Timing's Everything

The week leading up to a holiday weekend usually drags along, but can you believe it's already Friday? It's quiet here today, which makes it easy for me to focus on some of the projects I've got to finish up before a 3-day weekend full of fireworks and patriotism.

My lesson for this week was all about timing. Whether it's catching a bus or finding a job, timing's everything. This lesson became clear to me when the other interns and myself sat down to lunch with Liggett's Managing Partner & President, David Moore. David has been with LS for almost 10 years, which is almost unheard of in this industry. At first I was a little nervous to meet with David, worried that we would be wasting his time. But I was quickly relaxed when I realized how willing he was to sit with us and just talk about his experiences. He took a break from his chaotic schedule to provide us with some valuable advice.

When I asked him if this was where he expected to be upon starting his career, David chuckled and said that it wasn't. He explained that he pretty much fell into his position here at LS. The timing was perfect in all aspects of his life; his family needed a transition and his previous employer was going through changes. He took a risk in packing up and moving to Cleveland on September 10, 2001 and that risk paid off.

He also spoke about the important relationships he had formed throughout his career and the importance of maintaining those connections. David rattled off the names of people he had been in touch with and where they were working today...a couple of them in roles at some of the biggest agencies in the industry.

Both of the subjects that David touched on during our lunch really impacted me...I know that they will play huge roles when it comes to finding MY first job. I know that my hard work will pay off, but I can only hope that I'll have time on my side when I start looking for work.

'Til next time,

Alyssa P.
-Brand Management Intern

Not a Half-Day, But Half of a Day

My dad, like a lot of dads, always told me that if you do what you love you would never have to work a day in your life. I was lucky enough to realize my passion at a young age so I can’t remember a time in my life where I haven’t claimed I would become an artist when I grow up. Now, at the ripe old age of 21 my passion has never wavered, and my career path has never gone astray. As I’m experiencing life at a "marketing" design firm it only solidifies what I already knew. This is what I want to do with my life, and this is where I’m supposed to be.

With love, there always comes a little bit of headache as I got to experience a deadline to its fullest this week. Some client work was needed by the end of the day, and due to a string of hiccups, the day ran long. Sometimes it seems like if it can go wrong it will. If you clock from the time I left for work in the morning to the time I got home from work at night it totals to about 13 hours, but deadlines are the way of the beast. When work needs to be done you just buckle down and get it done, and even still if I follow the logic of my father’s classic idiom, it is safe to say that I haven’t worked a day this summer.

Like always, catch you guys next week.

Don D.

Creative Intern

Hungry No More!

We just want to thank Little Debbie for our delicious breakfast treats. We're so happy to have our bellies full of goodies. Check out our winning photo from internhero.com below.

-Liggett Stashower Interns

The clock's ticking

Everyone deals with deadlines. I think the first time I encountered a deadline was at the age of three. I issued a self-imposed one, in order to force myself to quit sucking my thumb. And then, of course, projects and book reports were due in middle and high school. But, in my experience, those deadlines really only impacted me. It wasn’t until college that my deadlines mattered to more people than just me. Whether it was in my Advertising Campaigns course or in Student Media, meeting my deadlines was important to everyone involved. And this is especially true at Liggett.

Last Friday, I was somewhat frantically trying to write a radio script for a client who wanted to see something the following Monday. I hadn't written a radio script in about a year. I was nervous. I had an end-of-the-day deadline to produce something that could actually be shown to the client. But, with some help and guidance, I ended up with a script that was one of three sent to the client for review.

Obviously, deadlines matter more when clients are thrown in the mix. But my deadlines at Liggett matter to so many other parties. The agency as a whole, the Creative Department, the account team and even the journalism school at Kent State need me to meet my deadlines. And if I can’t write on deadline, I’m probably not going to be able to land a job.

Even though some people claim to create their best work under pressure, I don’t think I’m one of them. I can produce really good work, but with more time and thought the work should, theoretically, improve. But, of course, this deadline-free world isn't possible. Profitability would go out the window. So, I’ll stick to the deadlines given to me and, in true Liggett spirit, learn how to be better and do great work in the time I’m given.

Isabelle J.

Creative Intern

This post sounds a lot like a motivational speech, but I guess it sort of is

This week, I’ve been assessing my time at LS so far, and establishing some goals for the rest of the internship (and, I guess, for life in general).

Be proactive and make sure I maximize this experience. I don’t want to get to the end of the summer and realize that I missed out on learning new skills because I didn’t challenge myself. I want to jump at every opportunity to learn something new, because that’s what this internship is all about.

Focus on my strengths. There is no need to compare myself to others. I want to do my best at whatever I do, but I don’t need to be an expert at everything. There is no need to try to emulate someone else’s skills better than them, when I have my own skill set to contribute to the agency.

Remember to keep asking questions. Just because I know where the bathroom is, what the good restaurants are, and what the job number is for my current project doesn’t mean I know everything and can stop asking questions. I want to learn more about people’s experiences in the advertising and design world, their specialties, and how they plan to accomplish their career goals.

Keep meeting new people. When I first enter unfamiliar territory–a new class, a new neighborhood, or a new city–I am more outgoing than is natural for me. I have conversations with random people on the bus, at church, in the park, pretty much anywhere there are people, I try to meet them. I encounter a lot of interesting people that way. When I start getting comfortable, this behavior slows, and I feel awkward talking to anyone I don’t already know. I want to keep meeting people, because you never know what you could learn from the person in front of you in line, or next to you on the train. Just last week I was at the park with my camera and saw two musicians playing guitar. I asked if I could take some pictures of them, we started talking, and they asked if I would photograph their concert later that week. I was excited to have a chance to support a local band. I want to always keep a genuine interest in people. "Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing."

Alyse E.

Creative Intern