Behind the Scenes of Znyah Johnson’s Internship with Southern Entertainment

This summer was a productive one, especially for JWU students like Znyah Johnson ’26. The Sports, Entertainment, Event — Management (SEEM) major spent the summer interning with Southern Entertainment, a North Carolina-based entertainment company that specializes in planning, marketing and executing a variety of events for brands and companies. 

Johnson’s internship, which began in March and was scheduled to end in August, has been extended into October because of how impressed Southern Entertainment was with her work. She will assist them with their final festival event of the year. 

We wanted to learn more about this superstar student and her internship experience, so we caught up with her at the end of the summer. 

What made you choose JWU for college?  

I knew I wanted to live in a city that was not too big and not too small, and Charlotte was the perfect place. It’s a growing city with new teams and companies being added all the time, which is perfect for my SEEM degree. 

How did you hear about the Southern Entertainment internship?  

The company’s director of events, Gregg McConnell, and director of ticketing and operations, Alix Pitney, visited several of my SEEM classes to tell JWU students about their internship opportunities. 

What was the application/interview process like?  

For the application, I shared my experience working with ambassadors and influencers and my interest in media and content creation. I had an interview with Gregg first, and usually I’m nervous about those kinds of things, but he was genuinely interested in all my volunteer work and past experiences, so it went well. A week later, I had a second interview with Alix, the person I would report to directly during festival season.  

Tell me more about Southern Entertainment — what do they do?  

Southern Entertainment is an entertainment company based here in Charlotte, N.C. They put on music festivals throughout the U.S., and they’re also involved in events like the NBA Crossover, the ACC Football Championship, SouthPark After 5 and Citadel Live.  

What is your role with them?  

I am an influencer and content intern. I work on content calendars for the social media ambassadors of the music festivals, and I am onsite during festivals to supervise, make sure things run smoothly and troubleshoot ticketing issues when needed. 

What does an average day at work consist of for you?  

No two days look the same. Sometimes I’m working on a new content calendar or challenges for ambassadors and influencers. Other days I’m researching schools, colleges, clubs, Greek life or other potential influencers in the area. I also approve ambassador applications and make sure everything is organized for upcoming festivals.  

What has been a favorite task or project you’ve done this summer?  

My favorite project for each festival has been researching the festival demographic and then creating challenges and actions for ambassadors and influencers to do each month or week. For example, at our outdoor camping/music festival there were activities like fishing and hiking during the day and headliner concerts at night. I got to design challenges that tied directly into that vibe — outdoor-inspired content ideas that connected to the overall festival experience.  

How have you used what you’ve learned at JWU to help you in this internship? Have any particular classes prepared you?  

SEEM has prepared me so well for this internship. Classes where we worked on event planning, sponsorship and marketing gave me a real foundation for creating content calendars, understanding demographics and working with ambassadors. I’ve also learned a lot about professionalism, communication and teamwork in my courses which I use every single day on the job.  

What is your dream job/career path, and how will this internship prepare you for that? 

My dream job is to work in live events and festivals full time, ideally in a role where I can combine influencer marketing, creative content and event operations. I want to be able to travel to new places all the time, connect with new audiences and work behind the scenes to bring experiences to life. This internship prepared me for that by giving me real, hands-on festival experience and teaching me how to balance both the creative side and the operational side of entertainment.  

What advice would you offer to students who are looking for exciting internship opportunities like this one?  

My advice is don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. You never know what new skills or interests you’ll discover along the way. If you only stick to what you already know, you’ll never grow or learn. Take a chance on an opportunity that feels big or different — you might end up finding your passion.  

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