Cool Gigs

By Sean Gregory

SPIES LIKE US

Spy on a husband in Vail (It turns out he wasn't cheating). Do background checks on crooked doctors (one was suspected of sexually harassing an elderly woman). These are some duties of the research analysts at Beau Dietl & Associates, a New York City private-investigation firm. Dietl, a former star N.Y.P.D. detective, hires twentysomethings to support the retired cops in the field. "They're whizzes on the computer," he says. "And they don't bring that civil-service mentality to the job." Although analysts spend most days behind a desk, Dietl aims to increase their spy duties. After all, who would suspect those fresh-faced kids of snooping?

HIP-HOP INC.

Stephanie Reynolds, 24, tends to gloat a bit on Sunday nights because that's when her friends carp about Monday mornings. "They hate me," she says. "I spend so much time talking about how I can't wait to go to work." As one of 12 members of a strategy group at Roc-A-Fella Enterprises, a diversified hip-hop marketing company, she designs CD covers, creates ads for the Rocawear clothing line and writes marketing plans for the firm's latest films. "They're the brain trust," says CEO Damon Dash, who launched his billion-dollar music, fashion and movie empire with rapper Jay-Z eight years ago (see MUSIC). Chief strategist David Gensler plans to hire four new people over the next few weeks, and the company may soon add spots in London. "I'd really like to find some aggressive M.B.A.s," he says.

SUPER MARIO PLAYERS

Back when he fixed boilers for a living, Erik Johnson would spend his down time racing cars and smashing goons. He would sneak off to his apartment to play Mario Kart while still on the clock. "Technically, I guess I was getting paid to play video games," says Johnson, 33. "But I don't feel as guilty now." That's because for him and some 80 full-time Nintendo product testers, Donkey Kong pays the rent. Testers check games for flaws in design and play before submitting written evaluations to the product-development division, where many ambitious testers eventually land. Others become engineers or marketers. Perks include travel to video-game conventions and contests, but testers can expect to work their thumbs off. During the preholiday rush, they twitch their way through 100-hour weeks.

GOING HOLLYWOOD

Industry insiders call it Bunim/Murray University for all the entry-level production assistants and tape loggers it has graduated to big-time gigs. And with reality shows still booming, the production company that makes The Real World and Road Rules--and will further embarrass Paris Hilton in Fox's new The Simple Life--needs more talent than ever. Assistants at Bunim/Murray Productions are gofers, but banality begets opportunity. While chauffeuring company co-founder Mary-Ellis Bunim to the airport four years ago, Benjamin Greenberg told her that he wanted to write screenplays. Bunim recommended a book, and the pair discussed script structure on subsequent trips. Impressed, Bunim promoted him, and now Greenberg, 26, is a supervising story producer on another new Bunim/Murray show, Starting Over.

DIPLOMATIC OPPORTUNITY

How does a young corporate lawyer instantly go from drafting offering memos in New York City to drafting cease-fire agreements in Liberia? He takes the test. The State Department's foreign-service exam is notoriously difficult to pass, but if you cram really hard and get lucky, the world becomes a branch office. First-year foreign-service officers help find doctors for U.S. expatriates, assist in humanitarian efforts and sometimes attend state dinners. Best of all, you don't necessarily need a law degree or foreign-affairs Ph.D. to qualify. Former occupations of current officers include truck driver, librarian, deputy sheriff, fiction writer and stay-at-home mom.