Emersonians celebrate summer
This summer, Emersonians are interning, working, and volunteering for a variety of businesses and organizations all across the country. Emerson wanted to find out what our current students and alumni have been up to, so we sent out a query via Twitter. In less than 24 hours, more than 100 Emersonians responded.
It was hard for us to choose who to profile, but we selected three Emersonians who tweeted about some amazing projects, assignments, and jobs they have been working on.
Shawna Wright (Dec.) ’09 tweeted, “I’m working promotions for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Circus on Coney Island.”
Employed by Joe Gold Entertainment Marketing, Wright said she has been able to combine what she learned in the classroom with what happens in the real world. “The knowledge I gained from my classes at Emerson meshes really well with what I am learning on the job. Now I’m able to add the secret tricks of the trade and behind-the-scenes information to what I already know.”
Soon after landing the job, Wright referred fellow Emerson alumna and friend Kelsey Foster ’10 to the company. Wright and Foster have had an action-packed summer handling promotions for the Ringling Bros. Coney Island account. Together they have helped to coordinate a Nathan’s hotdog bun eating contest between people and elephants, done local outreach at schools in the Coney Island area, and attended Brooklyn Cyclones games to promote the circus.
A Marketing Communication major at Emerson, Wright said the work is right up her alley. “It’s been a great experience and one of the most interesting summers I’ve had.” In the fall, Wright will switch to the Verizon Wireless account and handle promotions directed toward college students in Washington, D.C.
Using the Twitter handle @natasham4, Natasha Marquez (Dec.) ’10 tweeted, “I’m interning at Game Show Network in their Marketing Department, promoting online games and sweepstakes.”
Marquez said that her internship in the Game Show Network’s (GSN) marketing department in Waltham, Massachusetts, is perfect for the typical Emerson student. “The success of your project is based on your own creativity,” she said. “I love my internship; I love the people, my co-workers, my supervisor, everyone.” She continued, “I love the dynamic. It’s constantly hyper around here; everything is constantly changing.” Marquez assists with the Game Show Network Twitter and Facebook pages as well.
“Internships are an important part of the Emerson experience. Our students are eager to apply their skills while making valuable industry connections.”
–Matthew Small, Assistant Director of Career Services
Zach Schiffman ’09 tweeted that he just finished his first year stage-managing at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut. Schiffman said he applied to Emerson’s Board of Overseers Mentorship Program his freshman year and was paired with Emerson Overseer and Trustee member Al Jaffe ’68, ESPN’s vice president of talent.
“He was a great mentor,” Schiffman said of Jaffe. “He always had great advice.” Over the next year, Schiffman kept in touch with Jaffe and Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN). “I was constantly sending them new résumés and clips of my work so they would remember me.”
Schiffman’s doggedness paid off, and in the summer of 2008 he was hired by Entertainment and Sports Programming Network as an intern. Then, two months after he graduated, a stage manager position opened up at the network in Bristol, Connecticut, and Schiffman got the job. “I started on July 20, 2009, and just passed my one year mark,” he said.
“Some days I have a lot of fun at my job, working with people like Seth Meyers, The Rock, The Situation, Drew Brees, and all the famous talent of ESPN from anchors to analysts. But there are other days where, just like everyone else, it’s work; there are long nights and early mornings, stressful shows, and stressed crew and talent.”
–Zach Schiffman ’09
He said he plans to continue at Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. “Eventually I hope to be directing,” he said. “I want to direct—it doesn’t matter what, but I miss being in the chair.”
Emerson would like to thank everyone who responded to our Twitter query, and we encourage our alumni and students to keep up the good work and enjoy the rest of the summer.
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