A Day in the Life…of a different DC Intern

This Intern Corner post was written by New Media Strategies Entertainment Practice Summer Intern Aileen Comey. Follow her on Twitter here.

Interns. We. Are. Everywhere. We’re slowly taking over DC. Actually, if we work hard enough and do our jobs right, we eventually will…just without that dreaded “Intern” title. Apparently we’re pretty easy to spot too. Just look for a nervous looking college-aged kid, juggling five coffees, in a suit or a dress that looks like it’s been in the back of a closet since last summer. But do me a favor, when you find that kid give them a pat on the back for me, because I never want to be in their shoes.

Don’t get me wrong, I am an Intern through and through, but I like to think I’m living a different sort of Intern life.

For starters, every morning I wake up on the floor. Let’s clarify that – a couple inches above the floor on my fabulously enormous Aero bed. It’s a marvelous sleep until I am rocketed upwards as my sister steps on the end of the bed trying to squeeze by. It’s not like I can complain. It is thanks to her that my broke college student status hasn’t increased tenfold by renting out an apartment. Instead I’m sleeping on her floor, sharing her refrigerator shelf, and sneaking through her closet for my two and a half month stay.

So what is a day in the life of an New Media Strategies intern? It begins, as all days do, with surviving the morning stampede that is also known as the Metro. I arrive at NMS with a muffin in hand and a fresh determination to improve even more today. After all, Interns do have to make a good (and more importantly memorable) impression no matter where you are working.

Yet, instead of running right back out the door with a list of different coffee orders, it is my job to be the “eyes, ears and voice” for our clients. While sipping my coffee, I’m researching all about Taylor Lautner’s progress in shaping up for Summit’s upcoming blockbuster New Moon. A few sips later and I’m monitoring how people abroad are using social media to share their reactions to the new G.I. Joe clips that have surfaced on the internet.

Like I said, I’m living a different sort of Intern life. Interning in the entertainment field within the online world is an experience. It’s my job to help bridge the gap between brands and consumers, yet by doing so the pop-culture junkie in me can’t tell if I’m working or simply following my usual online routine.

Whether it’s editing facts for companies among sites, such as Fandango and IMDb or researching just what people are saying about upcoming films or television episodes, my engagement within the online community puts me face to face with consumers. As face to face as you can get through the internet, anyway.

Although I may still have one more year left of college, after that long-awaited graduation day, thanks to New Media Strategies I am fully prepared to step into today’s social media explosion. After all, my interaction within all of those different online communities and networks has opened my eyes to just how people today are communicating. So while we may be running all over DC this summer, this particular Intern has learned something apart from the Starbuck’s coffee menu.