PR students selected for Coca-Cola Summer '15 internships

Avia Meadows and Amelia Miles

Avia Meadows, a junior public relations major from Marietta, Ga., and Amelia Miles, a junior public relations and consumer journalism major from Warner Robins, Ga., were selected for Coca-Cola's public affairs and communication internship program. 

The Coca-Cola internship program offers an exclusive opportunity for Grady College AdPR majors. Each year, Coca-Cola executives interview Grady students for the much-desired and highly competitive communications internship. Students work under the direction of Grady alum Scott Williamson, Coca-Cola VP, Public Affairs and Communications.

Meadows and Miles look forward to interning at Coca-Cola this summer.

"Coca-Cola has so many amazing campaigns coming up this summer," Meadows says. "I look forward to learning from the best to see how campaigns get executed with a company such as Coke."

"Most people who know me know I love all things Coca-Cola," Miles explains. "I am most excited about the opportunity to further connect consumers with the iconic brand that is Coca-Cola. I think Coca-Cola's ideals are unmatched in that they strive to spread positivity.

"I look forward to gaining invaluable experiences and lessons from some of the best and brightest public relations professionals in the world," Miles shares. "I am extremely honored to intern at Coca-Cola and can't wait to represent Grady College and The University of Georgia in Atlanta this summer."

On campus, Meadows serves as the event planning chair for UGA's John E. Drewry Chapter of PRSSA.

"This year, I am also the PRSSA National Conference Coordinator, and I am leading an amazing team of six to plan the National Conference that will be in Atlanta this November," Meadows explains.

Miles is involved with PRSSA, Zeta Tau Alpha and UGA Diamond Darlings. She is a Leadership Fellow in Terry College of Business' Institute for Leadership Advancement program. When she's not in class, Miles spends her time enjoy reading, being in the sunshine "with a Coke in hand, of course" and watching sports. 

AdPR Internship Profile: Caroline Laszcz works at Ogilvy

Advertising major Caroline Laszcz

Caroline Laszcz worked as an Account Management Intern at advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather throughout the summer. She is a senior studying advertising. 

Describe the process of applying and receiving the Ogilvy summer internship. What was your official title?

I began my internship search in December of last year, which I realize now was probably a little early, as most agencies had not yet begun accepting internship applications. Ogilvy, however, was one of the few agencies that had already opened up their application, so this

was the first one I applied to, and therefore, the first one I heard back from. I also spoke to the Ogilvy recruiters at AdPR Connection in November of last year, which definitely sparked my interest in the company. In February, I was called in for an interview, which was actually three separate interviews, all back to back: two interviews were with two separate teams, and the third was with my boss. A few weeks after the interviews, I was asked to do a phone interview with my boss. Although this was the final interview in the process, it was the most casual of all of them and the one in which I felt the most at ease. I had a feeling this interview went really well, and about a week later I received a call with an internship offer. Since it was still fairly early in the internship application process, I still hadn’t even completed most of my applications to other agencies (and many agencies I was looking at still hadn’t opened their applications). I knew that working for Ogilvy was a rare opportunity, though, so I accepted right away. All of the interviews were within the account management field, as this is the area I am interested in, and my official title was Account Management intern.

What drew you to this internship specifically?

Ogilvy & Mather was the first ad agency I ever heard of back when I first became interested in advertising. There are tons of agencies out there that I would love to work for, but I’ve always heard great things about Ogilvy and I knew it was a very prestigious agency. David Ogilvy is often considered a “father” of advertising, so I knew that working for this company, even if for a brief period of time, would be a great honor and would impress future employers.

What were you hoping to gain from the internship? What will you bring back to Grady

College?

The main thing I was looking to gain from this internship was simply exposure. I’ve learned all about account management and various other positions in my classes, but it’s difficult to tell if you’ll really be happy in a certain field unless you actually spend some time working in that field. Actually working at an agency for the first time was a great and very hands-on way to determine what type of position I want to end up in. I’m excited to be able to share my experience with my classmates in Grady and let them know what account management is like. A lot of students don’t know what side of advertising they would like to work in, so I am looking forward to be able to tell other students about my internship and help them determine if the type of work I did at Ogilvy is something theywould like to do as well.

Which skills learned within the AdPR Department of Grady College helped you to earn the internship?

Throughout the internship process, I received a lot of tips and encouragement from my advisor, and I don’t think I would have landed the internship without the confidence boost she gave me. I am also lucky to have all of the knowledge on the various positions within an agency that I learned during Intro to Advertising. All of the teachers I’ve had in Grady so far seem to know a lot about the field and about what it’s like to actually work at an agency, which was really helpful when deciding where to apply and what positions to apply for. I am also extremely grateful for AdPR Connection, because that is where I first came into contact with the Ogilvy recruiters, which eventually lead to my internship offer.

Describe your day-to-day responsibilities at Ogilvy.

Every day, I searched the web for news and updates on my client’s industry. One of my responsibilities was to draft a weekly report to send out to my team detailing all that was new in the industry at the time. I also communicated with the client on a daily basis to create revision orders on the pieces we were working on at the time. I would then relay any changes the client wanted to make to the creative team. Working in account management requires a lot of timeliness, attention to detail, and communication skills, and this internship definitely helped me hone those skills.

What are your post-graduation plans? Long-term career dreams?

As of right now, I don’t have any post-graduation plans, but I would really like to take a year off to travel the world before I enter the workforce. After that, I definitely plan on applying to a variety of agencies. I am really interested in social media and plan on looking into that more in the future.

Do you have any advice for other AdPR students looking for experience?

My advice to other students looking for internships or full time positions would be to never give up, never expect anything to go the way you planned, and never let yourself become discouraged because of lack of experience or because you don’t think you measure up to the competition. I almost didn’t even apply to Ogilvy. I was intimidated by the extensive application and kept telling myself that I was wasting my time because I was way less qualified than other applicants. Why I had this thought in my head, I don’t know; but being offered the position clearly proved all my pre-conceived notions wrong.

AdPR Internship Profile: Chelsea Harvey works at Kimberly Clark

Chelsea Harvey, ABJ 2015

Chelsea Harvey was a Marketing Communications Intern for the Pain Management Department at Kimberly Clark during summer 2014. She is a fourth year studying advertising and minoring in history.

Describe the process of applying for and ultimately receiving the Kimberly Clark internship. What was your official title?

I first heard about the Kimberly Clark Health Care co-op opportunity when my brother participated in the program as a biomedical engineering student at Georgia Tech in 2010. Basically, KCHC offers 10-week to 6-month internship and co-op rotations to college students majoring in engineering, marketing, or business. After hearing him praise the program and seeing how it promoted his career development (he is now an Industrial Engineer for Abbott Vascular in Menlo Park, CA), I kept Kimberly Clark in mind when I began looking for internships as a college junior in 2014. I applied for an internship in April of 2014 and interviewed with the Marketing team a few weeks later. Because Kimberly Clark Health Care typically seeks students of engineering schools, and because my team had not taken on an intern in a few years, the on-boarding process was fairly informal; they met me, liked my resumé, and asked me to start in June.

As Marketing Communications Intern for the Pain Management Department, I worked as part of the Marketing department and specifically within the Pain Management platform, on the Coolief* Cooled RF device. Other platforms within Kimberly Clark Health Care include Respiratory Health, Digestive Health, Surgical Solutions, and Protection & Infection Prevention.

What drew you to this internship specifically?

Honestly, it was the personal connection of having seen family members work with Kimberly Clark. My brother participated in the co-op program in 2010 and 2011 and my aunt is Director of National Accounts within Kimberly Clark Health Care. Kimberly Clark is different from most corporations in that they promote something called "work-life balance": the company wants employees to feel comfortable, healthy, and happy enough to do the best work they can. As an employee, you determine your hours and dress code, allowing a flexibility that creates exceptional results. I trusted that an internship at Kimberly Clark would be educational, but also that the company itself would be a good personal fit. I was right!

What are you hoping to gain from the internship? What will you bring back to Grady College? Favorite part/lesson from the internship?

I went into my internship partially expecting to be a fly on the wall who also delivered coffee, but by the end of the experience, I learned so much that I felt I couldn't have learned from a classroom. During my ten weeks at KCHC, I learned the social dynamics of conference calls and meetings, the necessity of time management when given flexibility, and the diplomacy required when balancing multiple projects on various teams. I've already noticed that I'm better able to manage time and facilitate group work now that I'm back at Grady College. There's something about spending your summer being involved in projects that have real-world results, that affect real patients and doctors, that instills a sense of urgency and the realization of a deeper meaning from your job. I have noticed that it really allowed me to engage in my work, and to bring that sense of engagement back with me. Everything we're learning at Grady College is preparing us to enter the workplace, be that as part of an agency or working client-side, and to change the lives of those who use our products.

My favorite part of the internship: the people. The Marketing team was constantly looking for opportunities to teach me about the medical device industry and about the workings of the corporation, but they were also incredibly open and honest about wanting to learn from me. They valued my opinion and my input as a (Grady) college student, as a millennial, and often allowed me to work on and initiate projects. Because of their trust in me, I was able to devise and implement a Twitter hashtag campaign at a trade show during the last few weeks of my internship. My team had never implemented a conference hashtag campaign, so it was really exciting to be given that trust and that freedom to both offer the idea and implement it, with the help of their digital marketing team and my mentor.

I would also say that the corporate culture at Kimberly Clark was phenomenal. The campus was beautiful, with LEED certified buildings overlooking a lake employees were encouraged to walk around for exercise and happiness. There was a constant sense at Kimberly Clark that, in order to do your best work, you have to be happy and feel valued.

Which skills learned at Grady College helped you to earn the internship?

I would not have been able to be as successful in my role at Kimberly Clark had it not been for my education at the Grady College. I cannot emphasize that enough. Specifically, Dr. Ahn's Advertising and Society course taught me how to consider the multi-faceted issues surrounding marketing to certain demographics, which helped with determining the copy that I wrote for some of our promotional campaigns. Further, I learned from Dr. Griffith's Message Strategy class that your best pieces of copy come only after exhausting all possible options, which helped a lot when working with my mentor. We would often come up with a concept, approach our team members, discover that there was a better or different way to word things based on meeting legal requirements and new information concerning a patient or the device itself, and have to rework the concept many more times. I think most importantly, though, Grady College gave me the confidence to step into a workplace and feel comfortable asking questions, making suggestions, and offering sources to back those suggestions up.

Describe your day-to-day responsibilities at Kimberly Clark.

I was able to dip my toes into many different projects while I was at KC, which was incredible. As the MarComm intern for Pain Management, I tracked our success on our patient-facing website for our Coolief* Cooled Radiofrequency device. Using WebTrends, I maintained and compared metrics for the site. Because the Coolief* Cooled RF direct-to-patient campaign had launched in Chicago that April, most of my efforts were directed toward web metrics and measuring success of that campaign. I also maintained contact information for customers of smaller buys for our Needles, Kits, and Trays and Standard Radiofrequency device. I worked under my mentor, Marketing Communications Manager Pam Katz, and often assisted her with generating copy for promotional emails, future campaigns, etc.

What are your post-graduation plans? Long-term career dreams?

I'm trying to keep my post-graduation plans loose, because I've found that the best opportunities often come into fruition when you're least expecting them. I know that I would like to be a copywriter at a small to medium-sized agency or manage communications for a non-profit. But maybe I'll write children's books, or be a television critic, or work on a farm. I'm not sure! I want to somehow make my way to Chicago, IL, but other than that, the future's wide open for me.

PR major Jordan Thomas attends Diversity Awards thanks to T. Howard Foundation

Jordan Thomas

Jordan Thomas, a junior majoring in Public Relations and Sport Management from Trenton, NJ, was recently chosen to attend the Diversity Awards with the T. Howard Foundation. 

The T. Howard Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides minorities aspiring to work within the multimedia industry with a full-time paid summer internship, networking opportunities, professional development training, scholarships, mentors, among others. The mission of the T. Howard Foundation is “to diversify the multimedia and entertainment industry by increasing the representation of minority young men and women within the industry. The Foundation defines minority students as those who self identify as African-American/Black, Asian/Asian-American, Latino/Hispanic, Multi-Racial, Native American, Pacific Islander or South Asian.”

Thomas applied online and this is his second award with the T. Howard Foundation. Last summer he worked as an intern at Comcast. “There, I worked as a PR intern in one of their regional offices in Trevose, PA. I worked under VP of PR for the region, Jeff Alexander,” said Thomas.

This summer, Thomas is interning in the Corporate Communications division of ESPN at their headquarters in Bristol, CT. “I am most excited about working with the organization this year. They put me in contact with Susan Grouse, HR coordinator with ESPN, and she led me to their communications department.” 

Thomas is also active on campus through a diversity of leadership roles. He is the marketing coordinator for The Red & Black, where he works with advertising sales to generate new accounts and assist with existing accounts. Furthermore, Thomas is the Resident Assistant of the Professional Entertainment & Sports Association (PESA). “I create programming, company visits, and workshops for individuals aspiring to work within the entertainment industry as a Sports Business Director” said Thomas. “I also keep students aware of all of the programs and events on UGA's campus as the Public Relations representative of the student programming board - University Union.”

UGA PR Senior Works on Delta Commercial Campaigns During Internship

Mallory Brannon

Mallory Brannon, a senior from Atlanta majoring in public relations, recently completed an advertising internship with Delta Air Lines, Inc. this summer. Below, Brannon shares a behind-the-scenes look at some of the projects she worked on, including two new commercials, "Up" and "NY Anthem." 

"When Delta brought me on board to assist in planning their commercials, I honestly had no idea what I was in store for. So where do you begin when you need to plan a commercial?" Brannon said. "First things first, you have to figure out where you're going to film. We filmed two commercials, one national and one for New York. Given that the first commercial is aired in only in those specific New York markets, we selected LaGuardia airport for our first spot. Unlike our national spot, this one didn't take place entirely inside the airport because of the nature of the story line."

 "For the second national spot we selected the Atlanta airport since that's where Delta is headquartered and also because the construction of the new international terminal was just completed," Brannon said. "Using the freshly renovated terminal at LGA and the new space in ATL gave us a new, great-looking canvas to film. After a location was selected, our ad agency (Weiden + Kennedy) sent out a call for directors. After the agency selects a director, they then began to collaborate as a team to develop story boards and begin pitching ideas to Delta."

Brannon shared some of her responsibilities during the commercial process. "Through their collaboration and Deltas input, storyboards are developed. This process continues until literally the last week before filming," she said. "My job was to coordinate with Delta contacts, location managers and security at both respective airports making sure expectations were set and that all appropriate authorities were aware and fully informed of what our team wanted to accomplish." 

The filming process was not always easy in such a busy atmosphere, Brannon said. "The customer and their flying experience always comes first and that just can't be interfered with. It's very much a give and take from all sides and that's just something that you have to understand when you're attempting to film in the busiest airport in the world." 


Many thanks to Mallory for sharing an inside look to her internship. Below are the final cuts of the two commercials, "Up" and "NY Anthem": 

UGA PR Seniors Complete Exclusive Coca-Cola Internship

  

Rebeka Geer

Two AdPR students had the opportunity to intern with Coca-Cola this summer as part of an exclusive internship program with Grady College. Rebeka Geer, a senior majoring in public relations and speech communications, and Jordan Crofton, a senior majoring in public relations and nutrition science, were chosen as this summer's interns in Coca-Cola's  Public Affairs and Communications group at the company's Atlanta location.

Summer interns with Coca-Cola’s North American Public Affairs and Communications group are chosen exclusively from The University Of Georgia’s Grady College.

Some of Geer's responsibilities included monitoring social media, drafting press releases and helping with the Coca-Cola 600, an annual 600-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race. One of the most valuable lessons Geer learned during the internship was time management.

 "The people I worked with at Coca-Cola were eager to get me involved with the team and there was never a point when I didn’t feel like there was work to be done. I learned very early on that I needed to prioritize my assignments and as the summer progressed, I really learned to manage my time better," Geer said.

Some of Crofton's responsibilities included working on the company's intranet communications, and helping in projects such as the Sprite Uncontainable Game project and the ESSENCE Music Festival, a festival held in New Orleans where Crofton helped with on-site public relations.

"Because my growth throughout the summer came from the breadth of work I was able to experience, I can't pinpoint one specific detail as the best," Crofton said. "To say that the internship exceeded the confines of the office would be an understatement, and I couldn’t have asked to learn more in a span of 12 weeks. From lab innovation tours to a 6 a.m. route ride around metro Atlanta, there were countless opportunities that allowed me to learn about the Company from different perspectives."

Jordan Crofton on a company tour ride.

Both students cited their Grady College experiences, as well as the mentorship of their professor Betty Jones, as helpful during their summer internship.

"Dr. Betty Jones, the faculty advisor of PRSSA, has been such an incredible mentor," Geer said. "From the first time I went by her office a few years ago, explaining that I would like to be more involved with PRSSA, Dr. Jones has always been there if I needed anything. She helped me discover a career field that I find both challenging and rewarding and has shaped me into a confident, young PR professional. I would have never found out about this internship if it wasn’t for her."

"I don’t think I would have been a Coca-Cola intern if it wasn’t for the help of Dr. Jones," Crofton said. "She has been such a source of encouragement to me throughout the entire process. I am so thankful for all of the resources and preparation that Grady has provided me."

I strive to have a job where I’m constantly challenged as much as I was at Coca-Cola. I never want to become satisfied with my work and I hope to grow professionally from every future endeavor - Jordan Crofton

As for career goals, "I’m not sure exactly where I’ll end up, but I know it better be doing something I love," Geer said. "I do think I will begin my career at a PR agency because that environment will help me decide which type of clients I enjoy working with – whether it be non-governmental organizations, consumer public relations, B2B ... who knows! I just want to make sure I’m constantly challenged, find joy in what I do and am proud of the clients I work for."

"I strive to have a job where I’m constantly challenged as much as I was at Coca-Cola," Crofton said. "I never want to become satisfied with my work and I hope to grow professionally from every future endeavor. I'm especially interested in corporate communications and would love to find an intersection with nutrition. At this point, I haven't ruled anything out and I'm open to exploring different areas."

Internship Spotlight: Mallory Brannon

Mallory Brannon

Mallory Brannon, a senior from Atlanta majoring in public relations, is a U.S. advertising intern for Delta Air Lines, Inc. this summer. 

What are your responsibilities? My main responsibility has been planning the production of two TV commercials for Delta as well as various other projects. Since parts of the TV spots are filmed within secure parts of the airport, it has required not only coordinating with key Delta employees, but also The Department of Aviation, the FAA, TSA and of course our production company and ad agency. I’ve also maintained an active role in coordinating with our ad agency, Wieden + Kennedy, to make sure all advertising such as our digital, out-of-home and print are on schedule and submitted by deadline.

What valuable information or skills have you learned thus far at your internship? I came into my internship with a broad textbook level understanding of how a marketing department functions. I’m leaving with solid knowledge and firsthand experience of that now. Attending meetings everyday within the department and acting as a liaison between Delta and Wieden + Kennedy has helped me see how projects come together and our advertising really takes shape.

Planning a commercial is probably one of the hardest things you could ever be given the task of doing. Months of time are poured into what you see in that short 60-second spot. During production things change in a split second and you don’t have the option of not being prepared to solve the problems that arise. I’ve learned the value of being overly prepared, gained the ability to plan extensively, sharpened my communication skills and can operate smoothly under pressure.

The last day on set during our most previous shoot, I was told by the director and his production manager that if I could handle planning that shoot, I can plan anything. It had been a long, problematic past couple of days, but hearing them tell me that was so validating. It made all the stress and hard work completely worth it.

What part of your Grady experience (classes, professors, etc.) has been helpful in your internship? My education at Grady gave me a great foundation to build on but more than anything my personal interests have served me well. This internship has been great because it not only incorporates advertising and PR, but something else I really love - aviation. Previously working for an airline allowed me to gain knowledge of airport and airline operations, which was especially useful in our logistical planning. I got more excited than most people consider normal any day I knew we would be working with airplanes. My passion for aviation has definitely made me want to work harder and put my best foot forward. I can’t say I’ve been bummed out about going to work a single day during this summer and I consider myself lucky to say that.

What has been the best part of your internship experience? Definitely working with so many truly talented people. I’ve had the opportunity to pick the brains of people at the top of many different industries. Everyone from our creative directors at Wieden +Kennedy to the director of our commercials has been a pleasure to work with. My colleagues at Delta have gone out of their way to cater to my interests and help me gain experience in those areas. When I had questions about how the marketing budget is allocated, my boss made time to go to lunch with me so we could talk about it. I’m thankful I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with people who were willing to invest their time in me. Flying to New York to film one of our spots wasn’t too shabby, either!

What are your career goals? I’d like to work in advertising and PR in the hospitality and travel industry. I’m attracted to hotels, restaurants and airlines. I love traveling and what better way to incorporate that into my life than work. Aside from work, my first priority after graduation is to log my last flight hours to finish my private pilot’s license.

Internship spotlight: Tommy McConnell

Tommy McConnell

Tommy McConnell is a senior advertising major from Atlanta.

Where do you work? I currently am an account management intern at breen★smith advertising in downtown Atlanta.

What are your responsibilities? Because breen★smith is a relatively small agency, I have responsibilities in pretty much all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the agency. Even though my official title has "account management" in it, I still get creative input in most of our projects, help traffic run smoothly within the agency, as well as interact with our clients on a regular basis.  

What valuable information or skills have you learned thus far at your internship?
Honestly, this interview would run on too long if I listed everything I've learned thus far. I'll try and keep it as brief as I can: 

I've become (fairly) proficient at software like Excel and Powerpoint and I've also observed creative programs like Photoshop and InDesign being used at its best, which in turn helps me understand more and more of the programs.

Organization has been really crucial to keep me at my best.

Always keep a little notepad and pen with you on all times to write down any of your ideas; you never know what might be the next big thing.

Embrace coffee. I know some of you might not drink it because of myths of adverse health effects but trust me, those are wrong and coffee is just so right.

Finally, I've learned how great agency life can be when things are running smoothly but also how stressful they can be when the deadlines come closer and closer. Take everything with a grain of salt though, because in the end our jobs are much cooler than everyone else's.

What part of your Grady experience (classes, professors, etc.) has been helpful in your internship? Grady has pretty much prepared me for every aspect of this internship. Message Strategy with Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson has had a huge impact of my knowledge of working in an agency, from making creative briefs to knowing how to brainstorm. During my time in Cannes for the Lions Festival, Dr. Reichert provided me with invaluable knowledge of what the industry is like and how to take it all in. The actual Grady study abroad to the Lions Festival has served me as a source of constant inspiration. Every time I'm trying to think of a new idea for a client, I think back to a workshop, a masterclass, or a guest speaker that shared some insight with me.

What has been the best part of your internship experience? Working at an ad agency isn't really like "work" at all. I don't mean that it's easy because it certainly isn't, but it provides so many cool opportunities to see your artistic side in a real life setting. I wake up every morning and look forward to coming in for the day because I literally have no idea what the day holds for me. It seriously is a better alternative to the every day monotony that so many other careers have. I also feel like I'm a part of the breen★smith family as opposed to a co-worker or colleague which is a great feeling.

What are your career goals? I'm still keeping my options within the field of advertising very open. My plan once I finish my time at UGA (I'm still coming to grips with the fact that the end is in sight) is to enroll in either the Portfolio Center or the Creative Circus to pursue my dream to be part of the creative side of advertising. However, if I fall in love with the account side of advertising, I would absolutely pursue that path. Just look for me to be strolling down the red carpet to accept my Lion in Cannes soon enough...

UGA advertising student chosen to intern at Amsterdam Worldwide

Rebecca Hoerner, a senior advertising and Spanish double major, was selected by Amsterdam Worldwide for an exclusive account management internship this summer. The opportunity was only offered to AdPR students at the University of Georgia.


Amsterdam Worldwide, a global advertising agency, specializes in work for multinational companies such as Intel, Panasonic, ASICS and GM, among others. The eight-week internship runs from June 1 to August 1, and internship duties include aiding the account team in its workload, pitching business opportunities or internal projects.


Hoerner said her past study abroad experience influenced her decision to apply. “I receive email notifications from LinkedIn and saw Dr. Reichert's post about an internship opportunity in The Netherlands and instantly thought how amazing it would be to do what I love -- advertising -- and get agency experience abroad,” she said. “ I met with Dr. Reichert and my Message Strategy professor Elli Roushanzamir and they were both excited to hear that I was seriously considering applying for the internship and assured me it would be such a unique and amazing experience.”

Hoerner will be living in The Netherlands this summer, working with the account management team at the company. She hopes to do some traveling around Europe during her time abroad, including places like Cannes, Paris, Stonehenge and Italy.

To follow Rebecca’s internship and travels abroad, check out her blog here.

Recent Alum Spotlight: Molly McFerran

Molly McFerran graduated from UGA in 2007 with degrees in Public Relations and Spanish and is now living in Atlanta.

What are you doing now?

I am currently working at The Reynolds Group, a boutique public relations and marketing firm based in Atlanta and Charleston, S.C., that specializes in the restaurant, hospitality, and lifestyle industries and represents clients across the Southeast.

What is your favorite Grady memory?

Being on the Bateman team and winning first place at the national competition my senior year.

What advice do you have for current AdPR students?

My best advice would be to apply for and have as many internships as you can. As you get further along in your college career and have more flexibility with class scheduling, try to have classes all on Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday so you can have completely open days for internships. Try to intern in different situations to see what you like best and where you can use your talents — in-house at a non-profit, small agency, large agency, communications department of a large company, etc. Be sure to intern in different industries, too, from fashion and hospitality to technology and healthcare. You don't know what you like, or don't like, until you have different experiences. When you are an intern, take initiative and go above and beyond what is asked of you. Try to be as proactive as possible, taking the extra step to present multiple solutions to a problem or question if one isn't crystal clear. Think outside of the box and be creative. Also, be resourceful! There are so many opportunities to find the right answer or look for examples; it's okay to ask questions, but it's always nice when an intern demonstrates that he or she has exhausted all other options before asking.

Learn how to manage your time. So much about PR is prioritizing tasks and then re-prioritizing them when something else, often unexpected, develops. You constantly have to juggle projects at work, and also juggle work and your personal life, so it's best to work on your time management skills while in college so you are more prepared after graduation.

AdPR Internship Spotlight: Hannah Thomas

Hannah Thomas is a Public Relations major who interned at Dolce & Gabbana Headquarters in New York City this past summer.

What were your responsibilities at Dolce & Gabbana?

I was responsible for office support including the tracking of all editorial credits as well as corresponding with high-profile editors and directors to put together sample send-outs and receive returns. I also monitored daily brand publicity via national and local sources which I compiled into reports to be sent to Milan daily. My other responsibilities included managing a showroom, allocating and organizing regional press samples, and various other tasks within the realm of promoting the brand and supporting the press office.

What valuable information or skills did you learn at your internship?

This summer at Dolce, I learned the importance of self-presence. I went into the internship with a basic knowledge of working in a fashion PR office and was able to exceed the expectations of my employers. You want to be sure to complete tasks exactly how they are to be done which sometimes takes special instruction, but taking initiative and putting your knowledge an experience to work will be much more appreciated in the long run.

Did anything you have learned in your Public Relations classes aid you in your internship this summer?

What prepared me most for this particular internships was what I learned in previous internships. The knowledge you learn in the classroom is so different from first-hand experience. I found the guest speakers from the workforce most helpful. Hearing about their typical days at the office and the hiring/promotion process with each company helped me to get a better idea of what I do and do not want to do in a career. I am also thankful for the encouragement from Grady to search for and find an internship, or several. I think it is extremely important to have internship experiences because sometimes you can think a job is one thing, but in reality it is totally different than expected. You need to work in the field and experience what we learn and are told in class for yourself before you really know if a particular job is right for you.

What was the best part of your internship experience?

I loved the amount of responsibility I had during this internship. I was working alongside the assistants; carrying out the same tasks as them, working with the same top editors as them and answering questions from younger and less-experienced interns. Everyone at Dolce really welcomed me to their team and trusted me as their own which made me feel like I was needed in order to keep things working. Everyone wants to know they are needed and making a difference, and I personally thrive off that feeling. It makes me want to work even harder and really prove my capabilities which is beneficial for everyone.

AdPR Intern Spotlight: Francesca Pefianco

Francesca Pefianco is an Advertising major. She interned at Mediacom this summer.

What is Mediacom?

Mediacom is one of the world's leading media agencies. I am working at Mediacom's New York City office which handles media planning and media buying for many established clients including Audi, Subway, Dell, Revlon and Volkswagen.

What are your responsibilities this summer at Mediacom?

This summer I was placed on the Subway Restaurant team in the Communications Planning Department. I participated with my team in all of the brand strategy and media planning components for Subway, including creating the entire Upfront Plan for the 4th Quarter.

What valuable information or skills have you learned thus far at your internship?

I got to play a hand in all aspects of media planning, including brainstorming, analyzing data, making flowcharts and creating media plans. I also received hands-on training in several media software programs, including MRI+, Stradegy, and Xpert. I was able to attend several client meetings and be exposed to the true corporate agency atmosphere.

Has anything you learned in your Advertising classes aided you in your internship this summer?

Several things I learned in my Media Planning class proved to be extremely valuable in my internship. Knowing the media lingo and basic formulas helped keep me up to speed with the team in my office when many other interns had to start from square one.

What has been the best part about living in New York City?

Living in New York is amazing. Everything you need is at your fingertips, and there is always something fun to do!