During the Spring 2020 semester, I worked as a Public Relations intern at Rocket Science Marketing and Public Relations. Rocket Science is a small full-service marketing, PR, and advertising agency located in Old Towne Orange. They work with numerous clients, such as Dole Fresh Fruit, Boys and Girls Club of OC, and California Southern University. During my internship, I assisted the PR and marketing teams on their active campaigns through daily media monitoring, in-depth market research, media outreach and communication, internal research, and various projects. I have also been invited to extend my internship with Rocket Science through the summer!

Me at the end of my first week of my internship at Rocket Science in Old Towne Orange.

Some of my favorite days during this internship were when I wrote and emailed out mass media pitches to hundreds of reporters and bloggers. My Public Relations supervisor, Justine, guided me throughout the entire process, giving me a solid outline of what media pitches include and how to send these mass pitches with one click.

Throughout these past four months, I have learned numerous lessons and had many revelations, one being how fast-paced agency life is. Working in a public relations and marketing agency is very different from working in-house for a particular brand or company. In an agency, you have upwards of five to six clients you are working with all in one day. My daily assignments switched between some of our biggest clients, so it took some time adjusting to jumping from project to project and client to client. However, this taught me how to multitask and thrive while working under quick deadlines.

I didn’t run into any specific “big” challenges at Rocket Science, but when I was confused, needed reminding of particular instructions, or needed help, my supervisor was always willing to walk me through and make sure I understood everything. I had constant support, even when working remotely over 100 miles away from the office—questions were welcome and met with compassion and encouragement. 

The School of Communication prepared me for this internship in two main ways: business communication and marketing. Business Communication with Tessa Urbanovich taught me a lot about personal and professional communication within the workplace with colleagues and supervisors. I took numerous practices from that class and applied it to how I communicated and worked at Rocket Science. Marketing through the Communicator’s Lens with Kara Udziela also taught me some of the industry basics, like how to write press releases, which I got to incorporate during my time as a public relations intern.

The office is very open with very few walls, full of glass doors and windows, contributing to a collaborative, transparent, and friendly environment!

My two objectives at the beginning of the internship were: monitor media coverage on Cision and Critical Mention to effectively communicate campaign success to our various clients and assist in PR and marketing campaign brainstorming and development for our brands to increase public awareness. Media monitoring was part of my everyday tasks, and I had the opportunity to construct media coverage highlight documents that gave our clients an overview of the dozens of media placements and millions of impressions we worked to get. In regards to my second goal, I helped a lot in the research phase of campaigns for both prospective and new clients. While I didn’t help during the brainstorming phase, I provided a lot of information and research that inspired campaign brainstorming and development.

Overall, interning at Rocket Science has been amazing and given me hands-on experience in a fast-paced industry. I have gained many soft and hard skills—like media analytics and impressions, media outreach, and attention to detail. This position has helped me realize that public relations is way more than social media. It has also has inspired me to look to a different side of the industry—more towards advertising and creative marketing, where I can implement creativity and visual storytelling or design.

For students who take an internship during their time at Chapman, remember to always ask for help when you need it—whether it be asking Chapman faculty for industry connections or asking your supervisor for clarification on an assignment, being vocal and not being afraid to ask for help goes a long way. Additionally, take advantage of opportunities when they are given to you! As I have learned, you never know what you will gain from the experience, who you will meet, or how it can influence your career!