Internship wrapup

August 12, 2007
Dan Sheppard, Grey New York, New York City, NY.

Didn't get to do much blogging while I was there. I was sick for like a month of the time I was there. Trying to balance getting better and working.

Let me take some time to answer the four questions that everyone is answering:

What valuable things have you learned?

• Manhattan is too stressful to live in. I'd live in Queens or Long Island and commute to Manhattan for work and partying.
• Food costs WAY too much there.
• People in NY are a lot nicer than TV gives the image of. There are still the crazy weird people.
• Subways are an excellent and low cost way to get around but they stink and are really hot in the summer.
• Advertising is a multifaceted industry with a LOT going on behind the scenes.

What was your greatest experience?

• Greatest: Working on DQ spots.
• Craziest: Running from what about 1000+ people thought was a collapsing building
• Most Stressful: Putting together a 15 minute intern video in the last week while trying to balance actual work.
• Funniest: Working on the early stages of a Captain Morgan website

Personally, how did this internship help you in thinking about your career?

• I think this is what I want to do with my life. The environment if full of quirky people with a lot of energy. I don't think any one day would be the same and would find

What advice do you have for CoJMC students who haven't interned? What learning skills should they have when they do internships?

• "If you don't have an umbrella bring a towel because you're gonna get wet." Be resourceful. This industry is VERY fast paced and when something needs to get done you may not have everything you need at your feet. When we got there, everyone was given a laptop except for me
• "Become part of the furniture." Get to know people. Or more importantly let them get to know YOU. Don't stay in one place just because it is your assigned area. Go meet other people in the agency. Talk to them find out what they do. This is something that I did but still wish I did more of. The more people see you around the more you become part of their work life and will be more comfortable they'll be with you. Also, you will learn SO much more than you do in your area which is an integral part of success in any field.
• "Business cards are more than just bookmarks." Follow up on contacts. That is the way I got offered a job at Grey. I met a Creative Director at a conference in NYC in November and talked to him a bit. Later on I showed him my stuff and he brought me on board. I can't stress enough how important it is who you know. Sometimes even more so than what you know.
• "If they ask you to make a box build a house." OK, maybe I'm exaggerating, but the point is do your best to impress. You never know when you might get noticed for something.

	I'm Dan Sheppard, a junior advertising major. This summer I have a fantastic position as a creative intern at Grey New York ad agency in New York City. This is the first job I have ever had (and in NY no less), so it is going to be a very new experience for me. Email Me , View All Dan's Entries