An exciting update: I finally designed my capstone summer project! I will take all I have learned by interviewing various departments within the Digital Ad Ops team and create a training program for the future Seattle Interns. I am the first ESPN intern in Seattle, so I decided it would be a great way to leave my mark by helping develop this program even further. I have 4 weeks left, and I can't wait to dive into it and produce a quality product. I will be presenting it once it is complete (to who, I'm not quite sure yet).
I can't believe I am already back from NYC where I attended the Intern Speaker Series Event with George Bodenheimer. Not only did I meet Mr. Bodenheimer, President of ESPN, but I also got the chance to meet all of the interns from NY and Bristol, as well as some amazing people in the NY office! It was a blast. Here are some of the highlights of my trip:
-I got to stay in the amazing Empire Hotel, where (I was very excited to learn) some scenes from Sex and the City 2 and Gossip Girl were filmed. Below is a picture of the view from the Rooftop Bar, it was incredible! The hotel was only a few blocks from the ABC building, which was convenient when heading to the office.
-Monday: after a 6:30am flight and a 4pm arrival at my hotel, I was pretty exhausted. That night, Susan Grouse and Laura Jaroch from HR took Cicely (St. Petersburg Intern) and I out for dinner. It was great to get to know them after all the email correspondence this summer!
-Tuesday: The big event! Spent some time in the ABC building with the NY interns, then they took us over to Good Morning America Studios where all 88 of us interns were invited in.
We were welcomed by Paul Richardson (SR VP of HR). Paul spoke to us about making connections, not only with employees in the company, but with our fellow interns. He also praised our intern class for being one of the most successful, hard working classes the company had ever seen. He informed us that there were over 10,000 applicants nationwide for this internship program and that we were selected because of our potential to help the company grow. There are interns representing nearly 30 different colleges/universities across the nation. He also informed us that on average 25-33% of interns are hired on full time, and he hopes this number will grow.
Next, Katie Bridges (Internal Communications Intern) presented her "Intern Diary" video to us, showcasing some of the great work interns have done this summer as well as their insight on how it feels to be an ESPN Intern. She then turned it over to George Bodenheimer. The key take away from his speech was his encouragement for us to create goals and let them be known. To become a manager, lead a new department, be employed by ESPN when you graduate, whatever your goal may be. 
Then, he said, go tell someone about it. Tell your manager, tell your friends, tell your family. He said one of his biggest frustrations is when people expect you to know what they want. They won’t unless you go out and make it known. He also said that maybe our goal should be to become President of ESPN. He loves that. He wants to know that people are out there working hard and aspiring to be on top. The best advice he has ever received, advice that he wanted to pass on to us, is “Be a student of the business.” Continue to learn and grow, don’t ever settle.
My impression of George: he is an inspiring leader and incredibly humble for all that he has accomplished. Part of this comes from his story getting into the company. He’s been at ESPN for 30 years and started at the bottom of the chain, driving around Texas selling for the company. I was one of the first interns to enter the GMA studio, and he walked right up to me and shook my hand, introducing himself, “Hi, I’m George.” With his sincerity and warmth, it was hard to believe he is the President of one of the biggest media brands in the world. He actually made the point to go up to every single intern and do the same, all 88 of us.
After he concluded his speech, the interns had time to mingle in the studio and take pictures with George. Then, the interns, along with Paul Richardson and the rest of the HR team, went to Dave and Busters for a luncheon. It was great to sit in a casual environment and get to know everyone, especially for me who had yet to meet any of the other interns. The interns from NY and Bristol were there, and myself and Cicely Parsons from the FL office were the only two to fly in from other parts of the country. We both felt very grateful to get the opportunity. It was also entertaining to introduce myself and get the response, “Oh, YOU’RE Seattle.” (Seattle= my new nick-name for the trip) I also enjoyed the immediate follow-up question after this discovery (primarily asked by the guys), “So do you have a crush on Jake Locker?” or “So will Jake Locker live up to the hype?”
Just when we thought the day couldn't get better, the Sales and Marketing Interns (myself included) were sent to the ABC building where about 20 of us got the chance to sit down with Sean Bratches, the Executive VP of Sales/Marketing. He is a very friendly and charismatic guy and really took interest in who we were/what schools we went to. He gave us some great insight on what he looks for in in the hiring process. Digital marketing knowledge, social media experience, and the ability to think outside the box all came up as key qualities. As far as advice goes, he told us to find what interests us most and stick with it. He found a passion not only in his profession but with the industry it is in. He loves the fact that he can go home to his kid’s everyday and tell them about cool things going on at ESPN because his family all shares a love of sports. As far as the company goes, he stresses that ESPN must be willing to venture into new uncharted markets (Used 3-D as a great example). His enthusiasm not only for the company as a whole, but for the Sales and Marketing division, was admirable and incredibly contagious.
-Wednesday/Thursday: The big intern event was over, but my trip wasn't! I got the opportunity to work in the NY office on Wed. and Thurs. and meet with over a dozen employees one on one to discuss their positions in the company. Everyone was so incredibly welcoming and encouraging, and I couldn't appreciate it more. I met with account managers, planners, sales execs, mobile/video experts, and even a couple of the big bosses :) I was also excited to meet some people from Marketing, a division I am very interested in. I really could go on forever about my experiences with each of these people, but to summarize it: couldn't have gone any better.
NYC was a huge turning point for me, it brought so much together in this experience. Now, with four weeks left, I can't wait to challenge myself to finish my big project and really leave my mark in Seattle. Stay tuned...
