Social Media, Athlete Research & Storytelling InternAt — DRAFTED

The intern will support social media content development, athlete storytelling, cultural insights, and athlete research. This role includes assisting in the development of DRAFTED’s Latina Student-Athlete Database MVP, which will help inform future brand partnerships, sampling programs, and editorial storytelling. All communication and tasks will be supervised and structured in alignment with CSUF academic internship requirements.

Tasks:

Social Media & Editorial:
• Produce two recurring editorial series: ProxYmas and Root of Greatness
• Research athletes, gather bios, background details, and cultural context
• Draft captions and written storytelling
• Assist with visual layout using existing templates
• Review submissions for the DRAFTED Spotlight Program
• Conduct short interviews with athletes through supervised email/DM
• Write bios, narratives, and editorial summaries

Latina Student-Athlete Database (Special Project):
• Research Latina student-athletes across sports, schools, and NCAA/NAIA/JUCO levels
• Organize athlete information using defined database fields
• Draft and send supervised outreach messages inviting athletes to complete the intake form
• Maintain and update the database weekly
• Identify 10–12 athletes for structured research conversations
• Assist with scheduling, note-taking, and summarizing insights from athlete interviews

Branding & Creative:
• Support moodboard and concept development
• Conduct weekly research on sports culture, Gen Z trends, and NIL landscape
• Assist with brand consistency checks across content

Community & Event Support:
• Assist with athlete communication and approvals
• Provide supervised support at optional events (never alone with minors or vulnerable individuals)

Operations (20% maximum):
• Update editorial calendars
• Maintain athlete pipeline spreadsheet
• Track weekly tasks and complete progress reflections
• Log hours for supervisor verification

Training:

The intern will receive structured training and continuous supervision including:

• Week 1 orientation (brand overview, editorial guidelines, safety expectations)
• Job shadowing of content review and editorial process
• Weekly 1:1 mentorship and feedback meetings
• Training on professional communications, athlete research, and NIL basics
• Tools onboarding (Google Suite, templates, Asana workflow)

Supervisor: Jennifer Yepez-Blundell, Co-Founder of DRAFTED
Intern-to-supervisor ratio: 1:1

Learning Outcome:

By the end of the internship, the student will be able to:

• Produce social-first editorial content relevant to sports media
• Apply branding and creative strategy skills
• Conduct structured interviews and summarize insights
• Communicate professionally with external stakeholders
• Build and manage an early-stage research database
• Analyze engagement metrics and evaluate content performance
• Understand athlete-brand partnerships and the NIL ecosystem
• Demonstrate project management and organizational skills