Internship: Week 4

It's hard to believe that this week is already over.  So much happens in the span of one week that time is flying by around me.  I still feel as though I have just arrived, and yet I have been here over a month.  It's hard to keep up with myself.

Monday was a really good day.  I started off my week by meeting Patrick and Suni from my internship at conference on the outskirts of London's Zone 2 called Hotelympia.  In a nut shell it was a big convention selling everything from food, to design, to furniture, and professional clothing targeting places like hotels.  Since I work for a brand agency we thought we would check it out to see the design and food section to get inspiration.  There was lots to sample and see.  I got some free banana ice cream, a piece of cake, some tea, a cappuccino and then I bought a slushy for 1 pound.  We were gone for half the day before we headed back to the office.  I didn't have my laptop, so once we were back at the office I was set up on the Company mac and reviewed a bunch of rough draft designs for a company and went over the briefs.  Later that day I listened in on a call with the creative director over the designs.  They were choosing which ones to pitch for the company.  It was really interesting to see the though process behind everything.  After the conference call my work day was over.  It was already 6pm.  Those guys put in some long hours when they need to get things finished.

Tuesday started with a very interesting task.  I was to go to a supermarket and take photos of foods with natural cues and try to find some themes amongst them.  I went to the Tesco's off of Kennsington High Street.  I wandered around the store for about an hour and got 8 photos before a security guard came over and told me that photos aren't allowed of foods and prices.  I told him that I was just taking pictures of foods that we don't have back in America.  He wanted to buy into that, but instead took me to the customer service desk to deal with the head lady.  Luckily there was some miscommunication and they let me keep my photos, but I was to leave for the day and not take pictures ever again.  I would have done wonderfully in this situation with my Droid Eris 5mp camera phone.  No one would have been the wiser.  I got into the office around 11ish and put my photos into a presentation, and surfed the internet for other products that featured natural or organic cues.  At the end of the day I was given my next assignment.  I'm going to write another press release.  I'll even interview someone on Monday to make the release truly complete.

Wednesday was actually a step up from most Wednesdays so far.  Our advertising class went on a field trip to our Professors other job, the European Bank.  We all checked in with security and received a photo ID with a picture they just took.  Every single person in the class looked as if they were going to rob the place in the photos they took.  It was the elevated angle that did it.  Our professor took us to a  conference room while he described the bank and why it's important for them to advertise, and later we went up to the board room and he took pictures of us as we sat in the cushy chairs and played with the microphones.  We were all little kids playing the big professional.  It was a good change of pace.

Art class was at the National Portrait Gallery.  We saw a lot of amazing paintings.  There some really famous ones from the Tudor period and some more from the Elizabethan periods.  I will have to go back because our teacher said that my some of my favorite authors have places there including Austen, Dickens, Bronte, Rowling and more.  I volunteered to do a presentation next week because I would have the weekend off but I still haven't received my assignment and it's Sunday, so that thinking didn't work too well.  I'll fill you in with all the knowledge I acquire about my piece of art.

Thursday started off with BES as usual, except this week we had presentations.  My group talked about our encounter with four British guys.  We were supposed to interview young individuals under the category of Cool UK.  These guys really were cool.  Highlights of our presentation include : 1) the guys thought the EU was like a middle school click that Britain doesn't really need to be a part of 2) They are British over English, and Londoner's over that 3) They were interested in whether or not American girls like British accents and if we really use those "red cups" 4) They were film guys so they compared what they new of the US from movies to the UK and their movies 5) Future plans include starting their own production company outside of London 6) They didn't really like London, and would prefer to live elsewhere.

After BES was Contemporary British Culture (CBC) where we talked about Britishness.  I, however, had to leave early to go to a social media workshop.  This was really interesting.  I learned a decent amount.  I already know a lot about the interfaces of social media, but learning how to apply it to business setting was new, and good knowledge to have.  Gemma Went held the workshop.  You can find her at www.twitter.com/gemmawent.  She's a PR and Digital Marketing guru of sorts.  She inspired me to start a LinkedIn account.  She says she only hires people who she can see on LinkedIn and other social media.  That was news to me, but I guess the business world is constantly shifting, and I don't want to get left behind.  I report my discoveries on Monday.

Sorry there were no pictures in this one.  Monday-Thursday don't usually provide very many photo opps.  There will be lots of photos in my next post over Cardiff, Wales.  That's where I went on Friday.  More updates soon!

Pip Pip Cheerio!