Student: Dolly Duke
Major: Communication with a focus in Public Relations
Grade: Graduated in Winter 2013
Position: Intern on the Xbox Platform team at Edelman Public Relations (Seattle office), May 2013 to August 2013 (with the possibility of a 6 month extension), Paid, 40+ hours per week
Duties include: “No two days are ever the same, but my standard tasks include writing an in-depth daily report on breaking industry, competitor, world, and technology news for 5 aliases within the Xbox team; compiling a weekly and monthly report on competitor trends; drafting flags and recaps on important news for clients as it comes in; and writing weekly internal meeting agendas and recaps.
“I am also in charge of a large analyst report for the Xbox team which details commentary of all analysts that report on Xbox over a three month span. Since it is a launch year for Xbox One, my internship has included a large role in helping manage and track the coverage of Xbox One’s two major events, the Xbox One Reveal and the E3 gaming conference. During both events, I helped manage reactive media inquiries in real time and served as the main contact for several journalists. I also conducted call-downs, wrote journalist bios used to brief clients before executive meetings for the events, and tracked, compiled and formatted media coverage in real time for a large report my team delivered to clients to show the success of the events.”
How did you find out about it and what made you decide to apply?
“I was an active member of PRSSA and met several people who worked for Edelman through the club. I also visited the Edelman office in Kathleen Fearn-Banks’ introductory public relations class and had my sights set on working for the company ever since the visit.”
What do you like most about it?
“The internship is very challenging, fast-paced, and high pressure, but also very rewarding. Like I said before, no two days are the same and projects always pop up in a day that I never anticipated, but it keeps things exciting and the days are never boring!”
What is the working environment like?
“I love my team and I have learned a ton about public relations, working in a fast-paced environment, meeting deadlines, juggling multiple tasks at once and learning how to manage crises that come up! It is also a very exciting time for my team right now because it is a launch year for the Xbox One, so it has been an incredible learning experience to be able to play a part in the launch.”
How do you think it will help you and your career or future goals?
“My internship has been a wonderful networking opportunity and way to test out if the company is a good fit and I hope to continue to stay with Edelman in the future!”