I GOT AN INTERNSHIP IN BEVERLY HILLS!

by joesloanie

As if simply living in the Santa Monica Mountains all summer wasn’t good enough, starting last week I’ve been interning at Jane Owen Public Relations, “a boutique PR and Event Planning firm located in Los Angeles, California, with Satellite offices in New York and London.” Soooooo stoked! The story behind how I got it is a pretty good one too.

My new commute

THE STORY

So, I arrived in paradise and got settled (read: cleaned house and relaxed for a week or so).

I like to think I’m a kind and positive person, and I guess it shows because within a few days I’d met like six of my neighbors, more than my aunt knows and she’s lived in L.A. her entire life. The woman who lives directly behind me, Vinda, is exceptionally friendly and chill. Within a few short conversations I knew she was going to be a wonderful neighbor and she knew I was attempting to get into public relations. “You know, one of my friends owns a PR firm in Beverly Hills,” she said. “I’ll see if you can get in touch with her.”

A few texts later I had Jane Owen’s email address.

I composed a well thought out message explaining who I was, my aspirations while in California, and my interest in meeting with her. I clicked send and the next day began communicating with the Jane Owen Public Relations Office Manager. I sent her some samples of my work and within a few emails we hammered out a time and date for me to come to the JOPR offices. With a meeting set, I pounded the air with my fist then drove to the beach.

The beach

The other beach

Fast forward a week or so and I found myself driving to Beverly Hills wearing a new suit and a big smile. Arriving at the JOPR offices I walked inside, unsure of how things would progress.

I’ve only been there a week but I can already tell that while many of the fundamentals of public relations remain the same, it’s very different from my previous internship. High paced is an understatement. The clients are much different than, say, a Community College or a non-profit street newspaper.

However, I think that I’m doing well. While I’m definitely still getting into the swing of it in terms of how things are done here and what’s expected of me, the reception has been very warm. The office seems very well integrated in terms of communication and teamwork. Synergy is a fun thing to watch occur.

Well, that’s where I’m at. I’ve been doing my best and I hope that my work is of the caliber necessary to succeed out here. I’m very excited to be doing real public relations work in a place where the opportunity for upward movement in my career is so very present. Now I just need to find a menial weekend job so I can afford to keep trying.

I’ll keep you posted,

Joe