12 Weeks – What It’s Really Like to Intern for a Digital Agency

March 21, 2014 By Digital Operative,

DO is excited to welcome our Spring class of digital interns. Over the course of the next 12 weeks we will focus on bringing you a fresh perspective from our Strategy, Marketing and Design interns on what it’s really like to intern at a digital agency. To start we will focus on DO’s newest Social Media intern James Coyle…… Since earning my degree last spring, I have focused a little more on life than I have my career, until recently at least. In fact, last summer I fulfilled a dream of mine and drove cross-country. I even created a social media campaign of sorts where I created my own hashtag, #iDriveUSA, as well as a bunch of personalized social media accounts that chronicled this 40-day adventure nicely. You can see it all HERE. But career and travel aside, I like a lot of things. I’ll start with my love for baseball, particularly of the New York Yankees (my Dad’s team), and of course the Padres too. Petco Park will again be a second home to me this year, as will Windansea, La Jolla when I the have time. Coffee is something I drink for pleasure, and not just caffeine. I’ve recently taken up an interest in what is known as “Third-wave coffee.” Basically, third-wave coffee consists of the independent roasters and hipster coffee houses that thrive on the anti-Starbucks coffee enthusiast like myself. I also like to cook. If I could, I’d leave everything behind and run my food truck. Maybe specialty grilled cheese sandwiches, Cali-Mex breakfast burritos, or New York style bagels and coffee, who knows! 1. Where did you go to School? What was your Major? When did you graduate? I went to school at San José State University in the South San Francisco Bay Area. I chose SJSU because unlike any other west coast other school, my degree would actually read “Advertising,” and not journalism, communications, or marketing. I also graduated with that BS in Advertising last May. 2. How did you hear about Digital Operative? I originally saw an internship posting through San Diego Ad Club’s website. I then found more on DO through Google. 3. What do you hope to learn from your internship? Being that it is my first internship in digital marketing, specifically social media, I’m coming in with a very open mind hoping to learn anything and everything I can. But to narrow it down a bit more, I’d really like to learn firsthand how to possess a strong brand voice. I’d also like to learn a lot more about content creation and marketing, SEO and PPC and current social monitoring tools. 4. 1 week down - 11 to go......How do you feel after your first week of interning? I’m really excited for these next 11 weeks actually. Unlike most other jobs, being a social media intern allows, or should I say requires, me to stay in tune with what’s going on online. To me, that’s exciting and makes me look forward to coming in the next day. I also have enjoyed working under Nikki, learning a ton about social media and getting a better grasp of the awesome “agency culture” here at DO. 5. What do you hope to do after completing your internship? I'm hoping to find work at an agency that specializes in social. I’d love to eventually help a team that is creating modern, trendsetting social campaigns that are paving the way for an up and coming digital and social age. 6. Tell us something interesting about yourself? I played baseball competitively for 16 years, and now play for fun on the weekends with an adult league team called the Dogs. James is eager to learn and isn't afraid to speak up during brainstorming sessions - Keep all the great ideas coming James, we love it