My Time As A Summer Star
After four months of working at Full Fat, my internship has come to an end, and honestly, it was more fun than I imagined! I’ve had the opportunity to work across some really exciting accounts; from vodka brand Żubrówka to some of my favourite live music events and venues like Field Day and Printworks.
I landed a dreamy job at Full Fat as part of the Summer Stars internship programme with Taylor Bennett; an initiative offering paid internships to young people from BAME backgrounds in agencies and in-house communications teams.
The programme kicked off with a 3 day intensive PR & Communications boot camp that provided me with the opportunity to build my knowledge of the industry, before heading to Full Fat.
Why I chose an internship with Full Fat:
Full Fat has worked with Boxpark, Peckham Levels, Junkyard Golf Club and Boiler Room Festival, to name a few. These brands jumped out to me while I was looking through the website. I was excited to intern with an agency that has collaborated with brands I’m so passionate about. They’ve become cultural destinations in London and have changed how we socialise.
When I started…
Having just graduated from university with no prior PR experience, it could have felt daunting, but the team at Full Fat were incredible and supported me with their knowledge and creative ideas. I was in awe at how much they knew and quickly saw how well the team worked together, as well as their attention to detail.
On the first day of my internship, I received onboarding sessions from different members of the team. Each session focused on various aspects of PR such as product send-outs, gift guides, creating a target media list, or using data analytics and brand consulting software like Kantar and Agility. These sessions were extremely helpful to hit the ground running straight away. From then on I started to pick up the basics at speed.
So how did I spend the past four months?
Research:
- I acted as an extra pair of hands, creating lists of live media coverage and noted journalists who’d written about certain topics that related to our clients
Product send-outs:
- This involved being trusted to pack gifts from boozy treats to skincare items for press and influencers, and organising send-outs
Coverage saving:
- I made sure I stayed on top of saving all coverage that came through for accounts I was working on. I learnt it was most efficient to do this first thing in the morning - the early bird catches the coverage!
Target media lists:
- Later into my internship, I started creating Target Media Lists. I quickly understood that these are crucial for achieving coverage. The lists need to be super targeted to ensure we are pitching to relevant journalists and not wasting any time - including our own! A highlight for me was achieving a piece of coverage on Metro online, a major title.
Helping to edit press releases:
- These are informative announcements sent out to relevant media to inform them of a new launch, campaign or event. I helped with proofreading and checking before they were sent out.
Brainstorming:
- I really valued sharing ideas with my colleagues. Helping to develop campaigns was extremely rewarding and I also loved everyone else's creative ideas. It was interesting to hear how ideas bounced off one another.
Assisting at event launches:
- Whether checking the guestlist or handing out tokens to guests, press events were so fun! Especially afterwards when we could relax and enjoy some food and drink :)
And the highlight…
The best part of my time with Full Fat had to be the annual summit. We spent a night in Brighton and did water sports, went to a truly glamorous and jaw-dropping drag and cabaret show and it was fantastic to spend time outside of the office/virtual meetings with the team! This trip was such a nice way to bond with and get to know everyone even more.
Key takeaways:
- Organisation is fundamental to a role in PR. With many accounts to work across at once, it’s important to make sure you’re up to date with information, keeping track of coverage, and making sure you’re regularly checking and updating your to-do list. To stay organised I put all of my tasks onto Monday.com, which I found super easy to use.
- Full Fat is a workplace committed to its team’s wellbeing. There were regular wellness sessions, ranging from sleep hygiene to a spiritual breath-work session run by a certified holistic therapist! These sessions allowed us to take a break from the hubbub of everyday life and work. Being part of a team that prioritises discussions around mental health and wellness was a huge privilege.
- If like me, you have no PR experience but still want to get involved in this sector, fear not! I found it very easy to get the hang of things, especially when I had a supportive team to guide me through it all.
Lastly, I remain so impressed by everyone’s work at Full Fat - their organisation, experience and friendliness are what makes them such a great team and I felt so lucky to have learned from them! With all the experience I gathered from interning, I hope to continue this PR journey and use my knowledge in a similar role in the arts and culture sector.
Whether you’d like to work with us, discuss your project or learn more about Full Fat Marketing, feel free to get in touch below.