Internships

2 minutes with: Lucy Snow

Jayden Fortner — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:49:24 +0000

2 minutes with: Lucy Snow Jayden Fortner Fri, 09/18/2026 - 10:49

Lucy Snow, right, and Mia Jochamowitz-Endersby Chikhani met with students at the CMDI Involvement Fair. Photo courtesy of Lucy Snow.

Hannah Stewart

Summer is synonymous with “internship season,” and Lucy Snow was on the hunt for something big. After applying to what felt like a hundred positions and not hearing back, she shifted gears and went to CMDI Career Services for help.

Thanks to the help of Nate Jones, assistant director of advising and professional development, she not only found a summer internship, she landed a job for the 2026-27 school year. Now a senior, this strategic communication major is helping fellow students with their own internship and job searches.

Lucy Snow, right, and Mia Jochamowitz-Endersby Chikhani met with students at the CMDI Involvement Fair. Photo courtesy of Lucy Snow.

Responses edited for length and clarity.

Did you really apply to more than a hundred positions?

Yes! My most recent search was really tough and discouraging. I was honestly a little desperate to find anything. The most unique one was a job selling insect repellant door-to-door in California. That was one of the few jobs I had the opportunity to interview for.

Sales can be cool, but the summer California sun—not so much. What changed?

I met with Nate Jones and was completely blown away. He’s so connected and is happy to introduce you to people in so many industries. He told me about a production internship with Peter Lasser (Comm’76), filming the USA swim team out in California. I got it and it was one of the best months of my whole life!

Way better than bugs! What’d you do?

I got to help out on set and sit inside the production truck when they were filming and editing. Everyone I talked to in the production truck and on set said they had never experienced a director like Peter, who was so hands-on, which goes to show his dedication to his craft. I’d love to go back to California after I graduate in May and work for an ad agency there.

Amazing! Tell me about your work with the college.

As a student assistant with CMDI Career Services, I reach out to recent graduates to build our alumni network. I also go through Handshake, LinkedIn, Indeed and other job boards to collect opportunities I think students might be interested in, then post those to our department Canvas pages. I struggled so much in my own search, so I love helping other students find jobs.

Best piece of advice for students?

Reach out to people—on Handshake, on LinkedIn and especially the Forever Buffs Network. There are so many alumni there who are willing to talk with and mentor students. You can also request a meeting with us. We want to help students get employed and are here to help anyone who’s feeling lost in their job search.

As part of her internship filming the USA swim team, Lucy Snow, a strategic communication major, got to help behind the scenes. She looks forward to helping other students find internships with her role on the CMDI Career Services Team. Photos courtesy of Lucy Snow.

Visit Career Services!

Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.

Strategic Communication senior Lucy Snow went to CMDI Career Services for help getting an internship, which she later landed. And she got a job with the team, too!

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Networking goals

Jayden Fortner — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:12:04 +0000

Networking goals Jayden Fortner Fri, 09/18/2026 - 10:12

Hannah Stewart

Tivoli Freedman’s biggest piece of advice to her fellow students is to take a chance on yourself and connect with people.

The summer before her senior year Tivoli Freedman, right, interned in Los Angeles for the World Cup, where she was part of the operations team and helped lead the youth program. Photo courtesy of Tivoli Freedman.

While waiting for a flight home to California, she chatted with a woman who was a manager at Fox sports and later connected Freedman with other executives. And cold-messaging contacts on LinkedIn led to her landing an internship with FIFA for the 2026 World Cup.

“I ask to pick people’s brains and for advice for somebody like me who’s up and coming,” she said. “I’ve probably had 200 informational interviews over the past couple of years.”

Freedman is more than just a fan—the San Diego native grew up around sports; her parents and an aunt had careers working major sports events. But working in media wasn’t her first collegiate passion—she enrolled at CU �Ǹ�Թ� as a psychology major before getting caught up with the Buffaloes.

“My whole weekend was consumed by college football, the NFL and MLB, going to games any chance I could get,” she said. “I took a sports media class and changed my major to communication.”

Around the same time she took that first CMDI course, Freedman landed two jobs that laid the groundwork for a career in sports—a freelance production assistant for Fox Sports and an intern for CU Athletics’ recruiting and scouting team.

Though she enjoys the forward-facing aspect of working with student-athletes and designing on-screen graphics for NFL games, she also learned those roles weren’t her calling. Instead, she’s more interested in the planning and operational side of events, especially the big ones like the World Cup.

Ashley Carter (MJour’21; PhD’26), an assistant teaching professor of journalism, called Freedman “a really ambitious student. And you can tell she cares not just about class assignments, but about doing what it takes to be successful beyond CU.”

Freedman took those lessons to heart. Even while she was studying abroad in Barcelona, she was still networking on LinkedIn to make connections in the international sports world. Eventually, she met a manager at FIFA, which led to her working as a partner rights delivery coordinator in Los Angeles. On off days, she helped prepare SoFi stadium for upcoming matches, doing everything from coordinating schedules and partner activations to supporting stadium tours and hospitality services.. On match days, she was in charge of the youth program.

“If you watched any of the prematch ceremonies with the kids holding flags and escorting players, that was me,” she said, smiling. “I always had two headsets on, so I could listen to both the broadcasts and my team, and kind of be the one to start the show.”

Now a senior, Freedman is continuing to gain event operations experience with the Colorado Rockies. She hopes to start a career in the industry after she graduates from CMDI in May—and she feels prepared to do so thanks to experiences she’s had while still a student.

“Working in sports is very competitive, which I didn’t fully realize until I took those classes and got into the industry,” she said. “I would love to work at the Olympics, and then I would love to go to a team or an agency, and get into event operations.”

Communication major Tivoli Freedman, back row right, spent her summer in Los Angeles interning with FIFA for the World Cup. Photo courtesy of Tivoli Freedman.

Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.

Strategic communication senior Tivoli Freedman had the summer internship to remember as a partnerships coordinator for the 2026 World Cup.

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When experience meets networking: Internship highlights from CMCI

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 22:39:43 +0000

When experience meets networking: Internship highlights from CMCI Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 01/29/2024 - 15:39

Hannah Stewart

Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm’18)

When Pepsi eventually comes out with its snack-focused campaign, one strategic communication student from the �Ǹ�Թ� will smile knowing he was part of it.

Enzo Ewari, a senior in the College of Media Communication and Information, has been interning with Motive—a full-service marketing and advertising agency—since the summer. As part of his work, he assisted with campaigns for brands like Gatorade, Cheetos, Pepsi and more.

Motive was impressed enough with his work to extend his internship into the fall semester, and Ewari hopes to stay at the company after graduation.

“As I get more involved, I’ll be working on my own campaigns, so hopefully by springtime, I’ll be solely working on one campaign,” he said. “I love Motive, it’s a great culture. They have sister agencies on every continent; I’ve been talking about moving to New York or Singapore. There are a lot of opportunities.”

In high school, Ewari took a business class, and was instantly hooked by the fast-paced energy and possibilities it provided. However, he wanted something more creative, which led him to study advertising. In fact, one of his professors reached out with the opportunity to intern with his own advertising and marketing boutique and assist on a campaign for a whiskey company—just one of his internship experiences, which have included work for PHD Media, Special Olympics International and Volkswagen.

When it came to Motive, not only did Ewari’s foundational courses prove incredibly helpful on his internship, various hands-on experiences both in and out of the classroom helped him grow and develop skills, as well.

“Enzo has proven to a valuable member of our team because he's resourceful, a self-starter, a quick learner, and also a curious human,” said Andrew Lynch, vice president of strategy at Motive and Ewari’s supervisor. “He's doing real, meaningful work that is helping us arrive at smart and sharp strategies.”

That practical experience and networking opportunity was pivotal, as it helped boost Ewari’s confidence in the field by giving him a taste of real-life advertising.

“CMCI is your friend. Just talk to your professors, most of them are still doing work,” he said. “That helped me get this internship.”

Networking and access to the right people proved useful once again in landing his role at Motive. David Martinez, inclusive excellence and outreach coordinator at CMCI, connected Ewari with one of Motive’s senior vice presidents of creative, Spencer Trierweiler (Advert’06), who is based out of the company’s Denver office.

“CMCI is your friend. Just talk to your professors, most of them are still doing work. That helped me get this internship.
—Enzo Ewari

“He helped push me through the process,” Ewari said. “A lot of my team is spread out across the United States. Day to day, it was a lot of looking at trends of different industries and deciding what competitors are doing to find a pocket in the market that our clients can hold.”

During his hybrid internship, he has been responsible for market research, taking what he’s learned and creating presentations exploring different advertising strategies a brand could take. Depending on who attended the presentation, Ewari and his team emphasize strategic or creative elements of a given campaign. For example, some creative-focused campaign proposals had interactive elements like pop-up shops or meet-and-greets with professional athletes.

“It’s all about connecting the data—how can you find that new lightbulb idea?” he said.

Lynch said an ability to find those ideas made Ewari such a valuable addition, especially when it came to brand positioning statements in competitive analyses.

"Enzo has been leading these analyses throughout his internship, and always delivers focused and smart category insights that we work into our strategy decks," Lynch said.

Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.

Photographer Kimberly Coffin graduated from CMDI in 2018 with degrees in Media Production and Strategic Communication.

Senior strategic communication major Enzo Ewari has big ideas for the future. Now that he has an internship with Motive under his belt, he’s more confident in the advertising field and his place in it.

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The (doll)face of a tech giant

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 21:28:16 +0000

The (doll)face of a tech giant Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/27/2023 - 15:28

Hannah Stewart

The Lucy doll went through several iterations before reaching people on TikTok. Megan Solis poses with the original doll in the early days of her internship. Photo courtesy Megan Solis.

Duolingo has its owl, Geico has its gecko and Pillsbury has its doughboy. Now, thanks to a fourth-year student from the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design, tech giant Hewlett Packard has its own mascot: Lucy.

Megan Solis, who is studying advertising and plans to graduate in winter 2023, crocheted the doll mascot as part of her internship at HP. This past spring, Lucy went out into the world via TikTok; Solis’ creativity, meanwhile, ultimately led to her recognition with the company’s InternStellar Award last summer.

“Demand generation is the focus of showing products in use,” Solis said. “But why not do it all? I had a lofty goal to create demand generation, while also increasing viewer engagement and enlarging overall brand awareness.”

Impactful Internships

The interdisciplinary curricula of CMCI majors gives students a broad set of skills—including creativity, critical thinking and collaboration—that makes them suited for success as interns and young professionals.

By hiring our students as interns, employers can benefit from bringing fresh perspectives and insights to problems, while having a significant impact on a student’s professional development.

Learn more about hiring our students or participating in a career and internship fair →

Solis didn’t set out to be a master marketer. She initially wanted a career in public relations, and transferred from the University of Texas San Antonio to CMCI to pursue that field. In fact, she discovered her love of advertising through her internship with HP.

“I was on my web browser and was about to type ‘PR internships,’ and then I thought, ‘Why don’t I just look up the best people to work for?’” Solis said.

It was this confidence and self-starter attitude that helped Solis through the rigorous interview process, and eventually her internship.

“She wowed our organization,” said Danielle Jones, Solis’ supervisor. “She’s super creative with regard to how we can develop content.”

Jones is the North America marketing manager for HP, and as a member of that team, Solis was tasked with finding a way to engage with the company’s target audience—which slants Generation Z—and show the products in fun, relatable situations. After considering how other brands leverage social media, Solis had her eureka moment: She’d create a mascot.

“Being a CMCI student has been helpful because I have a creative, but also a business, background.
—Megan Solis

Lucy, named for co-founder David Packard’s wife, is a small doll who wears an HP-logoed shirt. She was an instant hit with the HP team.

“It’s a great idea, and we’re excited for Megan to complete this project from beginning to end,” Jones said.

Feeling validated by the positive feedback, and with her HP experience winding down, Solis applied to the InternStellar Award, presented to interns who create measurable and meaningful impact. More than 200 interns applied for this highly competitive distinction.

Winning the award “was an honor,” Solis said. “There was a ceremony where I was able to meet executives and share my accomplishments. It excited me to speak about not only what I have done, but also my plans to carry ideas forward.”

In fact, HP extended Solis’ internship so she could see the project to completion and develop more innovative ideas.

After nearly nine months, HP launched a series of targeted ads featuring the doll in April; during the campaign, at least 10.7 million people saw the TikTok ads. While Solis said it was sometimes stressful to balance her part-time position and her full-time course load, she found it exciting to see parallels between her advertising classes and the work she did to make the Lucy campaign come to life.

“I can relate all my classes directly to what I’m doing in my job,” Solis said. “Being a CMCI student has been helpful because I have a creative, but also a business, background.”

Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.

APRD student Megan Solis landed an internship with tech company HP, created a mascot and won their prestigious InternStellar Award. Her mascot, Lucy, had a TikTok test campaign in April 2023.

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CMCI goes to Washington

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 19:21:11 +0000

CMCI goes to Washington Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/22/2023 - 13:21

Hannah Stewart

It’s an early Wednesday morning in July, yet it seems most of Washington, D.C., has already been up for hours.

Riders swarm the Metro on their way to work. Above ground, everyone from power brokers to power couples crowd local coffee shops while runners squeeze in a jog.

Amid the bustle, four students from CU �Ǹ�Թ� are headed to their internships, where they are responsible for public relations at The Hill, covering news in real time and managing sound at a multimedia festival.

“This is such a great program because you get professional experience,” said Reede Ottenstein (CritMedia’23). “You’ll feel so much better when you graduate, and you’ll have a better idea of what you want to do.”

Through the support of CMCI in D.C.—a semester-long study abroad-style program in Washington—Ottenstein landed an internship with Capital Fringe. This multiday, multimedia festival was particularly enticing since she focused on sound design as a CMCI student. She even had the chance to work with the audio engineers for the performances.

“In my classes, I was learning sound and audio,” Ottenstein said. “Now that I’ve interned with this festival, I will get to take what I learned and put it in a real-world context.”

Students in this program earn both class and internship credit during a semester or summer session in Washington. In addition to learning from guest speakers—many of whom are program alumni and media professionals—students have the chance to explore the city, both on assignment and for personal enrichment. Along the way, they discover new passions and opportunities for growth while forming close bonds as peers.

“Washington, D.C., is an incredible place to spend a semester,” said Lori Bergen, CMCI founding dean. “The communications, media and information landscape is a laboratory for new ideas about how to inform, influence and inspire people.”

CMCI students on their D.C. experiences

"The Hill has been very eye-opening and has shown me what the real world of PR looks like. Connecting with people is something that really holds true to me.

Michael Bass
Intern, The Hill

“You get to experience a new American city and learn from great professors.

Jenna Gainsboro
Intern, D.C. Witness

CMCI’s partner in delivering the program, the Washington Media Institute, encourages students to develop new skills through practical learning in the field.

For instance, media studies junior Jenna Gainsboro tried her hand at court reporting. An illness in Gainsboro’s youth led to seemingly endless days reading and watching television, inspiring her to pursue a career  in media. She spent a previous semester writing for a fashion magazine, but with this new opportunity, she wanted something different.

“They pitched me this internship with D.C. Witness in a social justice kind of way,” Gainsboro said. “I appreciate how individualized it is. They really work with you to find  an internship that will give you the experience you need.”

“The fact that internships are hand-selected for our students gives them an advantage in getting settled in this exciting city and building professional and personal relationships that will last a lifetime.
—Dean Lori Bergen

That feature helps the program stand out among other experiential-learning opportunities.

As part of the application process, staff from WMI interview students to assess their career goals, then identify ideal internships for each student. WMI staff also use their Washington networks to bring in guest lecturers and instructors for classes.

“I know that every time I come to class, we’re going to be doing something that might be challenging in the moment, but is still helpful and a good experience for my growth,” said senior Tessa Stigler, a journalism student who interned at Voice of America.

After graduation, she hopes to be a multimedia journalist. Although she’s had an “overwhelmingly positive experience” in her classes in �Ǹ�Թ�, she said this program has helped her see new aspects of the media.

“It’s interesting to see how different everybody’s internships are, and the different skills they’re focusing on,” Stigler said. “CMCI in D.C. encourages you to get career minded, feel set up to graduate and know that you can get something afterward.”

Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.

CMCI in D.C. is open to all CMCI majors and minors.

This unique, immersive experience allows students to develop skills directly related to their career aspirations, and includes a customized internship tailored to each participant’s career aspirations. Students may apply to be part of the program in any semester.

Learn more and apply

CMCI in D.C. is helping students discover new passions and grow—personally and professionally—as they prepare for careers in media.

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Student IHOPs to dream internship

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 18:52:36 +0000

Student IHOPs to dream internship Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/28/2023 - 12:52

Hannah Stewart

Matthew Mendoza, like many first-year college students, didn’t know exactly what he wanted to study at university. But after an introductory advertising course, he declared a major in strategic communication, which led him to an internship at a top advertising company.

This past summer, Mendoza spent 10 weeks as a digital media resident in account management for UM Worldwide, a global media and advertising giant. Most of his position was remote, but he also spent time in the company’s Manhattan office, which allowed him to both network and get the sense of a possible future at a big firm.

Now he is set to graduate in spring 2023 with a degree in strategic communication focusing on advertising strategy. After being exposed to real-world marketing and advertising, Mendoza says his future feels more in focus: After graduation, he hopes to work in a large agency, ideally, in New York City.

“Working in a large setting like that, it tends to be a little bit harsh,” Mendoza said. “I want to be pushed above my comfort zone.”

“I love how the [CMCI] curriculum is structured. I got to take my knowledge and background and actually see it and do it . . . and I took a part of CU [to New York].
- Matthew Mendoza

As a first-year student, Mendoza went into college with an open mind, planning to take as many classes as possible to try and find the right fit. His first semester, he took an introductory class in the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design. By the next semester, he transferred out of an open option program within the College of Arts and Sciences and into CMCI.

“I identified with being able to be creative in a professional environment,” he said. “I also like the idea of maintaining and building relationships and thinking of things like strategy and copy.”

Mendoza said that he liked the feeling of knowing his peers and his professors; and that the support from his professors and advisors was extremely helpful and valuable.

“I like the idea of being in a smaller college with a smaller major. . . . You’re able to be creative through media production, through strategy, whatever it may be,” he said.

In his advertising classes, Mendoza learned how UM Worldwide “shaped the advertising industry.” So when it came time to search for internships, he immediately honed in on one with the company. He reached out to some of his ARPD professors, who helped guide him throughout the interview process.

Then during summer 2022, Mendoza worked both remotely and in New York City for UM Worldwide as a digital media resident.

“What I loved so much about it was the culture,” Mendoza said. “Support was offered to me the whole time and they truly cared about teaching me.”

In one major project, he created slide decks analyzing performance statistics for the New York Lottery. His data analysis—of sales, clicks and views—were sent to lottery representatives to evaluate the success of their marketing campaigns from that year.

UM also had Mendoza and the other program participants compete in teams to create a hypothetical pitch for IHOP. His team came up with an interactive campaign called #TheIHOPExperience to appeal to college students. This theoretical plan included food trucks and merchandise giveaways, and some marketing mockups were shared with IHOP’s communication team.

Mendoza felt as though he had a leg up compared to some of his other colleagues—he had already learned about writing briefs and using various research methods in his APRD classes. Those introductory courses initially give students a wide overview of strategic communication and marketing, and with time, become more niche, according to students’ preferred areas of study.

“I love how the [CMCI] curriculum is structured,” Mendoza said. “I got to take my knowledge and background and actually see it and do it . . . and I took a part of CU [to New York].”

Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.

When Matthew Mendoza enrolled at CU �Ǹ�Թ�, he didn’t expect to work alongside marketing giants. This past summer, he worked with UM Worldwide on numerous projects, including one for IHOP.

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View From the Capitol

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 20:34:12 +0000

View From the Capitol Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/22/2022 - 14:34

Lauren Irwin

For Max Gannett (InfoSci’22), doing research to help create legislation makes him feel like a kid in a candy shop.

Before starting his first year as an information science master’s student at CU �Ǹ�Թ�, Gannett spent the summer in Washington, D.C. There, he worked as an intern with Rep. Joe Neguse (PolSci, Econ’05; Law’09) and Sen. John Hickenlooper, who represent Colorado on the federal stage.

Every day, Gannett worked across the street from the U.S. Capitol. He assisted in research that affected national policy. Just weeks after graduating, Gannett felt like he was putting his bachelor’s degree in information science to good use.

“My long-term career goal is one where I can make a more healthy democracy,” said Gannett, who is part of the CMCI Information Science Bachelor’s-Accelerated Master’s Program. “Any way I can make policy, government and the information ecosystem better, that is where my heart and future lie.”

As an intern, Gannett explored downtown Washington and joined events alongside notable figures, like Sen. Mitt Romney, Sen. Joe Manchin and Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase. He was able to sit in on U.S. House and Senate committee hearings on public lands, assault weapons bans and other topics.

Much of Gannett’s daily work centered around organizing constituent comments, working on policy-related memos and presentations, and doing research on topics like disinformation, voting and judicial issues.

Photos courtesy of Max Gannett.

One favorite aspect of the internship: helping to outline goals and legislation related to science, technology, cybersecurity and privacy for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, he said.

Gannett credits his undergraduate courses and activities with preparing him to conduct research and think critically, both vital skills for the internship.

In addition to his bachelor’s degree, Gannett earned a political science minor and quickly discovered a passion for governmental affairs during his first internship with Neguse in 2020.

He took on leadership positions, becoming president of the CMCI Student Government and helping to lead the CU Student Ambassador Program through the COVID-19 crisis.

And throughout his time as a CU undergraduate student, Gannett found opportunities to connect his coursework to the real world. After working as a data science intern for CMCI, Gannett became a research assistant with information science Professor Leysia Palen and studied the impact of disinformation in our current landscape. In 2020, he created data visualizations as a data intern for the House Majority Project.

“One of the most amazing things is applying my knowledge of technology and human interaction from the classroom to legislation and policy,” he said.

For Gannett, his internship was an inspiration. It allowed him to see all sides of Congress, and thus, to better understand how to institute change and build a more resilient democracy, he said.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to be at the heart of the nation’s capitol where history has been made, and it’s being made while I’m here,” Gannett said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to participate in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate . . . and work in two offices that uphold what it means to be leaders for the state of Colorado.”

Lauren Irwin graduated from CMDI in 2022 with a degree in Journalism.

Information science student Max Gannett spent the summer working as an intern in Washington, D.C., with Rep. Joe Neguse and Sen. John Hickenlooper. With research and data skills at the ready, Gannett dove into national policy and can’t wait for more.

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Red RovR, Red RovR...Send the Plan Book Over

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 20:05:29 +0000

Red RovR, Red RovR...Send the Plan Book Over Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/22/2020 - 14:05

Alexa Cimino

What’s cooler than getting a good grade on an assignment?

For Nicole Cattin (StratComm’20), it was a paid internship her senior year and the opportunity to see her work featured in stores.

Last fall, Cattin and other strategic communications students pitched marketing concepts to representatives from the local cooler company RovR as part of a competition in their capstone level Strategic Communications Campaigns class.

The experience taught Cattin, who served as the creative director for her student-run advertising agency, an important lesson: Sometimes the real rewards of hard work are not obvious at first.

“When we didn’t win after the pitch we were all kind of disappointed,” she says.

After the class, Cattin and her team found out the professor sent their pitch books to the advertising agency representing RovR.

“It almost felt as if we had won in that moment,” says Cattin, who was then given the opportunity to intern with the company.

As a marketing intern, Cattin designed a foldable hang tag for RovR’s newest cooler model––the KeepR––which outdoor retailer REI started stocking in the spring.

“It was so fun to be a part of the design process,” she says.

After Cattin graduated in May, RovR hired her as a full-time customer experience coordinator.

“If you have the research behind your ideas to back them up, and you believe in them, I think that turns the tables so other people will believe in them and see how innovative and creative they are,” she says.

Pictured: The soft-shelled cooler comes with an ice bucket at the center so items stay cold in the surrounding compartments without being mixed with the ice.

Alexa Cimino graduated from CMDI with degrees in Journalism and Critical Media Practices in 2022.

View the Hangtags

What’s cooler than getting a good grade on an assignment? For Nicole Cattin (StratComm’20), it was a paid internship her senior year and the opportunity to see her work featured in stores.

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Raising the Roof

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 20:04:02 +0000

Raising the Roof Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/22/2020 - 14:04

Kenna Bruner

As a student, Jeremy Elder co-founded a production company. Today, he continues to elevate his game.

Team portraits from left to right: Jeremy Elder (CritMedia’20), Ben Gillespie (TAM’20), Tori Soper (Jour’18), Riley Clinton (CritMedia’18), Bailey Miclette (Bus’19)

By Kenna Bruner

To say that Jeremy Elder (CritMedia’20) and his four partners are driven is an understatement.

Fiercely entrepreneurial about sourcing new business opportunities, the young crew behind the boutique production company �Ǹ�Թ� Media House has created content for businesses from luxury expedition vehicles to high-end fashion, including EarthRoamer, Shi Farms, Crazy Mountain Brewery, June Threads and Encounter Hat Co.

And all this by the age of 22.

“When I photographed my first concert, I realized I could make a living at it,” Elder says. “From that point on, I knew this type of work is what I want to do.”

Specializing in promotional content for businesses and agencies, the company travels across the country to create digital branding, produce videos and short-form documentaries, and offer brand messaging via digital platforms. Recently, the company edited a project for Facebook and Oculus featuring NBA players.

After moving several times, from bedrooms to a cramped living room on the Hill to small offices, the company recently acquired a warehouse studio space in Denver. It’s an important milestone considering the nature of their business, which requires specialized equipment like drones, in house RED cinema cameras, jib cranes for mounting cameras overhead and motorized sliders.

Along with Elder, all of the company’s founders graduated from CU �Ǹ�Թ�, including fellow CMCI graduates Riley Clinton (CritMedia’18) and Tori Soper (Jour’18), as well as Ben Gillespie (TAM’20) and Bailey Miclette (Bus’19). Because of their ages, which range from 22 to 26, the group has become all too familiar with the word “no,” Elder says.

“We reach out to some of these massive companies as 20-year-olds and they look down on us,” Elder says. “One of our strategies has been to show our work first, so they see what we can do before they see us. That has paid off.”

Producer Keith Potter with EarthRoamer—which makes luxurious expedition vehicles—is one of the clients they won over with this strategy.

“When I first heard about �Ǹ�Թ� Media House, I didn’t know what to expect, but I began to warm to them once I took a look at their demo reel,” Potter wrote in a testimonial. “The material there was hip and modern. I loved many of the interesting techniques they employed to tell the stories on some of the projects I viewed. During production the team was engaged, hard working and super creative.”

Potter was so happy with the team’s work that he partnered with them for a second round of film projects featuring the luxury vehicle. Today, the company has grown to include two employees, several contract production assistants and two interns: Carson Becker and Emma Harris, both juniors studying media production in CMCI.

This spring, the global pandemic presented a major challenge. But just as they have with other obstacles, the company is using the experience to learn, and to prepare for whatever may come next.

“The pandemic hit us hard––90% of our upcoming jobs got canceled. But luckily, we are now back on track,” Elder says. “It is really important to have a rainy day fund so that all expenses will be covered if something like this happens again.”

When he and his co-founders launched �Ǹ�Թ� Media House, Elder was still a full-time student in the Department of Critical Media Practices. While he’s leveraged the technical skills he gained to produce high-quality work, he also continues to lean on the historical and critical framework his professors provided.

“Every movement in history seems to have a visual side to it,” he says. “Personally, I believe it is the duty of creatives and visual storytellers to showcase the good and the bad in the world.”

It’s not lost on him that the stakes are incredibly high for today’s media makers, and he’s learned to not only produce great work, but to consider that work in context––how it could play out across a range of media platforms and in front of various audiences.

EarthRoamer

Shi Farms

June Threads

Encounter Hat Co.

Crazy Mountain Brewing

“Images and videos are extremely powerful. We really need to think about what we document and how our documentation gets portrayed. Visuals control the narrative so you must approach them with an understanding of ethical behavior and overall respect.
- Jeremy Elder

Kenna Bruner is a writer in CU's Office of Strategic Relations.

When he and his co-founders launched �Ǹ�Թ� Media House, Jeremy Elder (CritMedia’20) was still a full-time student. Today, the young crew of CU graduates behind the boutique production company has created content for businesses from luxury expedition vehicles to high-end fashion, and they continue to elevate their game.

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On the job: Fall 2018

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 20:51:58 +0000

On the job: Fall 2018 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/09/2018 - 13:51

More than 450 students completed internships for credit in 2017-18.

Designing Women

Senior Barrett Batson studies strategic communication with an emphasis on public relations and a minor in journalism. She spent the summer in Austin, Texas, as the public relations intern for designer and CEO Kendra Scott.

Out of all the PR internships to choose from, why Kendra Scott?
I knew I’d be working for a company created by one of the leading self-made female entrepreneurs in the U.S., and I wanted to put everything I’ve been learning in school to the test in a corporate public relations environment.

What is a typical workday like?
After preparing for meetings and checking in with my boss, I might draft quotes for a press release, create briefs for Kendra, build and update media lists and databases, coordinate or attend events, work with social media influencers or answer interview questions for various news outlets.

What makes your experience at Kendra Scott unique?
All 27 interns from different departments are working together over 10 weeks to launch a loyalty program. I’m drafting a press release, writing pitch emails to news outlets and helping with the marketing strategy. On the last day of the program, we’ll present the project to the whole company, including Kendra.

Has the experience affected your career goals?
After college, my goal is to secure a job with a major PR agency. This internship reinforced that goal and made me feel more prepared to go through the hiring process. Now, I’ll feel confident going into interviews. I’ll have work samples for my professional portfolio with detailed accomplishments in developing communication strategies.

The Next Big Thing

Lina Takahashi is a senior studying broadcast journalism with minors in Japanese and technology, arts and media. Over the summer, she was a news intern at 9News in Denver for Next with Kyle Clark.

How do you spend an average workday?
I write multiple web stories for Next with Kyle Clark every day and help the web producer with the show’s social media platforms. I enjoy shadowing the producers and seeing how all of the shows come together in the newsroom, as well as in the control studio.

What have you learned about working in a newsroom?
The most surprising experience has been being in the newsroom during breaking news. It’s chaotic, but each person plays a crucial role in making sure that important information is reported as quickly and accurately as possible. The air changes and it is the most exciting place to be.

What do you want to do Next?
I grew up watching 9News, and this internship confirmed that I’m a news fanatic. As a short-term goal, I want to be a reporter for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The reporters and anchors I’ve met at 9News are all so passionate about what they do. Every day is different, depending on the stories they cover, the places they go and the people they meet. I want that to be true for my career.

Data Days

Senior Benjamin Ward is an information science major with a minor in business. He interned in the Longmont office of Xilinx, a San Jose, California, technology company that supplies programmable logic devices.

What stood out about Xilinx?
This internship had a specific project outlined and emphasized an interest in someone who loves challenges and problem solving. I really identified with Xilinx’s goals and the kind of person they were seeking.

What surprised you about this internship?
I never would have guessed that I’d be collaborating with engineers every day and learning so much about their field. I’m glad I haven’t been pigeonholed in data analysis and have been trusted to work on other projects.

Has the experience shaped your plans for the future?
It’s validated the excitement I get when working on data-based projects. I’ve gotten a lot of great exposure to what the day-to-day life of a data analyst is like. My long-term goal is to work with data for political or health care organizations.

Students discuss their summer internships doing public relations for designer Kendra Scott; producing Denver’s top 6 p.m. newscast, Next with Kyle Clark, at 9News; and digging through data at the technology company Xilinx.

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