Reflecting on My Time With The Clios
Hello! My name is Dylan Salek and I am a rising senior studying advertising with a concentration in media planning. This summer I had the opportunity to intern at the Clio Awards. The Clio Awards (The Clios) is an awards show that focuses on highlighting creative and bold works within advertising and marketing. As my internship is coming to a close, I am writing this post to reflect on my time at the Clios.
Looking back at my internship, I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity. For many people, including myself, it was hard to find an internship this summer due to the uncertainty surrounding the virus. That is why I feel very lucky to have landed an internship within advertising, which I am considering working in after graduation.
I learned so much from this internship. One of the most important things I learned during this internship is to never be afraid to ask questions. When I first started my internship, I would always avoid asking questions because I did not want to look like I did not know what I was doing. Also, I found it hard to ask questions because my internship was fully remote, so I would have to write an email or message a co-worker rather than just asking a question face-to-face. However, I learned pretty quickly that it will show in your work when you do not ask questions. A couple of times during my internship, I made a mistake that could have been avoided if I just asked a simple question. Sometimes, it takes less time to ask a question, rather than fixing a mistake due to not asking that question.
What surprised me most about my internship was the various industries I was exposed to. The Clios has many award shows during the year, and most award shows focus on a specific industry. I was originally hired to help with the Clio Music program, but I also helped with Clio Entertainment which focuses on movies, television, and video games. I also was able to work on the Clio Cannabis program, which is the newest program. Being able to help contribute research and ideas to Clio Cannabis was exciting to me because I was able to learn more about a fast-growing, unique, and fun industry. Working on Clio Cannabis was also exciting because I was able to see the impact I was making on the program because it is so small.
One piece of advice I would give anyone after my internship is to never be afraid to ask questions, even when you think they are dumb. Another piece of advice I would give is to not be afraid to try something outside the box. When I was looking for internships, I thought it was super important to intern at an advertising firm because many of the skills I have learned from my classes would easily translate to an advertising firm. However, after interning at the Clios, I learned that many jobs require similar skills and you can always learn more skills on the job. Don’t be afraid to try something adjacent to or even totally different from what you are currently doing.
