This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.
Blake Campbell is a fourth-year Journalism student interning with TBWA \ Media Arts Lab as an integrated media planning intern. Read on as he provides insight into what this internship looks like.
Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities.
My internship is in media planning and buying at the Media Arts Lab, Apple’s only advertising agency. I work alongside the Apple TV+ Strategy Team to develop audience insights, approve programming, and aid in creating media plans for every title presented to Apple.
What does the structure of your internship look like?
I am remote Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I work in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
The communications field is all interconnected. Advertising and journalism are in the same college for a reason. However, both specialize in different aspects. My struggle has been with trying to reframe my mindset. Instead of working for a general audience and making it digestible, I am doing the opposite. I have to understand my audience to then target them specifically and balance that with digestibility.
What has been your favorite part about your internship so far? Tell us a story if you have one!
My favorite thing has to be the people. Everyone I have worked with has been so nice and welcoming. I have been included and contribute to just about everything, so I don’t feel like a stereotypical intern, but a part of the team. That, or the in-house barista is a big sell.
How have the classes you’ve taken at Grady prepared you for this internship?
My classes focus heavily on audience interaction with our writing. As a journalist, you want whatever you work on, from broadcast packages to stories to social media promotion to be accessible to any audience. It is the same in media planning. You want the audience to interact with the campaign the same way.
What’s your advice to other students looking for a similar opportunity?
Finding jobs is all in the way you market yourself. As someone in a different but related field, I saw my journalism skills presented in different areas. Apply for programs that align with where you want to go, not only what you are currently capable of. A willingness to learn and perseverance can take you lengths farther than hard skills.
How will this role guide your future career path?
This role has given me a new perspective on the communications field. I think it has made me a well-rounded candidate. I am increasing my skill set so that I am competitive.
What’s your career goal?
I am aiming to become a creative director at a communications or publishing company.
What lessons will you take back with you to the classroom in the fall?
My analysis skills of different audiences and the hard skills I learned on the job, like Excel and Google Insights.
How has this role helped you discover what you are passionate about?
Everything is a step closer to wherever you end up. I think what I have learned is that my heart is in design. In this case, presentation design and trying to design campaigns for our target audience.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Try everything! Either you end up loving it, or you have learned something new about it and yourself.
What’s your favorite part of living in LA for the summer?
I think it’s definitely the weather. As cheesy as it sounds, the temperate weather without excessive humidity is so refreshing. I’ll work outside sometimes because it is so nice.
