2nd August 2017
I invited Hân to write about her experience as an intern with us during her break between BA and MA courses. I speak for myself and the team when I say Hân has been an absolute delight to have working at Studio with us and she already feels like one of the team. Her enthusiasm and passion is refreshing and she makes a genuine and worthwhile contribution. We do not underestimate the power of internships. Nurturing new talent is very much a part of our ethos. Harley Southwick who is one of our talented Graphic Designers, interned with us whilst studying at Arts University Bournemouth and we were delighted to be able to offer him his first position fresh out of University. We definitely value the skills and insight Hân brings to the table, often opening our eyes to new ideas. Hopefully we can continue offering her ‘real world’ experience that is useful to her studies and overall experience.
Here's her blog:
"Before I tell you about my experience at Studio Republic this summer, let me introduce myself!
I'm Han and I recently graduated with a BA in Film Production from the Arts University Bournemouth. With a change of direction in my final year, I've decided that my acquired skills are more suited in the Marketing & Communications industry.
As I will be studying MA Global Media Management course at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton. So I thought, why not do a summer internship as a content creator before the course starts and hopefully improve my skills and learn from the professionals in the industry on Marketing.
I chose to intern at Studio Republic because the internship they provided was just what I needed.
Studio Republic has great ethos and clients. As they're re-branding itself as a creative digital agency for charities, NGOs and ethical startups. This means I would be able to help them help others.
I'm also given the opportunity to learn from professionals such as Website Developers, Graphic Designers, Brand Strategists, Social Media, Content Management and SEO Experts.
Being immersed in such a creative and buzzing environment where I am using my skills and building my portfolio of work is great preparation for my course. Plus, the agency is located in the heart of Winchester, which allows me to explore the city before I move here next year. Just perfect, really.
It all began with a friendly and professional email, introducing who I am, what I do and how I could help the agency with my portfolio and CV attached. Not only did they respond to my email almost straightaway, they also expressed their interests in my potential and invited me to the office for a chat. Despite being rather busy that day, I booked a return ticket from Bournemouth to Winchester just for a 30-minute chat. Totally worth it!
After our short meeting, I knew I would enjoy it here. As it turns out, this is the best internship I've ever experienced and I do really mean it.
Since the beginning, not a day do I go without learning something new about Design, Digital Marketing and Content Creation.
Having interned for different agencies and companies for the past few years, I've realised how much I value my time being an intern here. What's so great about it is that I've never had to make coffee or tea for anyone, in fact, I've been offered coffee or tea all the time.
Ok, there's more to it than that. I don't just sit around drinking coffee or tea all day.
Studio Republic have truly taken me in and made me feel part of the team. They genuinely want me to grow alongside with the agency. I've sat in meetings to brainstorm ideas on developing their brand's identity. The best part? All of my suggestions are being valued and taken into account.
So I come in the office once a week. I can also work from home when necessary. The studio has a friendly, chilled and motivating environment. Everyone works together on this one big desk, which is stimulating. There's no isolation, whatsoever. Communication flows better and for me as an intern, I feel welcomed every time.
As I'm not in every day, when I am, they make sure I have something to do, whether it's blog writing, creating photography content, brainstorming campaign ideas, or updating social media. All the given tasks make the whole experience here so productive and invaluable. I haven't been bored for one second.
What Studio Republic is doing right with their interns is that they nurture new talent and allow new ideas and creativity to flow in naturally.
As a creative individual, I can't stress enough how important it is for agencies to allow their interns to work with them and learn from them. There's no point of giving them rubbish jobs that they get bored of. This will demotivate them and will not benefit both parties.
What agencies should do is give them challenging tasks, put them outside of their comfort zones, allow them to improve their skills. As soon as they feel valued, they will put in their best effort to impress the agency and show that they're worthwhile. This is advantageous for both the intern and the agency.
Interns are usually talents who have just come out of or are currently in an educational environment. They might have unbiased eyes and new ideas than the people who have been working in the agency. Allowing them the opportunity to share their ideas will only help the agency and the interns themselves to grow further.
Speaking from personal experience, Studio Republic have given me that experience that I truly need. The trust I get from them has given me a confidence boost and this can only positively impact on the content I produce for the agency. I can ensure that this is the opportunity no one should miss out, get yourself out there and make sure your internship is worthwhile. Knowing that my skills are valued here, I couldn't be happier with this experience!"
"We're always on the lookout for new talent that we can help to nurture their skills and give the vital industry experience that employers require. If you're a student and would like to spend some time with our team, gaining an insight into the ins and outs of agency life, then drop us a line at hello@studiorepublic.com"