Job Description

About Bandana Bandana exists to improve the livelihoods of hourly and entry-level workers through transparency and trust, starting with finding better jobs. The broader vision? Re-ignite the belief in the “American Dream” for workers. Specifically, the American promise that hard work can lead to success — and that this applies to all, not just the privileged few.

We seek people who:

• Lead with Head AND Heart: Smart isn’t enough. At Bandana, we want people who care deeply about the everyday Americans that we serve.
• Have Informed Opinions (Loosely Held): We have the conviction that building for workers first is the key to our success. Not everyone agrees. We are building an opinionated product For the People — we want to hear yours.
• Grow Through Action: We learn by doing. This takes time, energy, and in-person investment. Restoring the American Dream is not a 9-to-5 job.
• Want to Work On What Matters: At Bandana, we work on challenging problems that make a real difference for real people. Bandana has raised $12.3M in total funding from top-tier VCs, led by General Catalyst and Craft Ventures. Learn more about our company vision here, coverage on Techcrunch for our funding rounds here and here, and check out our current product at bandana.com/search.

Duration of Role and Location: The duration of this summer internship is 10-12 weeks, starting in late May/early June and lasting through early-mid August, depending on your university schedule. About the Role (Social Media 2025 Summer Intern)

What You’ll Do:

• Illustrate and animate engaging short-form content for social media, centered around job searching, career journeys, and the world of work.
• Collaborate on creative storytelling by:Developing fun and relatable characters or mascots that align with the Bandana brand.
• Ideating and scripting lighthearted, imaginative scenarios (e.g., animals in human jobs) that bring humor and insight to work life.
• Design and produce animated videos tailored for platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
• Use motion graphics and animation to enhance informational content—making job tips and career advice more dynamic and shareable.

Skills you have:

• Ability to create expressive, relatable characters that convey personality and emotion.
• Skills in sketching visual story outlines that align with short-form video pacing (15–30 seconds).
• Understanding of how to communicate narrative and emotion quickly and clearly.
• Comfort working in a brand-aligned illustration style, or mimicking an engaging, shareable animation aesthetic

What we’re looking for:

• Education: Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in a related animation/design/illustration field
• Previous Work: Showcased in a great portfolio either from paid projects, school assignment, or out of passion!
• Grit & Hustle: Get-shit-done attitude, with willingness to roll up your sleeves.
• Creativity Within Ambiguity: When we tell you to “go test and figure it out”, you can test and learn, quickly!
• Speed & Independence: You have a track record of driving projects from 0-to-1 quickly and autonomously.
• Growth Mindset: You have an innate desire to always be learning, no matter the knowledge source.
• Heart & Head: You’re kind. You balance decision-making with both logic and emotional intelligence.

Bonus if you have:

• Deep experience and empathy with our core target audience of American hourly workers.
• An understanding of what types of animated content goes viral on Social Media

Who You’d Work With

• Report to:Paulo Makalinao - Media & Marketing Lead
• Adrian Abeijon - Growth & Operations Manager
• Work closely with:Timothy (Tim) Makalinao - CEO / Co-Founder
• Vicky Xu - Head of Product
• Jessica Kim - Finance & Operations Manager
• See What is Bandana - About the Founding Team for more information.

Interview Process: The non-technical internship interview process typically involves 3 components:

1. Coffee chat: 10-15min video or phone conversation with Paulo
2. Take-home Assignment: 1-2hr assessment that mirrors day-to-day work that you might be assigned to.
3. Interview(s): Review of take-home assessment & personal fit interview with 1 or 2 people.

Location & Work Policy: Bandana is based in the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. We believe in the power of face-to-face, personal connection. As a result, we are only considering in-person candidates that are expected to be present at our office 4-5x a week whenever not in the field.

Pay and Benefits Compensation: $12,500 for a 10 week internship OR $15,000 for a 12 week internship. We cover lunch at work and have a ton of fun activities. Potential to cover $3,000 in housing stipend (total).