By Leah
So, today is my last day of my two month internship at JCPR, and what a two months it’s been. I will try to summarise my experience as best as possible, but in typical JCPR fashion, I am currently working on a deadline!
Amazing events:
I have been fortunate enough to have attended a different event practically every week. These include the Forza car park; the launch of Dance Central 2; the Kinect Sports 2 Ski Chalet; the Covent Garden Christmas Light switch-on; and the launch of Kinect Disneyland Adventures. Coming from an exceptionally girlie family, more preoccupied with ballet and ponies than gaming, I have to admit, I was slightly nervous about my lack of Xbox knowledge when first joining the account. However, attending the many Xbox events has given me the opportunity to try out the games and become more acquainted with our client. The events have all been great fun and have allowed me to put gaming media names to face, make friends with two pet huskies, buy Kelly Brook’s lunch, chat to the owner of a £1million car, and sip on cocktails in the Ice Bar with Capital FM’s Roberto. And, after the fun I had playing Dance Central 2, I am proud to say, I am now an Xbox convert!
Mounting:
Most of my time in the office has been dedicated to mounting and tracking coverage: perhaps not the most glamorous of tasks, but a very necessary one. Two things made this long process a lot easier and I am very grateful to Maxine for showing me the ropes around her super organized tracking system and Baz for introducing me to ‘snag-it’ – the PR intern’s best friend! Oh and whilst I’m on the topic of mentions, Cliff Jin, the self-proclaimed ‘America’s sweetheart’ has been an excellent supervisor…(there may have been some element of hinting going on here.)
Research:
My research here at JCPR has led to some rather amusing Google searches including ’where can I buy 90 x ‘I heart Berlin’ key rings?’ for the Motorola launch goody bags in Germany – funnily enough, these aren’t available to buy in the UK! Sourcing a London-based ghetto ‘rap choir’ also proved to be harder than first imagined; however, after lots more research, a great range of choirs are now serenading us at Covent Garden this Christmas. I also now know where to order pretzels at trade price and much more about Keith Chegwin – things I will definitely take with me in life!
Food:
I have never worked in an environment where I have been fed so much (not that I’m complaining!). One would have to possess the willpower of a saint to work at JC and maintain a low calorie diet. There is no occasion that is not marked by the consumption of copious amounts of cheese, prosecco and cake: birthdays; leaving dos; maternity leave; promotions…. you name it, you guys celebrate it!
On that note, thanks to the E&C team for our epic Nandos leaving lunch (and sorry to the cleaners for all the debris in the kitchen)! I’ve had a great time: the E&C team here are fantastic and have involved me in everything, meaning that my insight into the world of consumer PR has been both thoroughly enjoyable and educational.
