“All Work, No Pay” & Some Perks Too!
Throughout my journey of finding, solidifying and following up with internships, InternQueen.com, whose motto is “All Work, No Pay”. has basically been my go-to guide. But if my past two internships are any representation of the real world in public relations, I have learned that interns as well as professionals are granted opportunities that occur on rare occasions. Although it is work, I have been exposed to new people, places and food that I would have never been exposed to without my internships. It is definitely of the perk of the industry, but it is all granted with hard work put behind it.
At Cashman and Associates for instance, the first day of my internship I was able to work a Chef Cook-Off event for the Lubavitch of Bucks County at Vie on North Broad Street. While I have worked plenty of events at my internships, nothing was remotely close to a Chef Cook-Off event for charitable organizations. As I posted early, I was able to see the behind the scenes aspects of a Talk Philly segment on CBS, and discover all the work that is needed on behalf of the PR agency to execute a similar segment.
One of the firm’s clients is also Flywheel Sports, which just opened a location on Locust Street in Philadelphia. Other interns, some of my friends from Temple University and I, were able to participate in a mock class for a 6ABC segment on the new high-energy spinning class. I must admit, it was definitely a workout, but it was also interesting to get a first hand inside look at an innovative take on the classic spinning class. After doing a little more research about the facility I am looking forward to trying their FlyBarre classes available around the New York City area. FlyWheel Sports ABC Segment
The most recent experience I was involved with was a press conference for the Atlantic City Alliance, showcasing their new plans for Atlantic City this summer, including a new marketing campaign. While I worked at the event, I also helped prep for the event, researching and ordering sand, pails and shovels, personal wine bottles, and funnel cake to create the Atlantic City boardwalk atmosphere in the press conference, and assemble gift bags for the media on their way out. This was my first time ever being involved with the planning of a press conference, but it was refreshing to see the creative tactics implemented to engage the local media.
I am excited to use these experiences in my future career, for future events, media tactics, or integrated campaigns, or as inspiration for new ideas once I enter the industry. I always love the experiential aspect of marketing, which I believe resonates with key audiences for long withstanding loyalty. Being able to have these experiences at Cashman & Associates, fuels my enthusiasm to enter the industry and create more experiences like these. If I have learned anything, internships are definitely hard work, and sometimes unpaid but clearly the experience and benefits are worth it!
