It was the summer of 2004. I was a recent college grad constantly searching for work. I found a job listing for "Assistant Editor at DC Comics" on the Warner Bros employment website and I somehow managed to get my resume over to the right human resources people at Time Warner.
I'm not exactly sure who helped push my status along to help me land the interview. It could have been the DC editor that I had been communicating with via email. It could have been my dad's friend who worked for Time Warner and passed along my resume. It could have even been Neal (of the AudioShocker), who interviewed with Warner Bros around that time and possibly mentioned my name to HR.
I was up for the position of Assistant Editor to Joey Cavalieri and Joan Hilty, both in working in the DCU proper at the time (Joan was also running the Johnny DC imprint). The physical application process with Warner Bros was daunting, akin to taking a standardized test. I had to dig so far back into my own personal history that I actually couldn't remember some of the addresses, phone numbers, and names that they wanted to see.
Afterwards, Warner Bros HR sent me over to the DC Comics offices, part of a large building nestled into the upper edge of Times Square in New York City. I can't speak for how they look nowadays, but the interior hallways were covered in giant paintings of DCU heroes with huge smiles on their faces. It was both awesome and unsettling at the same time.
My interview with Joey Cavalieri could best be described as uncomfortable. I was totally unprepared. I went out of my way to complement him on his editing work on Kyle Baker's Plastic Man, only to find out that the comic was so low maintenance that Joey's involvement consisted solely of checking for spelling errors on the lettered pages.
Meeting with Joan Hilty went slightly better, though still unspectacular. While I felt like I would have worked well with her, I also felt as though I offered nothing special or out of the ordinary to entice her to choose me as her assistant.
Of course, I didn't get the job. The biggest lesson I can pass along is this: do your homework before you go on an interview. Research the hell out of the position you're interviewing for and the people you're going to meet. I should have prepared a speech extolling my virtues as a copy editor. I should have complimented Joey on the comics he wrote, not on the ones he barely edited. Instead, I made minimal effort to sell myself as an attractive candidate for employment.
And that's just another reason why I'm going to have to sneak into the comic book industry if I ever want to make it in.
I interviewed for an internship at one of the Time Warner imprints, but my experience was fairly similar. They wanted to know everything about me and my previous employers. My first interview got canceled but they didn't tell me. I only found out because I called to confirm the day before. That was weak sauce. I ended up interviewing twice -a few weeks apart- both times traveling from PGH to NYC on my own dime. I didn't hear back from them for weeks, but eventually they called to confirm what I already knew.
Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. I ended up working and having the summer of my life in Rochester NY. I met a bunch of Nick's Fairport High buddies and engaged in partying so savage that we called it "summer camp"!