3 Things That Made a Studios Internship the Perfect Fit for Me
It was about a week before my spring semester began when I accepted my Studios offer to be the marketing intern. I was nervous about my first ever internship, especially having only entry-level marketing courses under my belt.
Despite the many skills that the marketing program at Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business has equipped me with, the thought of a real-world internship was daunting. It is one thing to sit in a lecture and learn, but now I had to put my knowledge and skills to use.
Four months later, I know I made the right decision. I’ve acquired confidence, knowledge and skills that I never picked up in the classroom. This internship is the foundation of my career and I could not have asked for a better company to experience it with. Working at Studios has provided me with the skills and training needed to find my place in the marketing industry.
Here are three reasons this internship was the perfect fit.
1. I’ve done meaningful work and gotten real-world experience.
On one of the first days of the internship, Head of Studios Valerie Leary told me I would be on client calls with the rest of the team. After hearing about some of my friends’ previous internships, I was shocked I would get to participate in client meetings.
What started as taking notes with my camera off (because I was unsure if the client cared to see an intern) soon turned into presenting a client with analytics for one of their social platforms. It is clear that Studios is committed to fostering my professional growth by allowing me to contribute in a meaningful way.
I have done everything from researching influencers, completing competitor audits, creating and scheduling social media content, updating reports to finding video footage. My two favorite tasks are conducting audits and creating social media content. I enjoy diving deep into our clients and their competitors’ platforms to identify market trends and optimization opportunities. Through an audit, one learns what strategies prove successful in the long term and integrates them into our clients’ content calendars.
2. The welcoming company culture made me feel at home.
I quickly learned how important it is to find an agency that values you. The anxiety I felt coming into the internship quickly turned into excitement after just my first day. The welcoming environment, one-on-one calls and email greetings eased me into the position. When I was welcomed into Slack, many people reacted with the party emoji. I was featured in a company email and I got a shoutout during the staff meeting. I was treated as a colleague from the start.
And this team knows how to have fun! During the last week of January, I helped put together games for N6A Day, which celebrates our founder Matt Rizzetta’s decision to start the company in 2010. I had so much fun putting together a PowerPoint with 2010s trivia. I also helped put together a baby games trivia for a colleague’s baby shower. The N6A team always jumps at the opportunity to incorporate fun into the work day.
3. I’m on the path to the career I want.
Prior to beginning my role here, I did not know where I was headed in my career. I picked my major because I enjoyed the marketing principles and strategy classes I took sophomore year.
This internship has taught me that I want to become a marketing manager. I am a creative, action-oriented individual. I enjoy brainstorming innovative ideas on what assets to produce, how to share and amplify company news and content creation. I can see myself overseeing others’ tasks, building brand awareness through marketing strategies and ensuring effective messaging and communications.
This experience extends far past a header with some bullet points on my resume. My time at Studios has provided me with confidence and security in choosing my career. I continue to learn more about how the marketing industry operates daily.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to always ask questions. It is much better to pause, hop on a Zoom call and clarify confusion than to stare at your computer without a clue how to proceed. Communicating and asking for help affects everyone’s success. Even though I am the only intern, Studios is a team. We all communicate with each other and help out one another. A team cannot function without one of its pieces. All the pieces need to fit together to successfully solve the puzzle.
All of the time and energy the Studios team has put into my growth demonstrates how much they value an individuals’ pursuit to acquire knowledge. I can’t wait to continue my Studios journey this summer.