INTERN INITIATION
Almost two years ago, I took the elevator up to the third floor of an unfamiliar building to begin my first day as an intern at Zapwater Communications. Two years later, I’ve graduated to the role of Publicist! When our former intern coordinator relocated, I was asked to take over that role too. At the beginning of every term I interview a wide variety of intern candidates and choose those who I think will best satisfy our office needs. Though I would like to invite every applicant with experience to join us for a term, I also need to consider who will be able to handle what is….the Zapwater Communications office!
We’re not your average bunch of employees over here in Suite 313. In what is typically an extremely fast-paced environment, with clients that range from political action committees to upscale nightclubs, there is always a unique mix of event planning and brainstorming throughout each day. Our interns are all up to the challenge of switching their mindsets from education to hospitality to crisis communications – whatever the case may be!
From Chicago’s Columbia College and Northwestern University to Washington, D.C., our interns have very diverse backgrounds! Each contributes something unique to not only the experiences of other interns but to our experiences as publicists. Like all of our staff members, interns fill an extremely important role and are an invaluable resource. From media lists to event assistance, they learn the ropes of all areas of public relations. Many of our interns have even joined us as full-time employees. As we learn about our interns, they also learn a lot about us! Seriously…
With desks arranged in the center of the office, interns hear everything! From a weekly client conference call to a private conversation with a significant other, our interns pick up bits and pieces of everything that happens with everyone. Sometimes I wonder if we should ever let them go because they know all the SECRETS! But I trust them. By the end of their intern terms, we all become a little family. As the summer term comes to an end, I’m sad to say goodbye!
Two of our multiple-term interns, the “come-back kids,” if you will, Emma and Cassandra, are thankfully staying on board! We’ll also be re-joined by Ashley, a student at Columbia in Chicago. Unfortunately, when mid-August rolls around, it will be time to say goodbye and good luck to Erin, an Indiana University student with a passion for Martha Stewart and a priceless sense of humor, Kate, who hails from the University of Iowa and has a love of fashion and editing a school magazine, and Dana, a student at my alma mater, the University of Illinois, who was the last to join us but certainly made a lasting impression!
I wish all of our Summer 2008 interns good luck and hope their time at Zapwater Communications has benefited them as much as it has benefited us!
Susie Schreiber
Publicist