Silverstein at Brownstein
My fourteen weeks as a copywriting intern at Brownstein Group have been so enjoyable in every capacity. Before this, I’ve had experiences in which I liked my coworkers, but hated the work. Other times, I got to create some awesome things, but couldn’t stand the people I was creating them for. Brownstein has been a happy medium between these two extremes, and it’s made me largely happy.
I’ve been able to get my hands on work for quite a variety of clients, from IKEA and Comcast to Amerigas and Sun National Bank. I even got to write a few things for the agency itself, including a creative mailer to send out to and make a good impression on new businesses. What I enjoyed most was being invited to brainstorms and pitches, because that’s when I was really able to show them what I could do with this thing between my ears.
I was confident in my ability to deliver good work, but more importantly, to fit into the culture. Owned by father and son Berny and Marc Brownstein, the agency always talks about being one big family. While a lot of companies try to own the word and the ideals, Brownstein brings “family” to life. Everyone here genuinely loves being around each other, and it makes working together such an inspiring atmosphere.
I’ve been lucky enough to get to know people in many different environments, which gave me the chance to prove myself not just as a hardworking writer—but as a person. There have been happy hours and a puppy photo shoot at an animal shelter. Another intern and I participated in their annual beer pong tournament under the team name “If We Win, Give Us Jobs.” I even designed our logo!
We didn’t win, but we were semifinalists. And after our passionate performance, everyone knew who we were.
I was even asked to rewrite the lyrics of “Blurred Lines” for Brownstein’s 50th Anniversary party. Please enjoy the first verse:
If you’re new here, we’ve got this agency
50 years we’ve been makin’ history
Maybe I’m going deaf,
Maybe I’m going blind
We’ve been around a long time
Everybody get up
Unfortunately, the video didn’t end up getting made. But as you’ll see later in this post, I put my lyric rewriting skills to good use.
When I wasn’t busy writing something for a client or impressing people with my hand-eye coordination, I used my time to completely redo my portfolio. It’s not quite finished, but it’s coming along nicely. Kenny and Colleen, both ACDs, were more than happy to have a two-on-one portfolio review with me to help me showcase myself as best as possible.
Their advice is going to come in handy on Wednesday, during my meeting with Executive Creative Director Dan Shepelavy. I’ll be showing him my work, as well as this music video, written by, edited by, and starring me. (Big shout out to Pete DiLorenzo for the amazing footage, and to Josh Schwartz-Neubauer for making me sound like a one-woman boy band.)
As I mentioned in my last post, I was originally supposed to intern at Brownstein as a sophomore. Though it seemed unfortunate at the time, my decision to wait was a very positive one. I’m so glad to call this my last internship. If all goes well on Wednesday, I might even be able to call it my first job.
