Communications & Marketing

Emily Walsh ’19

Influencer Marketing, #paid, New York City

My name is Emily Walsh, I am a Communications Major with a concentration in Organizational Studies. This summer I had the opportunity to work for an influencer marketing company, #paid.

#paid is an influencer marketing company that is based in Toronto, Canada. Recently, they have expanded their offices to New York City. I was fortunate enough to be the second employee ever in the NYC office. Influencer marketing is a form of the marketing world that focuses on social media influencers. These individuals have extreme influence over their followers and brands reach out to them to help market their product in an organic fashion. Influencers are seen as new age celebrities, they have high followings on different social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Influencer Marketing has grown to be one of the more trusted forms of marketing as most people trust and check their social media channels more frequently than reading magazines. What #paid does for these influencers is provide a middle ground between the brands and the influencers. They have a hybrid solution of technology and managed services that provide a streamlined process to make partnering together easy and effective.

Since I was the one of the few people to be in the new NYC office, my internship was not your typical workplace environment. My boss was head of sales in New York City, and we did work together and he taught me many valuable lessons. I was able to attend some of his Sales presentations and Marketing Panels. Most days my main priority was talking over “Slack” which was the main form of communication the company used and to work with the Creative and Marketing Team. Initially, I thought I would be used to help with some unfinished projects and loose ends. However, my role at #paid was far greater than I ever could have expected. My responsibilities this summer ranaged from researching data on different companies, to helping format excels, to creating new proposals and searching our database for the perfect influencers that would fit the campaigns. The variety of campaigns I was able to work on ranged from North Face to Canada Goose to Local Grocery Stores in Canada.

My summer at #paid helped me grow in a way I hadn’t known possible yet. It helped me see my strengths in working under pressure and how important communication skills are in person and over the computer. It allowed me to fuel my passion for Marketing and put into perspective what the working world truly is like.

I would like to thank Cole Tone the Sales director in NYC for being my mentor, and Bryan Gold and Adam Rivietz the Co-Founders of #paid for giving me the opportunity to grow and learn at the company!

Samantha Toshok ’18

Editorial Intern, Virginia Quarterly Review, Charlottesville, Virginia

My name is Samantha Toshok and I am currently a senior at Denison University pursuing a Major in Psychology and a Concentration in Narrative Non-Fiction Writing.  This summer, I worked at the Virginia Quarterly Review, a national literary journal located in Charlottesville, Virginia.  There, I worked as an editorial intern, and assisted with the production of the magazine, proofread and edited both solicited and unsolicited manuscript submissions, marketed the publication on social media platforms, and helped run the 2017 VQR Writer’s Conference.  Prior to starting this internship with VQR, I knew I had intentions of pursuing a career in writing, however, I was not entirely sure in what type of capacity that would be.  This internship taught me a lot about precision and word choice when it came to writing or communicating a message to audience members or our readership base.  With the help of my direct supervisors and boss, Allison Wright, the managing editor of VQR, I would not have the opportunity to understand the process that goes behind magazine production and the level of accuracy and precision that goes into editorial work.  I have, however, found that I am drawn more to creative roles in the corporate side that involve creating narratives around products, services, or brands.  I also would like to incorporate more of my Psychology degree and use that to better understand consumer behavior.  Despite my different career aspirations, coming out of this summer experience has given me the opportunity to hone the very skills that I plan on applying to many future creative roles such as market research consultancy or advertisement.

Fitale Wari ’18

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

My name is Fitale Wari. I’m a senior Communication and English Literature double major with a concentration in Narrative Nonfiction Writing. I interned at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this past summer, and although I was technically an intern in the features department, I was addressed as a reporter in the newsroom.

I didn’t have many expectations prior to entering my internship; however, I did expect to have a desk job starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. From training to specific assignments, I expected structure. This was not the case.

I found myself working inconsistent hours depending on what I was covering. I’d come to work later in the afternoon if I was working on a story late the night before. Or, if I was reporting on-site, I’d find myself sending emails to the newsroom so another reporter could piece together my vignettes to create an informative and in depth story. I enjoyed the flexibility and I enjoyed being tasked with different assignments. Amongst everything I experienced, I most enjoyed stories I pitched; they ranged from profiles, weekend events, history and preservation within the city, architecture and art, and concerts.

Disregarding the different stories, assigned to and pitched by myself, my favorite part about reporting for the Post-Gazette was meeting the diverse individuals I interviewed. Had I not reported for the paper, I wouldn’t’ve met all the artists, local Pittsburghers, and active community members. In fact, they each taught me different lessons.

It was interesting to be in the newsroom during our time – during the heat of political, economic, and social differences. It was also interesting to witness a shift in print journalism to a “digital now” approach, which is what it was called in the newsroom. Since the paper is under a huge transition, many of the seminars I sat-in on with seasoned reporters seemed standard for someone who was raised with technology surrounding them.

Although I enjoyed this summer, and I learned a lot from my internship – from appropriate professional behaviors to independent living and production of work – I’m unsure whether I want to pursue a career in journalism. I know post-undergrad I would love to continue my studies, but I’ve been more interested in the ways in which humans communicate. I’d rather study how relationships are formed based on the rhetoric humans use. So, in a way, working in the newsroom allowed me the opportunity to see the power in the spread of information, use of language, and manipulation by the media.

I wouldn’t’ve discovered this internship opportunity had it not been for Professor Jack Shuler from the English department. Nor would I have effectively represented myself through my resume and cover letter had it not been for the coaching of Michele Doran from the Knowlton Center.

My work is still featured on the Post-Gazette website, and if you search my name, you’ll see my clips. I appreciate the one-on-one guidance from various editors: Kevin Kirkland, L.A. Johnson, Scott Mervis, and Virginia Linn. One special thanks to my mentor, Arthi Subramaniam, who was patient, flexible, and extremely supportive.