This is the next in a series of posts by recipients of the 2018 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they’ve been spending their summer. You can read the entire series here.
This entry is by a COL ’21 student.
This summer I had the outstanding opportunity to work closely with the marketing department of ABC Cable Networks Group, a top-earning Fortune 500 corporation. This experience greatly expanded my understanding of the day-to-day operations involved in running, promoting, and managing a name brand. ABC is the umbrella brand over a plethora of other sub-brands including Walt Disney Company, Marvel, Pixar, and more. All things considered, ABC and its affiliates own a significant portion of the broadcasting networks and recording outlets in Hollywood, making it a prime spot to observe business dealings in entertainment. Career Services was instrumental in the process of connecting me to this job, as Handshake listed many available positions, and the grant supported my ability to work in a Burbank, a suburb of Los Angeles and an area that has one of the top three most expensive real estate markets in America.
One of the largest benefits to my internship structure was the ability to work with cross-promotional teams. The marketing department partnered closely with strategists and technology and research specialists in order to identify consumer attitudes toward the brand. It was really interesting and helpful to see the role that each team played, and this understanding challenged me to consider crossing over into other areas. One of the major focal points of ensuring proper promotion of a television brand involves monitoring Nielsen ratings in response to different advertising approaches taken by the corporation. The number one goal, I’ve learned, of working in the field of brand management–along with maintaining ethical business practices–is always to ensure that any and all promotional spending translates into tangible and trackable profit increases.
In such a creative field, it can be intimidating to share new ideas, but the meetings I attended were very encouraging. No matter who was speaking, every piece of input was respected and considered by upper-level management, which created a dynamic of openness and acceptance. This internship was extremely valuable in narrowing down my plans for the future. Having the hands-on experience in the field I always dreamed about gave me the tools I needed to make a decision about the path I want to take with my career. I learned that every aspect of a job is important to consider before committing. Not only did the work environment lend toward a positive and enhancing mental framework–which in turn increased employee productivity and output–but the benefits offered by the company and the ability to transition into promoted positions make the prospect of working for this company full-time a real possibility in my mind. It was incredible to speak to the other employees and hear about the chain of events that led them to their positions at ABC. I was very blessed to have brushed elbows with such power-players in the advertising industry, and even received a return offer for next summer that I am now strongly considering. Overall, this program was an enlightening way to spend my time while training to enter the market. I’m very fortunate and grateful to have the support of Career Services.