My Full Circle Journey with REC Philly

My process of working with REC Philly has blossomed throughout the time I’ve been there. For those who aren’t familiar, REC Philly is a creative incubator that equips artists and creative entrepreneurs with the tools they need to thrive in the digital world. They offer things like studio spaces, networking, and workshops to help creative entrepreneurs be at the forefront of their industry and gain special insight on how to succeed as a creative. I came across the company when I was a freshman at Temple. As someone looking to build their brand as a creative, REC instantly became a business I had my eye on. My creative path lies within cinematography and videography, and their studios, equipment, and networking was something I knew would help catapult me into a career in Philadelphia.

Funnily enough, both co-founders of REC are Temple alums. Because of this, each year they give out 10 free annual memberships to Temple students. Luckily enough I was blessed to receive one, which at the time was a value of around $1299 a year. Through this, I began to get familiar with REC, and the people there, and it gave me a good starting point for my career. Then, going into my sophomore year, I made a drastic change as I changed out of the film major and into advertising. This was daunting to me but also exciting because I knew there’d be a more tangible workforce I could go into for my newly chosen field.

As I entered my sophomore year, I found out that REC was doing an internship cohort for the fall semester. I was working at another job when I came across the opportunity, but right then and there I got out my laptop and made a whole new resume and cover letter for this opportunity. Applying to jobs always has a weird limbo that comes with it, because sometimes you apply for things and then completely forget about them until you hear back. This, however was different, because with REC this was something that stuck in my mind well after I pressed submit. One of my fondest memories in this process happened when I had accidentally locked myself out of my apartment. No keys, no phone, and none of my roommates were even in Philly to help me out. During this time I vividly remember just sitting on my building’s front steps and just talking to God and praying that this internship would line up for me and I could get the ball-rolling with my marketing career.

As I’m sure you can tell by my writing of this blog post- I landed the internship. Being able to work behind the scenes of REC and really plug into their network gave room for so much growth for me personally. My role at REC involved content marketing, meaning I was behind a lot of our big campaign projects and making the ads that would go out under those respective campaigns. Through this, I learned a lot about advertising, what to prioritize, and how to create with an audience in mind. Because REC partners with other brands to host events at their space, I’ve been able to create content for companies like Google, Lapstone and Hammer, and even Urban Outfitters, which has been a very fun experience. The internship really allowed me to tap into what I love the most about marketing- creative collaboration. We were a small but mighty marketing team at REC, and there were even 2 co-workers on the team who ended up leaving REC during my time there. Because of this I really had room to grow into my own as an intern at the company.

My internship ended up being extended to the spring semester as well. During my extended tenure is when I truly hit my stride. It was a period of growth and empowerment, where I essentially stepped into a role of Creative Director, a responsibility and title that felt both exciting and validating. My colleagues recognized my abilities and trusted me to contribute significantly to our marketing team.

Beyond the usual content creation tasks, my responsibilities expanded considerably. I took on the role of a mentor, guiding our new interns and sharing insights from my journey. Additionally, I found myself at the helm of media production, ensuring that our visual content aligned with our brand vision. But perhaps the most exhilarating part was collaborating on original content ideas for our social media platforms. Whether it was brainstorming catchy campaigns or devising engaging posts, I reveled in the creative process.

At the time of writing this, my internship ends in 5 days, and on my last day we’re running what’s looking to be one of our biggest events of the year. I look back on my time with REC with nothing but gratitude. I was able to network and meet so many people I respect and look up to, and it was a great start to my journey in marketing. It’s a bit bittersweet because I’m gonna miss going into the office weekly and seeing my coworkers who I’ve grown such an affinity for, but I’m also excited to be a free agent again to explore new opportunities and continue my growth. But even so, REC will always be special to me for being my first true time working in marketing and allowing me to put my skills to the test.