Joshua Frankel recounts the benefits of gaining real-world public relations experience after recently completing his internship at our Charleston office. Joshua will complete his undergraduate degree in Business from University of South Carolina next spring of 2021.
During the fall of 2019 my biggest ambition as a rising senior was earning an internship before I graduate and begin my journey into the “real world”. Walking into my initial interview with Lou Hammond Group (LHG) I was filled with a flood of emotions. However, my nervousness, stress, and even a bit of intimidation all quickly dissolved within the first ten minutes of walking through the door. Aside from the incredibly talented team, the determination and leadership that is exemplified by everyone to be the best possible public relations specialist is astonishing.
Stepping out of the classroom and into the office at LHG gave me the opportunity and the experience to see how much the media landscape and traditional public relations industry has changed since Edward Bernays was originally hired by American Tobacco Company. Today, a vast variety of industries employ PR specialists, challenging them to tailor their pitches to break through the noise, as opposed to sending out hundreds of the same press releases in the hopes of getting a hit. In addition to this, while I was at LHG I learned the importance of building segmented media lists and creating customized pitches for writers and editors, all while staying current on outlets and events.
In the month that I spent interning with LHG, I couldn’t have been more surprised at how comfortable I felt asking questions, making calls, and adding input to projects. My favorite part about working for LHG was the genuine human connections I got to build not just with my teams but with the clients that we also work with outside of our office. For all college students and any rising juniors or seniors who may have the same ambitions as I did, LHG is not just an internship or a place where you come to get experience in the office. It is a haven of informative lessons and experiences on how to not just better yourself, but the entire public relations industry.