As I began my senior year at Indiana University, one thing seemed to reverberate again and again in the halls of the Journalism School: “It’s not necessarily what you know, but who you know…”
So when I bought an airplane ticket to Atlanta and showed up at
PRSA’s Real World PR 2008 – alone – I figured I had my work cut out for me. I spent the day stepping outside of my so-called “comfort zone,” approaching strangers and asking questions. At lunch, I recognized the logos on the
nametags of two people who sat across from me. I jumped at the chance to pull up a chair with Jessica and Renee from c21 – an agency I found during
pre-conference research (and that I secretly decided was already my favorite).
Following the conference, I kept in touch, flew back for an interview for the summer internship position, and got it. In May, I packed up my car and headed south.
Three months later, I’m sitting here on the last day of my internship. One thing’s for sure: I’
ve come a long way.
c21 is a small agency – so I realized quickly that I would have a lot of different responsibilities. Did I get the mail every day? Yes. Did I file stacks of media clips? You bet. Did I update databases? Oh yeah. But I also conducted media relations, participated in creative brainstorms, wrote press releases and e-newsletter articles, and even managed some projects of my own.
After drafting a press release for our client
OnTheSide.com and distributing it to local media, I pitched a story, secured interviews, and saw it through until the story ran in the
DeKalb Neighbor. My first clip – and a bump in
OnTheSide’s Web site traffic!
In addition to traditional media relations and PR, I’
ve been a part of our digital service practice group,
c21i. I’
ve worked on social media integration, link building, keyword development and copy suggestions, and – now – blog posting.
I’d like to think I’m the only intern that has had such a great experience, but I’m sure there are others who feel equally satisfied with their internships. What I do know is that not many have been lucky enough to work with a team of women as awesome as the c21
ers.
These ladies know what they’re doing, and the best part is they love doing it. I’
ve been impressed over and over – and not because my desk is next to a wall full of awards (not shelf – wall). I’
ve experienced a hard-working team environment, client dedication, and innovative PR tactics at their best.
Maybe it’s what you know. Maybe it’s who. Either way, I’m confident what I learned from, and who I know at c21 have gotten me off to a pretty great start.