship Program (Part 1 and 2)

I like working on GamJams so much that I would do it for free. But I built it - so that's my prerogative. It seems only reasonable then, that if somebody else were to get to work on GamJams they should have to pay for the privilege. Not a lot, mind you. Maybe 25% of what they spend on the rest of the sport.

But that's not how GamJams rolls. In a true "By the racers, for the racers" spirit, GamJams announces its 2008 Internship Program, which costs participant(s) nothing. Zero. $Free.

Part 1: The Job Description
GamJams needs a production intern. Responsibilities will include some general site maintenance (Racing Calendar, Group Map, Classifieds, Featured Photos, Sponsored Teams), and also a leadership role in the creation of several new products, including:
- Regional Racing Sponsor Directory
- Local Team Directory
- Additional programs for GamJams Ambassadors
- Enhanced social features for the site
- Heck, I'll even let you spearhead a platform migration so we get this thing off a simple blog, and onto a platform with greater flexibility and feature sets

I don't want to cut into your training time too much, so I'm only looking for a minimum time commitment of 5 hours / week. If someone wants to do more, we'll ramp it up. If more than one eminently qualified candidate applies, we'll divide and conquer.


Skills required:
- Conversational fluency with a graphics application (for resizing photos principally - Cat 1 photoshop skills aren't necessary)
- Experience with online publishing and social media, including blogs, photo sharing, and some rudimentary familiarity with publishing technologies like HTML, flash and various image types (just knowing what they are - you don't need to know how to build flash movies from scratch)
- Either an understanding of the social application landscape, or an eagerness to immerse oneself into it (for identifying new tools and partnerships to enhance site functionality - including mapping, widgets, Facebook, etc.)
- Interest in or experience with interactive advertising and sponsorship models
- And of course some domain expertise in bike racing, preferably with some experience within this region


What's in it for you?
- Some hands-on experience in building what might at the most be a revolutionary new model for sports sponsorship, and at the least a moderately entertaining initiative designed to support the sport you love
- A chance to develop a host of new skills around online publishing, interactive advertising and social media, many of which might prove valuable to a future (or current) career
- Boundless gratitude from your fellow racers and GamJams visitors
- And yeah, maybe even some money (see Part 2, below)

Interested? Say so. If you have questions, please leave them in the comments so everyone benefits from further clarification.

Part 2: Sponsor the GamJams Intern

I don't mean hanging a sandwich board on him/her and parading him/her around the start/finish line with the lap counter, like a UFC Ring Girl (though I suppose everything is negotiable). As the sponsor of the GamJams Intern, you'll be the de facto sponsor of everything the Intern creates, for the first month after its launch. So your brand will hang on all the new stuff listed above that this person works on, all of which is designed to further strengthen this community of local racers and support the organizations that support us. I'll know how much it costs once I find an intern and negotiate his/her salary. That's what you'll pay, nothing more.

There are lots of details to work out, of course. But that's the gist. If you're interested in associating your brand with a host of products and initiatives designed to make bike racers, their teams and their other sponsors very happy, we should talk.