Learning the Ropes Jenna Koufakis's Remote Internship Experience at Emily Blair Media
August 4, 2021
Hi! My name is Jenna, and I am a senior with a major in Strategic and Corporate Communication and a minor in Public Relations. Since September, I’ve interned at Emily Blair Media.
I found this internship through my sorority big who also graduated from Chapman last year. Emily Blair Media is a Public Relations Agency founded by a former Chapman student named Emily Marcus. Her agency specializes in social media management, press placement, brand building, media consulting, and custom public relations campaigns. Although the agency is only about two years old, EMB has acquired an impressive client list with only four employees and two interns! EMB clients consist of Christine Quinn’s well-known names, from selling sunset to fashion, beauty, fitness, and wellness influencers. Some of our clients have been on the cover of major magazines such as Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, and Maxim.
Unfortunately since we are in a pandemic, I’ve had to work remotely for the past five months, but I have loved every aspect of EMB and learning more about the public relations industry. I feel incredibly privileged to have been given this opportunity during COVID-19 because I have seen what goes on daily within this industry and feel more prepared to enter the real world.
My overall responsibilities during this internship changed on a day-to-day basis. My experience at EMB was nothing like I expected. For example, I wrote pitches to potential clients on an event, giveaway, or feature they want to be a part of. On other days, I used Cision tools to build contact lists to send pitches out or to transcribe interviews. I also made mood boards for client’s photoshoots and direct messaged artists on Instagram to be a part of a client’s photoshoot. All in all, there was never a “boring” day because working within the PR industry has taught me a lot about time management. PR can change within minutes of working on one project, and I’ve learned how to change my focus more closely and build concrete skills when having to do so.
One of my favorite responsibilities that I worked on was writing articles about our clients who work for a modeling agency. I love having a task where I can bring my thoughts and opinions to the table because it allowed me to put my best work forward and show my supervisors what I can do. Additionally, I went with my team to one of the beauty companies we represent, Uvé Pro. I helped create PR packages for influencers in preparation for one of their biggest launches. From this opportunity, I was able to see firsthand what happens behind the scenes and how much of our work goes into the company that we represent.
During my time interning at Emily Blair Media, I noticed how closely my courses at Chapman have translated to my day-to-day tasks. Specifically, my public relations minor courses prepared me for writing pitches and identifying specific media contacts. While within the School of Communication, message and visual design played a vital role in approaching public relations campaigns. Upon graduation, I plan to move back to New York to start my career, but my internship at EMB has prepared me for what to expect within the public relations industry. I genuinely believe that my capabilities to adapt to the real world have truly flourished from working at EMB. I encourage anyone who aspires to work within strategic communication or public relations to start with an internship that may be a smaller company because you can build close relationships with your coworkers and understand the business in more detail.