This initiative also serves as a call-to-action for the industry to continue to support talent and encourages agencies to still consider & implement a summer internship program amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
NEW YORK, May 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Independent bi-coastal creative agency, Pereira O’Dell and advertising pro turned professor, Rebecca Rivera, announced today the launch of a new initiative designed to support high potential students at New York’s public universities. Save The Internships looks to support future industry talent deeply impacted by this ongoing crisis.
Students at public universities in New York City often work full-time while going to school. Agency internships help them fill the financial gap that allows them to move their careers forward. These dedicated and motivated students, hit hardest by the pandemic, are looking for meaningful and future employment opportunities.
Save The Internships showcases these talented students and connects them with advertising & public relations agencies for a remote-based internship experience. These candidates – who are nominated by their professors – use the platform to share their talents and dreams and connect with agency talent managers. Nominees can be undergraduates, graduate level or even recent grads. Once the nomination is accepted, the student’s profile will be posted to the digital showcase, and agencies can use this showcase to find top CUNY students for 2020 virtual internships.
In addition, there are three different program options, these include:
- Immersive: Interns work across multiple pieces of agency business, participate in internal discussions and actively contribute thinking and work.
- Focused: Interns are briefed on 1 agency brief (either a client ask or an agency passion project) for the duration of the program.
- 101: On-going agency 101 sessions held by senior leadership to educate interns on the industry and business, and encourage Q&A.
“Now is not the time to cancel internships. It’s time to reinvent them and to hire the diverse and inclusive intern talent the industry needs,” said Rebecca Rivera, advertising professor.
Pereira O’Dell has already committed to hiring two CUNY interns starting June 1st.
"New York agencies - like all businesses - are in a difficult spot, assessing how best to protect themselves against a long period of instability," said Mona Gonzalez, Managing Director, NY, Pereira O’Dell. "Internships might feel like a small part of the larger pandemic picture, but this is a real opportunity where we can make an investment in these students' futures and in the future of our city - and the industry needs their voices."
In addition, The AD Club of New York, the G.R.O.W.T.H. Initiative and other partners will offer opportunities to mentor students and invite them to participate in their education and development programs.
The Save The Internships program will run from June 1 – end of summer and potentially beyond. More information can be found here.
About Pereira O’Dell:
Pereira O’Dell is an award-winning bi-coastal creative agency with offices in New York and San Francisco that combines techniques from traditional advertising, digital, PR and design to create innovative campaigns, programs, and products that are in sync with how consumers behave today. The agency has been listed on the Ad Age A-List several times and, in 2015, was named by Fast Company as one of the 10 most innovative companies in advertising. The Pereira O’Dell client roster includes MINI, Adobe, General Mills, Stella Artois, Timberland, Fifth Third Bank, Intel, The Cheesecake Factory, The Central Park Conservancy, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the American Museum of Natural History.
About Rebecca Rivera:
Rebecca is an award-winning copywriter and creative director. She is also known for being the former CCO of 3 Percent and the founder of Speed Mentoring®. Today Rebecca describes herself as an ad pro turned ad prof. She teaches copywriting, market research, and media studies classes in the City College of New York Ad & PR undergrad program and in New York City College of Technology’s Communication BFA program. Her goal: help fill the talent pipeline with business ready students who are well prepared to re-shape the industry to reflect the people it markets to.
Contact info: Sara Vinson Sara.vinson@digennaro-usa.com 917.753.2955
