Unicorn Flames / Careers / 30-Day Internship
30-Day Internship. Real work. Real pay.
Sidequest is Unicorn Flames' focused 30-day internship: one real project, run in up to three sprints, with 1:1 mentorship from founder Tim Haines and real pay. No busywork, no unpaid labor dressed up as "exposure" — a deliverable you own when it's done.
The wall.
You're studying design or marketing and you want experience that actually counts — the kind where you run something from start to finish and have something real to show when it's over. Not "helped the team with social posts." Something you can point to and say I built that.
The problem is the math doesn't work. The internships worth having don't pay. The teams worth working for can't afford a three-month commitment at fair wages. So students take whatever they can get, and small teams miss out on the energy they actually need.
What's a sidequest?
Part-time, project-based, and paid per deliverable — one real project taken deep for 30 days.
Pick an experiment — a campaign, a rebrand, an AI build, a content play — and go deep on it for 30 days. Scope is defined before you start. Pay is set before you start. You show up ready to work, not ready to be assigned busywork. When the sprint ends, you've got something finished and something to talk about. That's the whole model.
This is for students who are already a little impatient with the normal path — future freelancers, founders, and creative leads who know the best way to learn something is to actually do it where it matters.
Your mentor's not here to give you the answers. They're here to make sure you're asking the right questions.
Three sprints. One project.
Up to three 30-day sprints, each with locked scope and pay set before day one.
First sprint
Every intern admitted runs at least one sprint. Scope gets locked before day one, and you get paid when it's done. This is the one that's guaranteed.
Second sprint
If the first sprint went well and there's more worth building, you keep going. New scope, new experiment, same structure. Entirely optional for both sides.
Third sprint
The full run. Three experiments, three finished deliverables — a portfolio that shows what you actually did, not just where you were.
What you get.
Paid per project
Not hourly. Not "we'll figure it out." The scope is defined before day one and so is the check. No surprises.
1:1 mentorship
One mentor, the whole sprint — someone who's done the actual thing. Not a TA, not HR, not a bot that replies in 48 hours.
Portfolio work
Real campaigns. Real assets. Yours to keep — not a mock project. We'll help you write the case study when it's done.
Shared upside
If the experiment wins, you win too. Incentives are structured into every sprint. We're on the same side of the table.
Probably.
Not for students who want a safe internship to coast through. For students who want to find out what they're actually capable of.
- ✦Studying design or marketing — finishing high school or in your first three years of college
- ✦Thinking about going independent someday — freelancing, founding, building your own thing
- ✦Want to work with a startup or innovation team, not spend your summer in a corporate onboarding maze
- ✦Genuinely curious about AI and what it's doing to creative and marketing work right now
- ✦Would rather ship something small and real than pad a résumé with something hollow
Your mentor.
Tim Haines
Founder, Unicorn Flames · Grand Rapids, MI
I run Unicorn Flames — talent, training, and community, all under one roof in West Michigan. I've hired a lot of interns and watched too many of them leave with nothing to show for it. That's why this exists.
The projects we work on together will be real things I actually need done. You'll get context, direct feedback, and an honest read on how you're doing. Not cheerleading.
Start your sidequest.
Spots are limited and competitive, offered as-needed. Drop your info — we'll reach out to talk through whether this is the right fit. No elevator pitch required.