- American Advertising Federation at Illinois
- College of Media Student Ambassadors
- Media University Intern
- Illini Media Company
- IlliDell of Alpha Gamma Sigma Website Developer
- American Advertising Federation AdCamp Intern
Internship | Account Service and Insights at Slingshot, LLC
Duties
I could not have asked for a more well-rounded internship than the one I got to experience at Slingshot. As soon as I began my internship, I got to play the role of a vertical coordinator for two accounts: Pizza Inn and Pie Five. I began by learning the proper way to communicate between the client and the different departments of the agency. I also got to learn how to fill out necessary forms for a project, such as client feedback forms, job orders, production hand offs, and conference reports. As the internship progressed, I got to participate in client meetings, brainstorms, and branding meetings. On top of agency work, I got the chance to work on my own client for the intern project. Myself and two other account service interns were the main source of communication between our client and eleven other interns. We managed to re-brand our client in a five-week time frame, setting the client up for success after we left the agency.
What did you most enjoy about your internship?
My favorite part of my internship was, hands down, the agency culture. From my very first day on the job, professionals in every department of the agency were welcoming and friendly. As time went on, I spent just as much time outside of work with the people at Slingshot as I did within the walls of the agency.
What was the most difficult aspect of the internship?
The most difficult part of the internship was adjusting to life in Dallas, TX. I moved there not knowing anything about the city or anybody that lived there. However, what was difficult was what made the internship that much more rewarding. I left knowing dozens of new people and life outside of Illinois and those new relationships made the entire trip worth it.
How did your experience at ILLINOIS and in the College of Media prepare you for your internship?
My experience at Illinois taught me to approach new situations with an open mind. Going into the internship, my main goal was to soak in as much information as possible. I saw the internship as an opportunity to grow my knowledge of advertising before I get into the real world. With this, I was able to ask any question that came to mind and also got the chance to make mistakes. I feel like this goal was helpful in giving me a leg-up in my future career, as I will have grown from the questions I asked and mistakes I made during this experience.
How has your internship prepared you for a career?
The internship gave me a ton of hands-on experience to prepare me for my career. The professional staff was very open to any questions I had, and, day after day, gave me advice about how to have a successful career. The most helpful part of the internship was that my supervisor and my coworkers expected something out of me. While they were very helpful and easy to talk to, they still expected me to push myself to do better in all aspects of the job. They were a fantastic group of people to have as mentors.
What recommendations do you have for other students about doing an internship?
My best recommendation would be to keep an open mind. I believe, sometimes, we are given the impression that the only successful advertising career is one with a traditional, massive, corporate-like agency. When in reality, I got a great learning experience because I was given a lot of responsibility, working at a mid-size agency.