The Training Wheels Are On, But I’m Still Cruising

As I sat in my cube a few days back, attempting to generate poster ideas with fellow intern Abie M. to promote Ham Day 2009 - I was handed a copy of a book intended to prepare my mind for “greater creative thinking”. But before I talk about the book, I’ll explain, to the best of my ability, just what Ham Day entails. Ham Day is a biannual event here at Liggett Stashower where our Director of Brand Voice, Mark S., brings in a rather large ham for the whole agency to enjoy. As simple as it sounds, everyone here really seems to love it. As an added bonus, on this particular Ham Day the entire agency has the privilege of listening to my fellow interns and I as we take center stage to present our book reports. And although I’ve been told our reports need only be presented via the wonderfully simple, always visually pleasing Microsoft PowerPoint, I can’t help but feel like presenting something to ad professionals via PowerPoint is the equivalent of showing up to an art contest with a page torn from a coloring book. It’s a bit, shall we say, underwhelming. Luckily, if my presentation doesn’t end up meeting certain aesthetic expectations, I have what I consider a tremendous excuse: I’m a copywriting intern.

Anyway, back to the book written to make me into the next great creative. It’s called The Do-It-Yourself Lobotomy, and although I haven’t begun to read the book, the fact that a member of the creative department presented me with it is an example of what I like about interning at Liggett. It’s what I call the “trial and educate” approach that this agency takes with its interns. As an intern, I am given the opportunity to contribute to real client work, while at the same time receive guidance from the experience and resources of the experts that surround me. The way I see it, it’s the perfect way to let us interns learn by doing (as featured in my last entry), while at the same time allow us to learn from the pros.

Patrick B.

Creative Intern