Emily White ’05, a familiar face around CAMD, is back with her newest accomplishment: publishing her first book. We caught up with her to hear all about her writing process for this book, entitled Interning 101: How to Succeed at Internships & Your First (or new) Job (available for pre-order here).

She also got us up to speed on her talent management company Whitesmith Entertainment and her startup Dreamfuel, which supports athletes and teams in funding their dreams, and has attracted positive media attention related to the Olympics. Check out the interview below.

CAMD: What was it like writing your first book? What was the most challenging part?

EW: It was awesome! I mean. writing a book is a huge undertaking, no doubt. But I really enjoyed the process. That said, the most challenging part was of course finding the time. I blocked off some time in January away from e-mail in Thailand and did the same between Christmas and New Years in the Bahamas to fully focus on the project and get the bulk of the work done.

CAMD: What are your next steps for Interning 101?

EW: We’re looking at a January release, and are finalizing the date as we speak. The publisher is 9GiantStepsBooks, which was actually founded by George Howard, who was a professor of mine at Northeastern! We met in the first ever music industry class he ever taught and he had a huge influence on my career. I love how it’s all coming around full circle.

CAMD: What do you hope people will get out of reading it?

EW: I hope that people get the knowledge of modern workplace fundamentals, which is often expected at internships, but isn’t necessarily taught in schools. I noticed I was teaching many of the same basic skills semester after semester to our interns from how to write an email, to how to communicate via phone calls. There is higher level information in Interning 101, no doubt, but ultimately it is based on an “Intern Manifesto” that I created for Whitesmith Entertainment and Dreamfuel interns to have as a reference guide on modern office basics for students. The manifesto turned out to be such an extremely useful resource for our interns that I ended up asking them if it would be useful to their classmates if I turned it into a “how-to” book. The answer was a resounding “YES!”

There is also information in it about how I was a kid from Wisconsin who knew no one in my career fields when I began, and tracks my journey of how I got to where I am via my internships and co-ops beginning at Northeastern.

CAMD: What has been one highlight from your time running Dreamfuel?

EW: I really love the #DreamfuelFamily initiative we launched this Summer to get athletes’ families to the Rio Olympics. No one had ever done that before and it was a very moving concept to be involved with. We can’t wait to do it again!

CAMD: How do Dreamfuel and Whitesmith Entertainment function as professional pursuits in your life- together or in parallel? Is there a connecting thread between them?

EW: Dreamfuel is certainly my priority moving forward, but I will always be a founding partner at Whitesmith and run any of my entertainment industry work through Whitesmith. Keri, the “Smith” in Whitesmith, is currently shopping a Dreamfuel TV show based on our athletes and the content we are generating, so all is well in both companies’ worlds!

CAMD: How did you first get involved with entrepreneurship?

EW: In hindsight, through my parents. They have been running successful swim teams for years and the skills are incredibly similar. I also think that sometimes entrepreneurship isn’t a choice. It’s innately in me and working someone else just never really fit how I wanted to do things. I love creating projects and have been told I’m a natural leader. That along with various elements I gained from swimming (work ethic, time management, teamwork, etc.) really set the groundwork for my life and career as an entrepreneur.