Internship Skills- Response Essay

Internships are all about gaining practical experience before entering the real working world. There’s no better way to learn about the industry than actually delving into it and seeing firsthand what goes on in the world of PR. After having an amazing internship over the summer, I would probably be a little more choosey about selecting another internship. If I were to seek an internship at Intern Pursuit, I would make sure it would be with a company that I will actually learn from. I had the chance to see the ins and outs of PR in the entertainment industry and learned more in three months than I ever imagined. I would look for an internship that would allow me to exercise my knowledge of things I have learned about the industry. I’d be eager to take on more responsibilities and expand on what I already know and learn a variety of new things.

There are some specific skills I’d like to develop during an internship. I love writing and love being creative but something I would like to work on is writing press releases. It seems like writing those require a different and more specific kind of writing, something I need to be more educated in doing. Another skill I would want to develop is my use with Excel. It is something I have used for years on a basic level. During my internship over the summer I made a lot of spread sheets. I think it would be useful if I was a little bit more skillful with the use of Excel.

The skill I would like to develop the most is pitching. This is something that PR professionals have to do on a daily basis and is a huge part of the job. I was put into a situation where I had to make a pitch and was totally thrown for a loop trying to do this. I learned a lot in just that one situation but there seems to be a craft to pitching and selling an idea or story to the media. This is something I feel like I can be very good at once I develop the skills to do it in the right way.    

Professional Biography- Tess Finkle

Tess Finkle started Metro Public Relations, formerly known as Tess Finkle PR, when she was 22 years old. Not only did Tess start her company at an extremely young age, she did it with absolutely no money! Tess used to take frequent trips to Atlantic City, NJ to play poker, which oddly enough helped pay her bills. “Don’t tell anyone I’m good,” Tess said. “I do the whole I-am-blonde-and-have-no-idea-what-I’m-doing act as my hustle.” At the age of 26, Tess is the president of her company and oversees the work of all the account executives at the company. She also has her own clients whom she represents and works incredibly hard to make sure they get all the publicity they can—good publicity of course. She also has a hand in organizing events for several clients, making sure they are presented in the most creative ways possible—you’ll never hear a dull idea come out of Tess’ mouth. She is always thinking of the best and most creative ways to attract attention. This industry is all about thinking out of the box and that is exactly what Tess does.  

Before starting her own company, Tess worked for a more corporate-like PR company, BWR, when she was 19 years old. “Corporate companies are very structured and traditional. Two things I am not. When I realized nobody cared about my opinion or thought that leaving before 6:00pm means I don’t care about my job is when I realized I am not a corporate person.” Clearly, this type of work environment was not what Tess was looking for. She told me about a time when she left work at exactly 6:00pm and her boss gave her grief about it. How did she respond? Oh, the only way Tess saw fit, of course! “Well, I can’t help it if I am efficient,” and left. Before entering the professional realm, Tess attended the same school from age three to thirteen that focused more on art and music rather than just the typical scholastic curriculum. They had all the traditional subjects like math and English, but self-expression was tied into everything. So Tess’ creative juices began flowing at an early age. The first high school she attended was Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep in San Francisco. She then transferred to Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. Interesting fact: the guy who invented Facebook was in her graduating class! Before breaking into the world of PR, Tess held the almighty job of grocery bagger at a mom and pop health food store in San Francisco, owned by what she called “mega hippies who hired primarily ex-cons looking for work.”

Growing up in San Francisco, CA in a cultured part of the city, Tess was exposed to a multitude of different people at an early age. Tess has the ability to pull from her early experiences and apply what she learned to new ones. For example, Tess went to circus camp every summer as a child. She told me, “I often reflect on my days as a tightrope walker to get through hard situations (basically, don’t look down, just get through it)”. Who would have thought that circus camp would have taught her anything other than how to ride a unicycle! Tess bragged, “I can still juggle!”  Its little experiences like this one that have shaped the way Tess is today and how she handles herself in a business perspective.  I asked her if she ever feels like she takes on too much at one time and how she handles it. She compared her life to a banquet…many, many plates, all full. She added, “I just breathe, take it one day at a time, believe that I can do this and more. I also never say ‘I am too busy,’ because I think that if the universe hears that – it will stop sending me more great opportunities.”

                Today, Tess runs a successful international PR company, lives in LA, travels the world, works harder than anyone I know, and has a blast doing it. With no college degree, Tess is basking in the success of her company and enjoying everything that is thrown at her. People used to tell her that she would be bad at PR and that dropping out of college was the biggest mistake she could have possibly made. But for Tess, her path was different and a little less traditional. It has gotten her to a place where she can sit back and know that her decisions were the best decisions because they worked for her. 

What’s In It For Me?-- An Inside Look at the Perks of Twitter

Twitter. The mere mention of the word draws up countless different reactions from people. Some say it’s stupid and a waste of time, some say it’s entertaining, and some people use it for professional use. Personally, I’ve caught the Twitter bug and declare myself an addict, and I’ve accepted it. But there has to be a reason as to why this social networking site has become such a phenomenon. No matter what you’re reason for using Twitter, there’s something that is drawing you to it. Twitter gives you access to a whole population of people who you most likely would never have to opportunity to interact with. Sure, you can always see what your favorite celebrities are up to, but it also increases your opportunities for business ventures.

I did an internship this past summer in Los Angeles for an entertainment public relations company. One of the company’s clients is BodyFactory, an LA based smoothie and protein shake business. Many celebrities are often spotted there and the pictures of them with BodyFactory smoothies always end up in all the weekly magazines (i.e. In Touch, Us Weekly, People, etc). It was always important for us to make sure any paparazzi pictures of celebrities with BodyFactory products get media exposure. I was at work one morning and read a tweet from Kim Kardashian saying that she was at BodyFactory getting a smoothie after a work out. Because of that tweet, we were able to find a shot of Kim with her smoothie and get it to all the weekly magazines. Kim Kardashian is a well known celebrity and her name often creates a lot of buzz. This was beneficial for us as well as the client. It may seem odd and extremely intrusive to keep tabs on the lives of other people, but it does do a lot of good, professionally speaking. This is just one example of how people use Twitter to enhance business.

Many companies often advertise products on Twitter, offering coupons and discounts for a product of a service. Through Twitter, businesses have access to countless amounts of people. It serves as the perfect medium between business and consumer. It’s basically a forum for free advertisement. Not only can businesses network themselves professionally, they can network with themselves directly with their audience.

So to those who are still on the fence about Twitter, just try it. The least you’ll get out of it is some easy entertainment. And who knows, maybe you’ll become a Twitter junkie and take your business to the next level. It takes some getting used to but once you’re familiar with the ins and outs of Twitter and see how beneficial it could be for networking and business, there’s no reason not to enjoy it. Take advantage of having the world at your fingertips!