This winter I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to intern at Hunter Public Relations in New York City. This was my first agency internship and I was excited and nervous to get the chance to work there. Although the internship was just 5 weeks, I learned so much. I looked back on the list at everything I did while working there and it is crazy how much you can do in so little time. I was put on two different teams: the Media Department and accounts for the 3M team (scotch tape, privacy filters, filtrate and mobile projectors).
Everyday was different! One minute I would be doing research for the media department, the next I would be creating media lists and the following minute I would find hospitals to accept teddy bear donations.
You never know when there will be an emergency and sometimes what constitutes an emergency can seem unnatural. One of Hunter’s clients Well Pet got a last second segment on the Today Show and we spent all day searching around the city for props like a fire hydrant, because the producer said these props was essential. Going into each day, you never know what you’ll be doing until you are in the moment.
I also learned the industry is constantly changing. A lot of what I did for the Media Department was research on new contributors. For those of you who don’t know, these are people who are experts in a certain field like lifestyle. Recently, there has been a shift in the way one pitches to television media. Instead of a PR professional pitching the producer, they now pitch to contributors who have relationships with the producer. Then the contributor goes on the show, performing the segment that incorporates the products and will come up with segment ideas that incorporate products.
Overall, I had a great experience. In addition to learning so much, Hunter also is a very friendly atmosphere full of people who are great to get to know and do not mind giving tips. I would strongly recommend applying for the internship next winter!
Helpful tips from the PR pros at Hunter Public Relations:
- No workday is the same, so you need to be flexible in order to get everything done.
- You need to know how to build media lists and write press releases. You may be asked to demonstrate these skills when applying for a job.
- Always be in the loop with new social media trends, because social media is constantly changing the public relations profession.
- Rank your tasks in order of importance because you will have many to do at once!
Written by: Jess Kamens.
Jessica Kamens is a senior at the University of Delaware. She is a mass communications major, with minors in advertising and marketing and a concentration in business administration. She is also VP of Professional Development for PRSSA-UD and an active member of the PR team on UDRESS Inc., the university’s premier fashion magazine.
prssaud.com 