Friday, July 29, 2005

My Favorite Part...

One of my favorite parts about my internship with Liggett Stashower is that I don’t necessarily have a "typical day." Every day is different and brings with it a new set of projects, people and challenges. I find myself writing press releases, building press kits, making media calls, interviewing and trying to learn as much as I possibly can.
Another part I love is having seven other interns to work with. Being part of this program and working on projects with them allows us to combine our talents and work as a team. I know we learn a lot from each other and we’ll stay in contact after the summer.
I know how lucky I am to be at an agency where I feel comfortable going up to anyone and asking for help. I feel comfortable asking work-related questions, but I know that I could ask personal career questions and get genuine advice. This internship is allowing me to not only build my portfolio, but also build lasting relationships with my fellow interns and employees of L-S. I really couldn’t ask for much more.


Lisa S.

A blog about an internship?

A blog about an internship? It makes perfect sense! At the very least, I can provide personal insight that cannot be found on the company website. With professors constantly reminding us about the importance of gaining "real world" experience while still in school, internships have almost become a requirement for students around the country. When I began my internship search, I knew right away that if I was going to give up my previous summer job as a lifeguard it would have to be with an agency that could give me a great experience. I first heard about Liggett-Stashower Inc. at a career fair in Cleveland; the representatives stressed the importance of giving interns hands-on work with real clients and minimal copying and faxing—I came to find out they were not lying.
A typical day at Liggett as a public relations intern can be described in one simple word: busy. Since starting in May, I have done work for nearly every client that the PR department works with and have increased the size of my portfolio ten-fold. One of the most rewarding, but challenging parts of the program is the writing. I have gotten experience writing news releases, pitch letters, fact sheets, assembling media kits and mailings, pitching stories directly to the media, blogging and yes, some copying and faxing.
Beyond actual work, the best part of the day is interacting with the employees and other interns. It seems impossible, I know, but everyone is willing to help with anything I don’t understand and encourages me to get involved within other departments in the agency. Field trips, lunches and meetings about meetings have given me the chance to really get to know the people who work at Liggett, and as I learn the importance of networking I realize how valuable these relationships will become.
While the program wraps up I look forward to sharing more about the experience as a whole and I hope that you continue to follow along on our new intern blog!

Kelly M.

Listen up prospective interns!

Listen up prospective interns! The Liggett-Stashower summer intern program is like no other program that I’ve ever heard of. Before I started this internship, I perfected my coffee-making and photocopying skills to a tee. Fortunately, I haven’t had to use them at all. In fact, my fellow interns and I are actually doing real work that matters.
I’m writing advertisements for real clients, helping record radio and television spots and networking with some of the ‘big cheeses’ of the advertising business here in Cleveland! Also, I’m writing to you from within the confines of my very own office. Yes folks, they give you your own office, phone and computer; and by the end of the first week, you’re not just an intern anymore, you’re part of the Liggett-Stashower team. Good Luck. Cheers!

Brandonkida

Typical day at the internship

Wow, how can I describe what a typical day as a creative intern here at Liggett Stashower consists of? For starters, I would not describe any of my days as “typical”, each day involves something completely different. As a creative intern for the agency, my responsibilities encompass helping out the creative department with any client projects, creating designs for specific intern projects and concepting new ideas for future assignments. Some of the work that the other creative intern and I have done thus far include, creating an intern class t-shirt, designing a CD (cover, inside booklet, back and CD label), creating an invitation for the executive lunch program, helping to produce the summer edition of the internal newsletter Verge, designing an employee yearbook, producing the internship poster for next year, cutting, mounting and pasting presentation materials, and other help on various projects for clients. What I love most about this internship is that not one day has been the same. There are always new projects and assignments and all the employees here are very approachable and super friendly. The atmosphere is a great mix of fun and professional. When the other interns and I are trying to concept an idea for a project, you can often find us in the Zen room brainstorming. We have weekly meetings as an intern class to catch up on what everyone has been doing and to hear about what projects everyone has been working on. We also have several day trips planned. We toured a local TV station and were introduced to their facilities and daily operations, we are going to the printer this week to get a first hand look at the production of various print materials, in addition we visited Playhouse Square and toured the soon to be open Idea Center. Another perk of the program is the executive lunches. We have a lunch meeting with a top executive at Liggett Stashower each week in which we are able to ask questions to find out how they have gotten to where they are today. In the past five weeks, I have had the opportunity to get to know the other seven interns on a more personal level. We have become good friends and chat each day at lunch about what we are working on. So far, my summer has flown by and I have learned quite a bit about the advertising business. I have been able to work on many different projects and I am excited for the upcoming assignments. I would recommend this internship to anyone who is interested in the advertising business or who is creative and enjoys design. The experience is irreplaceable!

Lynn J.

Day in the life of a Creative Intern

Day in the life of a Creative Intern:

A typical work day starts around 8:30am, but I prefer to get to the office around 8:00am to take care of any organizing, replying to e-mails and other general office business that is easier to accomplish before the day starts. For a good portion of the morning, I have been working mostly with LS projects. We have been dealing with the creation of the internship T-shirt, the 2006 Summer Internship poster and other fun intern projects. We normally choose to set our meetings for the mornings because they seem to be more productive.
After a lunch downtown or playing pool in the employee lounge, I go back to the most important task I was handling before my break. This is a good time to have creative brainstorming sessions with the other creative interns. Our minds are cleared from the morning and we can go into an office and concept ideas. We have actually been able to concept ideas for product names, radio and television commercials and print ads.
Overall, I have a pretty busy day that seems to go by very fast with all the projects going on. Someone in the department always needs some help with their projects so I am always willing to put whatever it is I am doing on hold for a little while to help them out. I always have something to do and it’s a good feeling to know that you are getting a job done but it doesn’t seem like “work.”

Lisa L.

What’s an average day at Liggett-Stashower for you?

What’s an average day at Liggett-Stashower for you?

I never thought I’d say this about my first “9-5” job experience, but there is not an average day at Liggett-Stashower. I know that’s so cliché, but seriously. On day one I remember thinking that there would be plenty of downtime, and how I could take on so many more projects than I knew were already headed my way. Man was I wrong. In just five weeks, I have worked on projects for over 5 clients (including the preparation for a 2006 campaign presentation and helping to update our own internship site). In other words, it’s Friday afternoon at 4:45 and I can’t help but ask myself, “Where did the time go?”

Each day will differ depending on the size of the project(s) you work on. Today for example, I had to wrap-up a research project for an upcoming website, in addition to completing a different client’s database project. These projects took pretty big chunks of time. Other projects might only take thirty minutes and you’ll feel like you’re running around the agency in circles looking for more work to tackle. Either way, I know this is extremely beneficial experience and I truly enjoy the time I spend at Liggett. I just wish we had more than eight weeks!

Before I go, I must mention one event that does occur on a daily basis. My neighbor/partner-in-crime, Stephe, can’t just yell over her cubicle to talk to me—she insists on calling me on speakerphone. This way I can hear myself talking into the phone, but I can also hear my voice in her speaker, AND I can hear her talking into the speaker to talk to me on the phone! It’s ridiculous, but always provides nice entertainment. If our speakerphone shenanigans don’t prove that we’re learning how to act professionally, I just don’t know what will!

Jen M.

Q: What is an average day at Liggett-Stashower for you?

Q: What is an average day at Liggett-Stashower for you?

A: An average day at Liggett-Stashower is surprisingly difficult to describe. Every day seems to be different from the next and tends to be continuously exciting. Each morning, I wake up looking forward to what the day might bring. Within my time here I have unexpectedly gained more knowledge and experience than I ever imagined.

A typical day consists of various tasks and accomplishments. Typically, I work along side my peers, on day-to-day intern projects. We have already created a poster, CD, rock band t-shirt, updated the Liggett-Stashower website…etc. Each week we take an executive to lunch and have had numerous field trips to various venues. Currently, we are in the process of creating an agency yearbook. Beyond our L-S internship requirements, I have had the opportunity to get involved in real-world client work. I have been responsible for creating excel charts for presentations, proofing final ads and writing creative supplements

On top of all the work, we have fun. Honestly, where can you get that experience? Every day is a different day, giving me something to look forward to. (giving YOU something to strive for and look forward to in your own experiences)

Stephe H.

The real deal

Internship? Liggett-Stashower provides more than just an internship they provide real world experience. College students think of the old tiring internships where you make copies all day and file unimportant papers. That is never the case here - try working on client work that is recognized nationally and locally. How many students get to say that they have worked and “rubbed elbows” with some of our industries best, not many I can tell you that much. Here is the kicker we even get paid to do this what better way to start a summer than to get paid for what you love doing! If you are looking for a way to spend your summer then Liggett-Stashower is the place to be.

- DigDug