So long, farewell!

I will preface this post with an apology. If for some reason there are typos, misspelled words or incorrect grammer, I am truly sorry. I still have not fully recovered from the AMAZING event last night at Irvin Mayfield's I Club. Not only was the club filled with talented musicians, media and good friends of Irvin's, but also a few famous actors stopped by! Not too shabby for the opening night. Needless to say, everyone in the office is moving at half speed today.


I can not believe that my two months have come and gone so quickly here at Keating Magee. The experience is one that opened my eyes to the fulfilling, but sometimes complicated, world of communications. Interning for a company can go one of many ways. And guess what? You (the intern) are in control!


If you don't know- ASK!
Do not feel embarrassed or shy about asking for help. You are an intern, therefore you do not know everything and they don't expect you to. It is better to ask than to do a project completely wrong.


Put yourself out there!
Volunteer for any and every job! Oh the kitchen needs cleaning? Sure! There is an event to work tonight? Sounds great! The more jobs you are given the more you are trusted. It pays off in the end. I always felt like a nuisance asking, but I realized that after awhile I did not have to ask. Tasks were being given to me because I earned that responsibility.


Have fun!
Your experience will be so much worthwhile if you are adding fun elements to the work environment. Obviously, some days it will be all business and no play, but there are ways to still make those days enjoyable. Ask to sit it on a client conference call, go to lunch with the other interns, participate in a brainstorming sessions. By doing those things, your days will be more fulfilling.


I could not have asked for a better intern experience than the one I had with Keating Magee. I am sad to go, but I know that I have been instilled with the knowledge and capability to make it in the PR world one day thanks to the people at Keating.
Geaux tigers and of course, who dat!

My Phire Feature

Last week I was assigned to write a feature about Nick Sagona, Keating Magee's Senior Interactive Strategist, and the new, user-friendly content management system (CMS) he created. I enjoy writing, so this assignment instantly brightened my day!

Research is always the first move in when writing, so I visited the Phire CMS website and started looking over the material. Having recently dived into the world of blogging and CMS, I was excited to see what innovative features Nick had devised.

My next step was to interview Nick. During Nick's attempts to explain Phire and how he created it to me, I initially had trouble deciphering all of the technical jargon flying right over my head. However, I quickly began to understand just how beneficial, adaptive and user-friendly Phire can be.

Final step: writing. My personal technique is to look over my notes, organize them in my head and then just start typing. Along the way, I highlight the parts of my notes that have been included into the article. But for the most part, I don't stop typing until all the information is on the computer screen.

While this technique ensures that everything I think gets on the word document, it also guarantees that my editing process is quite time consuming. But have no fear, after some serious editing HERE is my finished product.

Phire is a pretty hot CMS, so definitely check it out!

Lindsay: Signing Out

With the closing of a summer filled with interning at a communications and marketing firm, it is time I reflect upon all I learned and experienced.

If had I to choose what opened my eyes the most regarding my potential career field this summer, I would have to say the impact that marketing and communications have on the world around us. From who makes appearances on the morning news, to signs seen around town, all the way to events at your favorite local spots, someone in this field devised the idea, presented it to the client and then made it happen. I am amazed at just how influential the communications field is and how much time and effort is put into ensuring that these events, contests, and news appearances have the greatest possible impact.

The most fascinating sight to observe, during the building of a campaign, is the brainstorming process. To watch of one small idea, which just jumps out of someone’s mouth during a brainstorming session, snowball into a tangible groundbreaking, monumental campaign or event is incredible. Future interns, just remember there is no such thing as a stupid idea, at least while brainstorming.

This summer I was truly able to see the inner workings of an agency. The whole process of snagging a potential client to executing a successful campaign was laid before my eyes. In this field, organization skills, paying attention to details and planning ahead are paramount. I don’t think I fully understood that until my experiences this summer.

This truly has been an awesome summer and I am so grateful for all that I have learned and experienced!

Farewell to everyone at Keating Magee!

Lindsay

Introducing: Alexia

Even though you are most likely to encounter bizarre sights on the streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter, I don’t think the city was expecting a Paraguayan 21-year-old scuttling around at 9:00 am, trying to find parking among the NFL kick-off festivity preparations, making her way to her first day of work; that was me last week. Day One at Keating Magee-- and it couldn’t have been on a more excellent day.

Currently a Communications Senior at Loyola University, with a minor in Creative Writing, I transferred from the home land – Paraguay – my sophomore year and haven’t looked back since. Moving to New Orleans has included falling in love with Uptown’s canopies and street cars, and being utterly confused by the city’s bizarre fascination for beads, and even more so by the frenzy that is Mardi Gras. If I could sum up my transition from South American small town to North American Who Dat Nation, I would have to say it’s been quite the exhilarating ride.

Although I have had professional experiences in the past, working at a Marketing Agency in Paraguay, interning for the School of Mass Communication at Loyola, and completing my summer internship at the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, now I am starting at Keating Magee and I am excited to start from scratch in my new office overlooking the river. I look forward to joining this team and proving myself as a worthy asset.

Introducing: Lauren

Hey ya'll! My name is Lauren Van de Voorde, and I am a new addition to Keating Magee's internship program for the Fall 2010 semester. I am a Senior Marketing major at UNO, transferring from UL in Lafayette. Obviously by the "ya'll" I am originally from the area; Slidell to be exact. "Excited" is an understatement when describing how I feel about being back in the area. The French Quarter, Uptown, the restaurants, the (SuperBowl Champs) Saints, along with many other staples of the city, make it truly like no other. One reason for my transfer during the last year of undergrad was knowing that New Orleans had a plethora of options for a young, eager soon-to-be-grad, such as my self. Ladies like options (and, well, men too), and there is definitely no other place that offers such a variety in a city with such amazing culture.

With graduation coming up in May, I had to buckle down this summer and really take a look at companies that would be on my radar as I set out on my first "big-girl" job hunt in the spring. Focusing in on those that offered internships and were top in their industry, Keating Magee stood out. Isn’t there a saying that goes “if you want to be the best, you have to learn from the best”? I think so, or something along those lines.

The short 40 minute drive I made for my first interview with D.A. Magee himself was undoubtedly one of the finest decisions I have ever made. D.A. acknowledged my "persistence" to obtain an internship and was the first to say to me "you've got potential kid". The second interview is when I got to learn a little more about what a Media Intern does. Yes, I will file papers and tie ribbon(I did that the first day), but those tasks are what interns are for. I will also, however, get a chance to sit in on meetings with networks, oversee the process of buying slots for commercials and print ads, actually interact with clients, and even have a project to do with my fellow interns. Of course, I will be granted to opportunity to do much more along the way. Not many college interns can say the have an opportunity to learn an extraordinary amount and having amazing fun along the way!

Working at the top floor of Jax Brewery, in the heart of the French Quarter, and at such a prominent company (google Keating Magee, you will see) is not a bad way to spend three afternoons a week. Plans for the future are simple for me at Keating Magee: learn as much as possible, make the most of every opportunity I am given, and enjoy this amazing chance I am so thankful to have been given.

Introducing: Meredith

Hello! My name is Meredith and I am a recent addition to the Keating Magee Internship program. I was born and raised here in New Orleans, but will be returning to Athens, Georgia in the fall to start my junior year at The University of Georgia, where I am studying advertising and speech communication.

A little over a month ago, I took an elevator ride to the fifth floor of the JAX brewery building in the historic New Orleans French Quarter not knowing what was in store for me. This was my first internship, and after hearing stories from friends and families about their first job experiences, I can honestly say that I was a little bit nervous.

After my first few days here at Keating Magee, I was pleasantly suprised to find that I was quickly gaining the trust of my fellow employees. There will always be papers to file and a phone to answer, but there are not many places that let their interns lead their own marketing plan. Yes, we (interns) were given the opportunity to create our own marketing plan for the local House of Blues. It was not only a fun business to work with, but as a local New Orleanian, it was enjoyable to work with a company that I was familiar with.

Introducing: Raquel

I’m Raquel and I’m a recent graduate of the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University and a 2nd time intern at Keating Magee. I majored in Marketing and just finished my thesis on crisis management with a literature review on using social media to prevent “brand hijacking.” I grew up on Long Island, New York and I came to New Orleans in 2006, about one year after Hurricane Katrina.

Living in New Orleans was definitely a change from New York, but I have really enjoyed growing up while the city was re-growing. I have met so many wonderful people and experienced so many wonderful things. New Orleans is really a community in the sense that everyone knows everyone, yet there are always new things to try and new people to meet.

Interning here has really given me a much better understanding of what “real-world” marketing is really about. While getting my degree, I learned a great deal about marketing research and theory, but there is really no substitute for learning things hands-on. I’ve gotten some experience in traditional marketing while simultaneously finding out about the rising importance of social media.

I am constantly trying to go to a new festival, see a band I’ve never seen or go to a restaurant I haven’t tried, so I’m sure that some of that will creep into my posts on here. Hopefully, I can provide an educational and also entertaining picture of what my days are like here at KM.

Introducing: Mara

Hi.
My name is Mara. I am going to be a senior at Loyola University in the fall where I am working on my marketing degree. I’m from Houston but have been here in New Orleans for three years now and am proud to call this my home away from home.

I’m interning with Keating Magee this summer and couldn’t be more excited. Keating Magee is one of the top marketing agencies in the area yet it is still small enough that as an intern you still get to do actual work for clients (ie. not just make copies and fetch coffee).

Keating Magee is everything I was looking for in an internship and more and the fact that it is located in the French Quarter is a definite plus.

Introducing: Erin

Hey there!
My name is Erin. The start of the summer marked a full year of my interning with Keating Magee. Though my roots are in New Jersey, I have traded in my Jersey for a different kind of "New"...New Orleans. This year I will be a senior at Tulane University and in the following year I will be finishing my double major in Marketing and Legal Studies in Business.

I have friends interning for a variety of companies in all sorts of fields, yet I am the only one experiencing an internship in New Orleans; all I can say is that my experiences have been far more colorful and exciting. Even FILING in New Orleans has a different feel -- okay that's a stretch. Filing sucks anywhere you go.

But through Keating Magee, I have been able to gain all types of hands-on experience. Whether it's creating our own marketing plan for the House of Blues or running around the city conducting interviews, interning in New Orleans- especially in the French Quarter- is a one-of-a-kind experience.

I never realized how important Facebook, Twitter and blogs were as communication tools, but now I do. That's when I decided it would be valuable to share our experiences with the rest of the world. Give everyone a taste of what it's really like to be a marketing intern in this unique city.