From SoulCycle to Gloss PR.
Hello, my name is Regan Plaza. I am a senior advertising student with a concentration in Account Management and a Public Relations minor. Never haveI ever thought the internship that I would grow to love with riding a bike next to me at SoulCycle this entire time.
The second semester of my senior year was just around the corner when I realized I have not fulfilled my internship credit yet. I was at my part-time job, SoulCycle, talking to one of my co-workers about this issue and one of our frequent riders, Ilana, overheard us and said “Regan, why don’t you come work for me, I cannot believe you haven’t asked yet.” Ilana was a PR major at Temple and now helps run a small PR firm in the city, Gloss PR.
Gloss PR is a very small, but powerful, PR firm located in Center City, Philadelphia. They have a wide variety of clients which range from small boutiques, to health food stores, to one of the biggest non-profit marketing organizations, Rittenhouse Row. They have a “home office” in the suburbs but most of my work was completed right in Philly. Gloss is run by only 2 people: Corie, who is the President and Owner, and Ilana who is the Account Executive. Both of these girls together are PR powerhouses and tend to about 21 clients and still to this day I do not understand how they handle all of this work.
My time with Gloss PR was very educational. Since it is such a small firm, I was able to create a very personal relationship with both Ilana and Corie. They were also very understanding of my school and work schedule. I usually worked for them Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I did not have one specific job that I had to do, it was really a plethora of things I got thrown at me. Sometimes I had to attend meetings all day (some of which required me to travel to New York), write emails, pick up items from businesses, or work on small projects. One of the biggest projects they had me complete was a Rittenhouse Business comprehensive list. Basically I had to make an Excel sheet that included business info (address, email, phone, contact info) for every business on Walnut, Locust, Chestnut, Samson, Spruce, JFK Blvd, Pine, and Market Streets, between Broad and 24th street. This is one of the most overwhelming projects I have ever completed. I feel my relationship with Ilana made the project easier because she understood my life and what I was dealing with.
Working at Gloss PR made me realize that I would much rather work at a small firm or business rather than have a huge corporate job. Previously I mentioned the relationship I had with my bosses, but working in a small firm also made it easier to build a relationship with my clients. It was very casual talking to them, I did not feel like I was working. I am very thankful for this internship and the opportunities it has presented me with. Having Ilana overhear my conversation at SoulCycle was one of the best things that could have happened to me.
