SJSU: Copywriting Course Needs More Students

Prof. Mark Jordan is looking for a few more students to fill up his Advertising 124 Copywriting course. The class meets Tuesday nights from 6pm - 8:45. Students should have completed MCOM 100W, ADV 91 and ENG 71.

This is a mandatory class for advertising students on the creative track and is essential for creating pieces for ones portfolio.

On a personal note, Prof. Jordan is quite the witty character - he's exactly the type of person anyone considering copywriting as a profession should be learning under.

You must add the course by Feb. 10th - see Sylvia in the DBH office for the add code or contact Prof. Jordan directly at mjordan@casa.sjsu.edu

Internship: IPG Lucky 13

Disclaimer: I'm an alum of IPG's Lucky 13 - so pardon my enthusiasm!

Hands down, if I had to make a recommendation for students looking for a comprehensive internship, IPG's Lucky 13 would be it.

I've heard countless stories of students who landed what they were hoping to be their dream internship, only to realize that the agency didn't know what to do with them once they're there. Not the case with The Lucky 13.

From day 1, I knew exactly what was expected of me. My Account Supervisor and the AAE who I worked directly under briefed me on the status of current projects and detailed what I would learn during my 10-weeks as an account management intern on the General Mills business. I still remember shuddering at their frankness concerning the workload.

By day 3, I was working on assignments side by side with the AAE, attending meetings at General Mills, and learning more things than most interns learn in an entire summer.

By the last day of the internship, I had learned more than I had throughout my entire college experience and felt ready to enter as a junior employee - which should be the goal of EVERY internship.

One of the things that I appreciated most about my time with Campbell Mithun, was the mentoring I received from not just my supervisor and AAE, but from anyone I came into contact with. It was through these interactions that I developed a very keen sense of the work CM does and the direction they're heading - but moreso, about what my role as an intern (and future job prospect) means to the agency.

Enough of the sentimentality - here's what The Lucky 13 do BEYOND their workload:

• Brown Bag Lunches - Weekly meetings with some of the agencies top reps from each division
• Speaker Series - Notable speakers explain what it means to work their field; followed by an hour of Q&A with CM's HR rep
  
• Social Activities - Including a BBQ with our Keepers (think mentors - I know, Keepers sounds creepy, but they're actually quite nice).
• Weekly Testimonials - Interns are emailed a question weekly and asked to record their testimonial in the "Confession Room" (think The Real World). At the end of the program the clips were created into a video (which I'm sure has leaked somewhere on the internet).
  
• Speed Interviews - It's like speed dating minus the date
  
• NSAC-Style Competition* - Interns were split into two teams and presented a fictional pitch to six judges comprised of agencies reps. The "client" - Grain Belt.
  

The deadline is rapidly approaching - so if you're interested, please visit their website. The application process is extremely intense, so dedicate the time necessary to stand out from the rest of the applicants.

If you want to see what my personal experience was like as a Lucky 13 intern, visit my other blog where I detail my life at Campbell Mithun & Minneapolis. You can also join the IPG Lucky 13 Facebook site, moderated by my favorite 13er, Val.




*For those of you who want to see the "campaign" we pitched as our final project, click here

Interns: Looking Beyond New York City

Oh New York City! Center of the Universe!

In an unofficial, unethical, and unoriginal survey, I found that the majority of college students want to start their advertising careers in New York City.

Reality Check. It's really fucking expensive.

This isn't a diatribe about NYC. I love the city - it's great. The bars are open late, the people are eclectic/beautiful/successful (add any adjective you want really), and the ad industry is booming (OK, not now, but you know what I mean).

However, I'd like to ask the question: How the hell can one afford to live in Manhattan (even the Burroughs) off of a Jr. Anything's salary?

One just needs to scan today's Craigslist postings to get an idea of how much rent is. It's ungodly. It's downright horrendous. It's more equivalent to what many Americans pay for a mortgage.

So why oh why do people insist on moving there right out of college when there are a handful of cities that can offer SOME (notice I still give NYC a lot of credit here) of what Manhattan has to offer and at a fraction of the cost?

One of my biggest factors in opting out of an internship in NYC this past summer was the experience I had the previous summer interning in New York City. The honest truth, I went through $4K in one month. I'll admit, I could have been more frugal with my spending habits, but even if I did cut down, I would have still been out a good $2K.

The moral of the story: Consider other cities/regions/locales. Remember that a zip code isn't everything and that an interns salary only goes so far. New York City will always be. Why not hold off on it until you've got the means to truly enjoy it?

Internship: Crispin Porter + Bogusky

CP+K is offering internships this summer in both their Miami and Boulder, CO offices.

Here's a list of disciplines they're looking to fill:

• Content Management (Account Services)
• Cultural and Business Insights (Account Planning)
• Creative Content Distribution (Media)
• Art Buying
• Traffic
• Studio
• Print Production
• Integrated Production
• Public Relations
• Interactive-Technical
• Interactive-Creative
• Creative

The application deadline for their Summer 2009 positions is April 10th.

On a side note, not really sure how CP+K's recent lay-offs will affect the internship program. However, one rule of advice: If you get in, you should be prepared to prove that you belong at the agency instead of the 60 employees who are no longer with the agency. In otherwords, don't pull this shit!

Internship: GSD&M Idea City

GSD&M Idea City, located in Austin, Texas has a number of internships in the following disciplines:

• Account Service
• Broadcast Production
• Creative
• Creative Project Management
• Graphic Design
• Marketplace planning
• Media
• New Business
• Public Relations

Full descriptions can be found on their website.

What's not on their website: Their Halloween slideshow from 2005*


*Flickr is by far the best source to scout out what really happens behind closed doors. It's like being a peeping tom, but less peepy.

Interns: Playing the field

Chances are, if you're hunting down an internship, you've probably sent out your resume to 10+ agencies. The first time I applied for an internship I thought of it as a numbers game. In my case, I emailed/called 50 agencies, heard back from three, and got one offer.

So what happens when you get call-backs from multiple agencies. It could happen, right?

Recently, a MAIP semi-finalist asked if they should continue looking for other internships despite being on track to land a very prestigious one (if not, the most prestigious). The answer: Abso-fucking-lutely!

Here's the deal. HR reps understand that all prospects are actively looking for internships. Just because you get a call-back, doesn't mean that the internship is a sure thing (however, you should definitely treat it as one).

This is where the notes section on your spreadsheet will come in handy. Tracking what was said and by whom will help you to avoid making mistakes if you get multiple agencies interested in you - could you imagine if you sent off a list of your favorite Lovemarks(a very Saatchi thing) to TBWA/Chiat/Day? Blasphemy!

The best thing that could happen to you is that you get multiple offers. This is where it will take some skill in leveraging your negotiation skills. For instance, if you get two offers, one paid and the other unpaid, you can make the HR rep of the unpaid internship aware of the compensation you're being offered at the other agency. If they really want you, they'll match it (This would only work if you were given some time to think about the offers - some internships expect you to give a response on the spot).

Be warned! You should have a value associated with each agency/program you're applying to. For example: If you've been offered an internship at Crispin Porter + Bogusky and one at Mom & Pops Ad Schack - you're definitely going not going to tell CP + K that The Shack is offering you a stipend. That would just make you seem like an idiot - right?

Moral of the story: Don't stop looking for internships just because you got a call-back/interview/nice email. Continue looking for the best internship until you've found the best match for you.

Internship: Saatchi & Saatchi LA

Update (2/11/09): The Saatchi LA internship is a no go. Many thanks to the blogger who pointed this out to us. Check out the comments section for the details.

Update (2/10/09): Not sure if Saatchi LA is still looking to fill the internship positions. I'll keep you posted.

Saatchi & Saatchi LA are looking for eight interns in the following departments:

• Media Planning
• Traffic
• Print Production
• Idea Management (Account)
• Interactive (Account, Media)
• Brand Integration (Event Planning)
• Strategic Planning

Check out their full posting on Youintern

Check out the agencies blog as well - you can pick up some insights into the culture of the agency by reading through a handful of the posts - particularly this one

Internship: Draftfcb

Draftfcb (Chicago) is looking for summer interns in the following departments:

• Account Management
• Media
• Planning
• Customer Intelligence
• Events/Sports Marketing
• New Business

The internships are paid ($600/week) - sweet!
Check out their post at Youintern.com for more info.

Below is some work they've done for Oreo's

Interns: Follow New Business

If you're on the look out for an internship at an ad agency, one of my top tips is to follow new business. Case and point: Fallon recently won three, count them 1-2-3, new business pitches over the past three months.

Flashback to a post I wrote a few days ago announcing Fallon's hunt for interns this summer. It's safe to assume that the influx of business has Fallon on the look out for talent.

The moral of the story is to keep your eyes & ears open. New business typically equals a need for new talent, and that dear readers, is where you can snatch up that ad internship you've been looking for. Who knows, you might just make it after all.

Friend or Foe?: Poster Boy Plot Thickens

As an ad person, I should be "uh-uhhhing" and shaking my finger all over the place, but I'm seriously jonesing for Poster Boy. The rumor-mill has started and now we get word that the little boy-that-could is now several boys(and girls) that are. What are the implications if there is a movement of artists who manipulate the advertising that gets pumped down the throats of Manhattanites?



P-boy(s) Work