From Owl to Peacock: Working For NBCUniversal

The owls’ nest is wider than what you might think. If you told me at the start of my undergraduate studies that I would have spent the summer before my Senior year, living in LA, while interning at NBCUniversal I wouldn’t have believed you. My name is Kieran and I’m an entering Senior, studying Advertising and Business, here at Temple. I have spent the summer as an Ad Sales intern, at NBCUniversal’s West Coast Office.

Although my experience isn’t in sales, I accepted the position because I thought it would be a great opportunity to understand another part of the business cycle, under the industry I am entering. Not to mention the analytical, media math skills you learn in my position really strengthen and diversify my resume and portfolio. The structure of the ad sales office here is almost evocative of a typical agency model. The office is organized by the different properties within the company, including News, Sports, Lifestyle, Hispanic and Digital. Within each department you will find ASR’s (account service representatives), Planners, Account Executives and VP’s. Each team deals with the negotiating, planning and maintenance that comes with selling inventory to advertisers. Some of the day to day responsibilities as an intern include pulling reports of advertising units that will run, or have ran, and sending them to clients, building “make-good” packages for client’s who didn’t meet their guaranteed impressions, facilitating “flips” from one client’s spot to another and checking the network’s programming grids, do send to clients.

The start of my internship began with a company-wide orientation for all the students, working in all of the different offices. It was a great opportunity to learn more about such a large, cultural company as well as meet some of the other interns. The internship program was great about continuing programming as the summer went on from lunches, trips to roundtable talks. From there I became oriented on what my day-to-day responsibilities would be and equally become acclimated to my office. My coworkers have been incredibly warm, from start to finish, as well as exceptional teachers.

I wish I could share with you all the secret formula to landing the perfect pre-professional experience but as far as I know it doesn’t exist. I was able secure this position by starting the application cycle early (winter break) and chiseling at my resume over the years. Beyond this, I might have just gotten lucky. The best advice I can give is to put your best foot forward at any point in you education because you never know what experience will lead you to you next.