Can you spell i.n.t.e.r.n.?

Blogger-me-Blogger

In the last month I have made my debut as a bg intern, candy-cart salesmen, intern blogger and a model (twice!). Okay, okay, those of you who have met me, you know I am not the model-type. Nor will I be going into that profession, but it was fun while it lasted. I am much more interested in the behind the scenes aspects of advertising. Learning about account services, account management, and placement of advertisements is what really excites me. Not so much staring in them. For those of you who don't know me yet, "Hello!" My name is Sadie and I will be blogging away for the next few months as Ad Intern 1. My new partners in crime, the PR interns will be posting also. [see our profiles below]

Next Top Model

My modeling premier took place at Seaport Village during a Bailey Gardiner photo shoot. Seaport Village is a beautiful location and one of the bg's clients I will be working with. Participating in the photo shoot was exciting. I love all things photography and the outdoors - it is not everyday an intern gets to spend their morning on the clock under the San Diego sun and in the salty sea air. My second modeling shoot was for the San Diego Council

 on Literacy's spelling "BEE" benefit event next Thursday, February 24th. Although it is only a shot from behind, I am modeling the agency-designed event t-shirt, so it definitely counts as shoot number two. 

At this rate, by the time May and my graduation rolls around I'll have a stunning resume and modeling portfolio.

Candy-Cart Sales(wo)men

Never underestimate the power of snacks at 4 o'clock on the Friday afternoon. You can learn a lot about people while pulling a child-sized wheelbarrow of snacks around the office. Did I mention it has cowbells? Interpersonal skills and office relationships are formed over the candy-cart. I now know everyone in the office on Fridays, where they sit, and I am beginning to know their snack preferences; salty, sweet, drink or a healthy alternative.

Down to Business

Listed above are some of the perks of interning here at Bailey Gardiner, not to mention the amazing tea/coffee/hot coco machine in the kitchen area and the occasional free goodies left on the table. The real work is much more plentiful and sadly doesn't involve the cowbell. However, my daily tasks are interesting. Every morning I learn who in the USA has taken an interest in Aladdin Bail Bonds, while updating excel files. Some of the relationship descriptions are humorous, for example "mother of his son," which takes away all personal ownership. Contact information can also make for a laugh. For example, one guy last week wrote only the 3-digit area code "818" as his contact. People like this really brighten my morning. I also work on online marketing research and analysis using Google AdWords and Google Analytics. I am getting to be a pro at scanning and filing invoices and starting to get a handle on Workamajig. 

Stay tuned for more on my improvements, specialties and ad talents in future articles.

~Sadie

New Roundup at the Bailey Gardiner Intern Corral

Not only has Bailey Gardiner moved to a bigger and better office in Little Italy, they've picked up four snazzy new interns as well. The newest additions to the BG team are here to introduce themselves.

Sadie Soliozy

Title: Ad Intern
Hometown: Ipswich, MA (heard of it?)
Favorite Food: Egg n' cheese on a whole wheat English muffin, salted with a side of ketchup

Fun Facts:

• I have never lived more that 10 miles from the ocean.
• I drink at least three cups of tea a day.
• In elementary school I played on a boys baseball team because I refused to play softball (may have been my dad's favorite years).
  

Why you are here: To be an amazing intern!

What you want to learn: To learn about and build the skills necessary to work in account service, account management, or maybe even media at an ad agency.

Community Involvement:

• Student Business Advisory Board, USD Student Member
• Ad Club, USD Chapter President

Theresa Schell
Title: Creative Intern
Hometown: Poway, CA
Favorite Food: Chocolate anything

Fun Facts:

• My favorite musician is Jack White.
• I love black and white photography.

Why you are here: To learn about the advertising industry from the inside and find out if that's the kind of graphic design work I'd like to do when I finish school.

What you want to learn: How the process of design work is in the real world, what kind of problems do designers face in this industry, and most importantly how to be a better designer.

Elli Vacca

Title: Public Relations Intern
Hometown: Ventura, CA
Favorite Food: Movie theater popcorn

Fun Facts:

• At 5 years old on the YMCA swim team I won every race because I was the only one in my age bracket.
• Last year I was bit by a dog and broke my ankle in the same month. The E.R. nurses remembered me.
• I was a contestant on The Price is Right - and my price was right.
  

Why you are here: Bailey Gardiner offers such a fun and inspiring environment - it is the ideal place for an intern to get a feel for the industry.

What you want to learn: Anything and everything.

Community Involvement:

• Pi Beta Phi, UC San Diego Panhellenic Association
• UCSD Undergraduate Communication Society, Member

Robin Canedy

Title: Public Relations Intern
Hometown: Mission Viejo, CA
Favorite Food: Churros


Fun Facts:

• I can tap dance.
• I own over 20 pairs of Nike shoes.
  

Why you are here: To see what PR looks like outside of a textbook or classroom and to be part of the Bailey Gardiner team.

What you want to learn: I hope to pick up and learn the skills necessary to be a great PR practitioner.

Community Involvement:

• Public Relations Student Society of America, SDSU Chapter President

BG Day at the Races...

I have been counting down the days until BG Day at the Races... and it was worth every second of anticipation! Yesterday we all headed down to the Del Mar Race Track  (thanks to Melina for the lift) and settled into our perfectly positioned tables to watch the horses go. The weather was perfect and the track was beautiful as always. 

Our table ordered an unreasonable amount of food (I highly recommend the Crunchy Tempura Green Beans from the Stretch Run Grill) and made bets on all 8 races. There were some really great races (including a photo finish) and some really fabulous horse names. I have realized that I have a lot to learn about the horse racing biz and how to not suck at betting... or "voting" as my table calls it. I tried to pick up on the tips and tricks from the masters (Jon, Becca & Susannah) but it still didn't help my awful luck very much.

After a full day at the track, I left $2.80 richer with a pretty interesting sunburn but I had a fantastic time. Thanks to BG for letting me tag along on such a great day.

Advertising is... lessons learned from my first 5 days as an Intern

Coming hot out of college, with my B.S. Degree IN Advertising, I thought I knew it all.  Definitely not even close.  As a newly appointed Intern here at Bailey Gardiner, (and one of the few men in the office), I am starting to pick up on a lot of things.  

Learning is key in this position I recently acquired.  The first lesson I learned here was not to operate the printer-copier machine on my own because it's basically rocket science to figure out.  Other than learning to avoid the printer-copier, I have done copious amounts of research/excel work.  Also expanding my knowledge on our current clients as well as learning about potential clients and new markets is very beneficial.

One of the highlights was getting invited to a brainstorming session at lunch for one of our clients, Brookfield Homes.  I was very excited for a chance to display my creativity.  I felt a little nervous about sitting in, not knowing anyone and hoping that something will jump-start my brain like a shot of creative-roids from the black market creative doctor.  I mean after all, my Mom thinks I am really creative from all the paintings and projects I've done since kindergarden, but I wasn't sure that would translate into the professional world.  It was a great experience to sit through the brainstorm and hear everyone's ideas on ways to market the new Rockrose development.   

Next thing I am slowly picking up on is that Social Media isn't just about how many friends I have on facebook, or the banner ads consisting of "Meet hot girls in your area".  Nor is about how sweet myspace is for listening to new bands or twitter updates about going to the beach or eating a bag of Cheetos.  Social Media is about connecting brands to the users.  I am still not exactly sure what people use twitter for, but I am confident that will be one of the concepts I learn here at Bailey Gardiner.

I feel like being one of the few men in the office comes into play with my point of view and also me being the Baritone in the Bailey Gardiner Christmas Choir (Coming soon). Which for me was another highlight here at BG Creative.

All in all being here has been a great experience and I look forward to continuing my education from some of the best in the business.  I feel like there is a strong correlation between the contents of my first ever blog post and the advertising industry.  A little random, complex (printer-copier), and constantly changing.  Just like my time spent here.  From brainstorms and social media, to researching "Pet energy bars", and also Bailey Gardiner benefitting from my exceptional vocal chords, it has been a great 5 days and I am excited for what the future brings.    

  

  

Nearing the End

Sadly, I now only have 7 days left here at Bailey Gardiner. Luckily, unlike a lot of intern stories I’ve heard from friends and family, I am actually sad about this fact. I have had such an unbelievable experience here at Bailey Gardiner and will truly miss the people and overall atmosphere that I have been a part of for the last 3 months. I came in not knowing much about this industry apart from what I learned in school and will come out with triple, if not more, the experience. The ad team graciously took me under their wing and taught me things that will continue to benefit me throughout my career.

During my time at the agency, I have learned quite a few valuable lessons:

1.              Don’t forget your chap stick on the first day. But if you do, Rite Aid will assist you in whatever you need.

2.              Thesaurus.com doesn’t just come in handy for college papers.

3.              When they tell you there are enough mugs and you can use the Keurig whenever you want – they mean it. I brought my own anyways, but still.

4.              I’ve added a few new acronyms to my AIM handbook. EOD (End of Day) and DND (Do NOT Disturb) and brought back an old favorite – BRB.

5.              Beware of the toaster. You might think it’s on light when it’s actually on BLACK.

6.              An errand to Hazard Center that takes 15 minutes total could easily turn into 45 when you return to find ZERO parking spots.

7.              You can never own too much leopard print. Or argyle.

On a more serious note, I have obtained more experience than I could ever imagine. I have attended multiple client meetings, including a focus group, where I was able to witness first hand the interactions between clients, the targeted demographic, and the team here at Bailey Gardiner. I performed hours of research for clients – both new and established – including everything from suicide to birth control to San Diego casinos to seed embedded paper. Have I mentioned they have a very broad spectrum of clients here at BG? I researched naming rights and trademark information for new brands and campaigns. I’ve also had the opportunity to assist in putting together a media plan for a new campaign by researching the area’s publications and even negotiating rates for future spots and inserts. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my less glamorous intern days – filing collateral, walking back and forth between Seaport Village and the Convention Center – in heels (still have the blisters to prove it), braving the streets of both Hillcrest and Downtown San Diego with fellow intern, Jen, to put up flyers for one of our client’s events, having my fingers cramp up while tabulating results from surveys, and the inevitable newbie initiation – candy cart. But even tasks such as these have been a learning experience that will benefit me later on.

Throughout all of this, I’ve been able to improve my communication skills through email with people in the office, potential vendors, and many more. I’ve been a part of projects that have yet to hit the mainstream market. I even got to flex my culinary muscles for the Halloween potluck. I’m putting the past 3 months in a very special place in my memory and consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to call myself a Bailey Gardiner intern. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to send in my resume in response to a job posting on Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid someday.

Fingers crossed.

The Importance of an Internship

As a student that wants to break into the creative side of advertising there are two main components for getting in. The first is an awesome portfolio filled with great ideas and the other is who you know. But what if you don’t know anyone in the advertising industry are you doomed to go from one closed door to then next, even try to see if you can wiggle open a cracked window? Well that may be the case but there is an easier way. Get an internship. A creative internship is beneficial for educating, networking, and getting real work.

Creative internship gives you education that you can’t get in a classroom. It puts you at the agency right in the environment. Where real projects are going on around you and the creative team is pitching ideas that can actually be published. You can get advice from Art Directors and Copywriters who are doing this everyday. They are there to give you the experience to get started in the business. A place to see where you fit in right, maybe it’s a small agency, maybe it’s a big agency, or maybe it’s somewhere in the middle.

Having a creative internship makes for great networking opportunities. Not only do you know all the people in the creative department by first name you have their email and phone numbers. And as long as you don’t screw up your internship they will probably answer future questions you will have once the internship is done. Possibly giving you letter of recommendations or a great reference for your resume. Another cool thing is that the advertising industry is a close knit one where a lot of people know a lot of other people in the industry. So your Art Directors and Copywriters know other Art Directors and Copywriters in the area or maybe even out of the area. Where one contact can easily become 5 contacts, then even 20 contacts. And for a business where getting in is half based on who you know, it’s a good way of meeting people.

A creative internship is also great for getting real work for your portfolio. This is based on getting an internship where the agency actually lets you do work, besides running errands and getting coffee (I’m very sorry if your in one like that). A student portfolio is based on make believe clients that a lot of agencies wish they could have. The thing is none of that work is published; the only place it can be seen is in your book.Interning gives you the chance to get your ideas published, and having published work in your book, as a student, is quite an accomplishment.

So I bet your wondering how you get in a creative internship. Well first you need to do your research, find out where you want to intern. Once you found where, you need to find out who the creative team is and you will want to contact them to find out if they offer internships. If they do offer internships then send them your resume along with some samples of your work. If they tend to take a little while to respond be patient, they are very busy people, but you can always send a polite friendly email asking on the status. If they ask you to come in for an interview treat it like an actual job interview, they don’t want someone who can’t be professional interning at their agency, so be prepared. Talk to your career services at your school for some tips. Most agencies are more willing to take on an intern than hire a junior with no experience, so put yourself out there and see what you can do.

Tweeting with Justin Timberlake

I wish. So I’m new to the Twitter phenomenon - 28 tweets total as of now. At first, I tried to take the casual approach, “Ehh, I just want to see what celebrities are up to and find out where good sales are. No big.” THEN I started my internship here at Bailey Gardiner. This is when I came to realize that Twitter is way more than that. I had only considered the reasons why I would want to be on Twitter, not why those stores with crazy sales or new products were tweeting like crazy. It really has become a whole new way to advertise (I know, haven’t heard that one before, huh?). Whether users realize it or not, places that you follow are constantly advertising. Even celebrities are advertising. Whether it be a new movie, show or other venture they are working on or a magazine they want you to pick up to see their 5-page spread – they’re advertising, promoting, whatever you want to call it. THEN I started to see that some of these celebrities and places were tweeting back. Needless to say, I have a new task. I’m tweeting like crazy to anyone and everyone who might give me some props. Sadly, I haven’t had any hits yet. As of now, I have tweets out to:

 

Justin Timberlake - I asked for free tickets to his show in Vegas for my boyfriend’s 21st, which I thought was plausible since I also said he could hang out with us.

 

Rachel Zoe – Telling her I couldn’t wait for her show. Even included a countdown. Pretty sure I said “I DIE” and “BANANAS” a couple times for good measure.

 

Brad Goreski (from Rachel Zoe) – Told him that his bow ties were the highlight of my week.

 

Burger Lounge - I joined their following one day too late and missed the FREE burgers.

 

Rob Dyrdek - My boyfriend and I are convinced that he would want to be our best friend if he let us come hang out at the Fantasy Factory. Dream big.

 

And my latest one was to my boyfriend - If nothing else, at least I’ll get one pity reply. Hopefully.

So my question is…What gives? Am I just aiming too high or are there tricks of the trade that I don’t know about? I figured I’d start at the top and see what happened. I thought I’d get lucky with at least one, but no - Notta. Zip. Nein. I realize that being a 21-year-old college student/intern isn’t that appealing but c’mon people, have a heart. Of course, this doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying. I will continue to get excited/nervous every time my TweetDeck has a notification. I refuse to let this dream die. I will tweet with Justin Timberlake.

In the land of the interns, free stuff rules!

It's been awhile since I've been in college, and I've noticed that since starting another internship, I've been reduced back to my penny-pinching habits from my college days. Everyone knows that to get your foot in the door, to get that oh-so-important experience on your resume, you need to endure the unpaid internship. Part of the internship experience that you gain is loyalty to the company you work for diligently for day after day and you show that by coming in and working for free, and ... enjoying it. I can honestly say that not getting paid for my work at this internship, doesn't really bother me. I don't dwell on it. BUT I have noticed that I jump at anything that is available to me at no cost.

Cupcakes in the kitchen from a client? Screw the diet, I'll take 2.

Self tanner wipes in the women's bathroom? Probably never use them, because I am a very Irish girl and would probably turn orange, but I will take one just in case.

Keurig coffee from the kitchen? I drink about 3 cups a day.

But recently I was treated along with all the other employees and interns to a day at the Del Mar Racetrack. I have lived in San Diego for 3 years now and was ashamed to say I had never been. But now, here was the perfect opportunity! So after a quick day at the office we all headed off to the track to enjoy some free food and drink, courtesy of Bailey Gardiner. We also received a personal lesson on the basics of racetrack betting from Jon Bailey, CEO of Bailey Gardiner, and $20 to bet with. Even though I was only there for a short time (had to get to my paying job) and I lost the $20 + $5 of my money, I had a great time. Food tastes better when it's free and outings are much more fun when you get hooked up. I can't wait to go again, but on my own dollar, I'm afraid it won't be as great...
So thank you Bailey Gardiner for helping me to enjoy the cheaper things in life.

Step-Up My Office Attire

At Bailey Gardiner, everyone from the CEO to the interns wear jeans and a t-shirt any day of the week. This is one of the perks of working in a small advertising agency. Here, it is about creativity and innovation, not pencil skirts and heels. My family has always made it clear that it is better to be over-dressed than under. However, the past few years have stunted my wardrobe. I went from being a poor college student, interested more in contributing to the keg fund than the work clothes fund, to being unemployed sporting pajama pants and tanks daily, to now being an intern. So where does this leave my work attire? No where good, that's where.

Today, after being sick for a week and finally feeling better, I decided to get dressed-up for work. I put on a nice skirt, heels, a floral cardigan and remembered to wear my good earrings. Oh and I actually put curlers in my hair, trying to defy the San Diego humidity. I walked into the office feeling like a spruced-up version of myself.

Now this is where it gets funny. While filling my water bottle in the kitchen this morning, Nik walks in. As I turn to say good morning, he looks surprised. I immediately learn why. Nik kindly said he didn't recognize me, because I look nice today. Ouch! He said nothing wrong, but it became instantly clear that I have DONE something wrong. I need to step-up my office attire game.

As the day has progressed, a surprising amount of people have commented on how "fancy" I look today. Becca asked if I have a "hot date" tonight. The Big Boss Man jokingly asked if I have an interview after work. And the lovely and talented Ad Intern 2 wondered if I went on Extreme Makeover: Intern Edition. I need to step-up my office attire game.

There are two ways to go when deciding how an intern should dress. The first way, which I have previously adopted, is to blend-in. Most days I wear jeans, sometimes a cotton dress, every once-in-awhile heels. I do not meet with clients, I do not see vendors face-to-face and I am not publicly representing BG outside of the office. So, I can dress in jeans everyday without serious consequence.

The second way is what my grandma would approve of. As an intern (or any other employee), I should dress for the professional environment in which I work, regardless of the official dress code. An internship is an extended interview. When Jon jokingly asked if I had an interview, my response was "Yes, with you." So, why have I not been waking-up every morning and dressing for success?

I am promising myself that I will no longer dress at the office like I am out running errands. I want to make a positive impression on the people I work with. I want my college degree to get used beyond an internship. I want to start a career. I need to dress for success. I need to step-up my office attire.

How do you think an intern should dress?