The New Super Excited Intern

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Hi, my name is Kamilla Rahman and as you can gather from the title, I’m the new intern for Ketner Group. I’m currently a sophomore public relations major at The University of Texas at Austin  hailing from the great city of Dallas, Texas.  I’m an account executive for Texas Tower Public Relations, the only student run PR firm on campus, working exclusively with non-profits in the Austin area. Additionally I’m on the social media committee for ORANGE Magazine and UT’s PRSSA chapter, as well as a member of the Texas Belles.

During my freshman year I interned with eduCAUTION, inc., a short film that enlightens the issues with the student debt crisis in America, helping out with promotions and event planning for the premiere at SXSWedu in 2014. The film gained quite a lot of attention from the media and other film festivals, and it was really rewarding to see my team’s hard work pay off.

After freshman year I became a marketing intern for Rahman Financial. I worked alongside my dad and the marketing team to refurbish their marketing strategies by researching potential clients, analyzing turn key technologies and redesigning their brochures and business cards. Though working for my dad seemed mundane at first, it was a great opportunity to learn about marketing in the financial world and about my father’s profession.

During the first semester of my sophomore year I worked as a marketing intern for UT’s Frank Erwin Center. I got the chance to work many special events including concerts and UT basketball games to ensure sponsored advertising ran during the events. During my time at the Erwin Center, I assisted the publicist with the Erwin Center’s Applause blog, grass roots marketing plans and much more. Sitting courtside at basketball games and up close to the stage at concerts made working at the Erwin Center an unforgettable experience.

Once the second semester of my sophomore year started, I was determined to find an internship at an agency. After weeks of stressing myself out from emailing a plethora of companies in the Austin area and sifting through tons of internship databases, I stumbled upon Ketner Group PR + Marketing. I emailed them, and I actually received an email back in a timely manner. Honestly, I was shocked. I was ecstatic when I received a phone interview. I was basically floored when I got a second interview. And I can’t even begin to explain my excitement once I was actually offered the internship.

I knew I wanted to intern at the Ketner Group the moment I had my phone interview with Kathleen. She was so sweet on the phone and made the interview surprisingly fun, rather than dreadful. Once I had my second interview with Catherine, I had the chance to meet Jeff and Sara. Everyone was so nice, and I got a chance to learn what retail technology really is, and what Ketner Group does for their clients. There is a lot of technology powering today’s leading retailers, and Ketner Group sits right at the heart of it!

During my interview I could really tell that everyone enjoyed their work and the people around them. And that’s the number one thing I’m looking forward to while interning at Ketner Group. For me personally and thinking about my future career and job, I think liking your job, the people around you.

Why Our New Intern, Mia, Decided on a PR Career

I don’t know exactly when I decided that the public relations industry was a fit for me. I did watch a lot of Sex and the City my freshman year of college, so there may be a correlation there.

I wanted to live Samantha Jones’s glamorous (fake) life. Little did I know that Samantha Jones’s fabulously glamorous life was an unrealistic version of what the public relations industry really is.

I was disappointed to find out that not everyone in PR rubs elbows with the elite and lives in million dollar condos, but the more I learned about the industry I was able to forgive Samantha for deceiving me all those years. Maybe this industry was right for me even without all the glamour. Who needs $500 Manolo Blahnik shoes, anyway?

As my undergraduate public relations education almost comes to a close I’m excited and nervous for what this industry has in store for me. I will be graduating in December with a public relations degree and business foundations certificate and look forward to using my education and experience to become a great PR professional.

My course work thus far has been a well-rounded mix of advertising, business and public relations classes, and I’ve worked with teams to create a PR plan for Animal Trustees of Austin — a local animal welfare non-profit as well as a hypothetical media plan for another local Austin business.

Outside of class, I’ve had experience in various industries such as special events, journalism, production and public relations. I worked at Study Breaks Magazine where I gained experience in social media as well as journalistic writing. Last year, I interned for Cultivate PR, a boutique lifestyle public relations firm that ignited my passion for food and was fortunate enough to meet Top Chef winner, Paul Qui and Tyson Cole of Uchi and Uchiko. After my internship at Cultivate, I had opportunity to drop everything during the summer of 2012 and move to NYC to intern for a production and branding agency, inVNT, which I eagerly and willingly took. I won’t lie; before I left I thought that I might actually have the glamorous life of Samantha Jones, even if it was just for the summer. However, as amazing as my summer in the “Big Apple” was, it was no Sex and the City. It was more work than anything, maybe a little glamour, but most importantly, a tremendous experience.

I’m extremely excited to use my skills and experiences at Ketner Group. I’m so happy to be part of the team. I feel at home even on my second day.

Ketner Group Journey- The Beginning

My name is Catherine Mitchell and I’m a senior public relations student at UT Austin. Knowing that graduation is slowly sneaking up on me in December, I decided that I needed more experience in the public relations Industry before I could truly know which path to choose when I graduate. This leads me to the beginning of my journey with Ketner Group!

I have held previous PR internships with outstanding companies, but still I longed for experience in an actual agency whose sole purpose was PR and marketing. I had been to quite a few interviews at other agencies, but when I walked through the door here at Ketner Group I instantly felt at ease. Everyone at the office was friendly and energetic. My interview didn’t feel like a formal “what are your strengths and weakness” type interview, but more of a two-way conversation where I felt comfortable to be myself and got to learn more about the people in the agency. Choosing the place I wanted to intern was a no-brainer!

Ketner Group deals mainly with B2B technology clients, which is definitely a different field of PR that I imagined myself working in. However, I have found that I really enjoy learning about different IT developments implemented by Ketner Group’s clients.

Merely seeing how a public relations professional spends his/her day at work has provided me
great insight into the field. The opportunity to sit in on conference calls and meetings with
clients has shown me how to build and maintain strong relationships with clients. I have learned through observation the importance of presenting knowledgeable council to the client while still maintaining a casual enough tone to keep the meeting friendly.  When I’m at the office I literally feel like a little sponge trying to absorb all the information I can!

Being surrounded by professionals who really love what they do has made interning at Ketner Group a really positive experience thus far. People really aren’t lying when they say the best way to learn is through experience. I now know that I enjoy working in a boutique agency where everyone is more than coworkers- they’re friends.