My Intern experience

Internships can be a great introduction to the varied world of Public Relations, and often allow both the intern and the host organisation to see if they like each other. Whether the placement is in-house or agency, internships offer students an opportunity to work on interesting projects and meet new people. In this article, Deakin University student Chloe Partikas (pic, below) recounts her recent internship at the Sydney Opera House.

By Chloe Partikas

I recently interned at Sydney Opera House in the Public Relations department in a marketing communications role.

I worked under the direction of Claire Vince, the Senior Publicist. Claire is a former ballerina, who from the age of 16 danced with the Royal Ballet in London, then Portugal and Canada. The intense work ethic and discipline learnt through ballet has carried through to her PR career. Claire has now worked in the Arts in Australia for over a decade and is very inspirational. I found her effervescent personality and drive wonderfully infectious.

I assisted with the marketing and communications for Spring Dance, which is a dance festival that will occupy the Opera House for most of September and include performances by dancers from all over the world.

My main task was contributing to the creation of a viral campaign for the MyMutation competition – a choreographic competition open to any dance lovers. It is part of Spring Dance, and sponsored by Sony and YouTube. I learnt a great deal about the bureaucracy and approval processes involved in working with sponsors.

I never imagined I would spend so much time on facebook, twitter and blogs during my internship but alas – social media is where the eyeballs are and my skills were quite useful. I also, surprisingly, used my basic German language knowledge when looking through the top dance blogs in the world.

My internship included many firsts – my first media launch, my first dialogue of communication with a journalist about what I was working on and my first time accompanying an artist to a radio interview. Both small actions in regards to the big picture, but I admit to feeling excited!

I still get a smile on my face thinking about Hofesh Shechter (an Israeli born, UK based contemporary choreographer) wanting to play a Rage Against The Machine song on ABC Classic FM.

I feel so privileged to have been a part of the largest Arts organisation in Australia; learning from the PR and marketing team that includes some of the most sought after and enjoyable jobs in the country. The office atmosphere was energetic, and thrived on creativity, efficiency, communication and ideas.

This internship provided me with more proof that PR is for me – an industry where planning is a daily component because the team understands how important it is for the sustainability of the organisation, product or event.
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Editor’s note: Thanks for your story Chloe. Readers are welcome to submit their intern experiences. Please email copy and photos to glen@theprreport.com