Meet the Interns: Lookout, World. Our Super Talented Summer 2016 Interns are Poised and Ready for Big Things.
School might be out for the summer, but for our ambitious summer interns, the hard work has just begun.
Meet Zoe
Zoe Cecil is 16, and a sophomore at Asheville High School. About half her life–since she was eight–she’s known she was a writer. Her dream job is be an author and to “actually write something or a few somethings that are worthwhile, and have them published.”
Hey, Zoe! Where are you from?
I’m from Seattle originally, but then my family moved to Coastal North Carolina and then all over rural North Carolina before coming to Asheville, so I grew up picking wild blackberries in the rain, living a bike ride away from the set of a Nicholas Sparks movie adaptation, and trying (to no avail, I might add) to convince my fellow students in middle school that you don’t pronounce the ‘l’ in salmon.
Oh wow. What Nicholas Sparks movie was that?
‘Safe Haven’ was being filmed in parts of Wilmington and Southport while I still lived in the general vicinity of the two, which was insanely exciting to my thirteen year-old self. I lived for the cheese of it!
Who is your favorite writer?
The answer varies depending on the day, but for today I’ll tell you it’s a tie between Sylvia Plath and Stieg Larsson. I’m leaning more towards Stieg because of his ability to write such a complex, yet still cohesive story. At the end of ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, I had to just lie on the couch and digest all of the connections for a few hours.
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I’ve found it interesting how many different talents come together to form an Internet marketing team, and I’ve already learned so much about social media, the history of Google, and search engine optimization (I didn’t even know what that was!) just from starting the JB Media Institute.
What’s next for you after JB Media Group?
After this summer, I’ll be going into my Junior year of high school, which means beginning to apply to college, yikes! Right now I’m thinking I want to go to college for a Masters in English, possibly with a minor in American Sign Language.
What’s one thing that people would be surprised to know about you?
Well, I do have something that’s a bit quirky about me; since my school doesn’t offer sign language, I was taking a French class, and since I sat at the back, I was teaching myself to sign. Since I was also speaking French for the class, certain things I can now only sign if I say them to myself in French. The entire ASL alphabet is in French for me.
Anything else you want to mention?
I want to give a big thanks to everyone involved with facilitating this awesome experience for me, and also to everyone at JB Media for welcoming me so kindly.
Meet Madison
Madison Wait is a 21 year old rising senior at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC, studying Professional Writing, Communications, and Journalism.
Hey Madison! Where are you from?
I’m from here! I’m an Asheville native born and raised in Candler, NC.
As an Asheville native, how have you seen it change over the years?
As cliché as it sounds, I’ve literally watched Asheville grow from a small town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains into a thriving city and popular tourist destination. I’ve watched restaurants come and go, buildings be demolished and new ones be built in their place. I’ve seen new roads being paved, and new trees being planted. It’s really crazy how much has changed over the years.
What’s your favorite thing about your hometown?
The view! So many places have lost the beauty of the nature around them, but Asheville has managed to keep the Blue Ridge Mountains the centerpiece of the city. Some of my favorite memories here are of me and my family hiking in the mountains. It’s an incredible experience to hike to the top of mountain and see nothing but trees for miles and miles.
So what are you doing with your internship at JB Media Group?
I’m working with Adrianne as a general marketing intern–helping post blogs, providing support at events and other tasks. Right now I’m working on interlinking all the JB Media blog posts and helping Leah with part of an SEO project.
Thanks for all your help! What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned so far?
I love learning about SEO and social media analytics! I honestly can’t believe I’ve never studied them before. They’re both great tools to use when creating any kind of content and it’s a fascinating way to optimize visibility and reach.
What do you think about the JB Media team culture? Is it what you’d imagined?
I first imagined an Internet Marketing company as something out of an old Hollywood movie. I envisioned a tall office building, men and women in suits, meetings with coffee and over-sized graphs, strict disciplinary rules, and a lot of independent work. Aside from the coffee, JB Media is the opposite of that and I couldn’t have been more delighted!
It’s true. We like our coffee. So what is your dream job?
Oh, that’s a hard one. I love writing, so things like PR and content creation come naturally to me. I’d like to use those skills in an editorial or campaign management position, but I’d also like to work with marketing strategy because I find it fascinating. Through the JB Media Institute, I also found that I enjoy SEO strategy and social media analytics, so eventually I might want to do something with that too.
What’s something we haven’t learned about you yet?
I’m an actress. I’ve been involved with theatre for about eleven years, and I’ve performed in over 20 productions. I’ve actually competed on a regional level before and won several awards.
That’s cool. I can see how performing and writing to hand in hand. Is there anything else you want to add?
I’d like to thank Adrianne and the entire JB Media team for welcoming me into their ranks, encouraging me to ask lots of questions, and for helping me grow as a marketing professional. I’m excited to take what I’ve learned from JB Media Group and apply it to my career! I’d also like to thank my parents for all the sacrifices they’ve made to help me realize my dreams.
Meet Cat
Catherine Wityk, or Cat, as we call her, is a 21 year old graduate of the University of North Carolina Asheville. At UNC-A she double-majored in French and Mass Communication, with a focus on visual media production and film.
Hey, Cat! Where are you from?
I’m from Baltimore, Maryland.
What is your internship role at JB Media Group?
My internship here is in video production. One of my assignments is to produce FAQ-style informational videos with interviews from former students and staff members of the JB Media Institute. I’m also making some promotional videos for a few of JB Media’s clients, including a Buzzfeed-esque recipe video and a short profile piece.
Excellent. So far, what’s been the most interesting thing you’ve learned?
I’ve learned a lot about how to market videos online, both through my assignments and through the Institute classes. And as scary as tracking and analytics can seem, I think that’s the most interesting part of online marketing.
What do you think about the JB Media team culture?
The more I learn about JB Media, the more impressed I am with their culture. I see that they take their company values seriously, and they really value education. Even their team meetings they take turns training each other in their different areas of expertise. I really admire the emphasis on learning from one another.
What is your dream job?
In an ideal world, my dream job would be to travel the world, learning every foreign language and making short films about the places and people I discover so that people everywhere can learn something about what it means to be human.
What’s next for you after JB Media Group?
I plan to develop my online presence using what I’ve learned about online marketing from JB Media, to build a professional website, develop online portfolios of my photography/videography and to promote my short films and actor’s showreel, etc.
Tell me something surprising about you.
People might be surprised to know that I am fluent in French and now I’m teaching myself Ukrainian. I have always loved foreign languages, learning about other cultures, and connecting with people from other nations.
Are there any people you want to acknowledge or thank?
Since I recently graduated from UNCA, I’d like to thank my Mass Communication and French professors, particularly Anne Slatton and Oliver Gloag. They helped me explore areas that I am very passionate about in a way that makes them viable career options and not just idealistic dreams.
Anything else you want to mention?
I truly admire the way this company works. They are a community of highly skilled Internet marketing experts who really put time into their relationships with one another and their clients in order to continue learning from each other, educating others, growing together as a company, and staying socially conscious. If I were ever to start my own company or be a part of another new company, I would try to emulate this sort of human approach to business.
Aw shucks. That’s super nice. Thanks Cat, and thank you Zoe and Madison. We wish you all the best for your undoubtedly bright futures ahead!
Interested in interning with JB Media Group? Send your resume and cover letter to careers@ugh.mystagingwebsite.com.