On the first day of the Public Relations Internship Summer in Manhattan (aka PRISM) 2013 program, I had no idea what to expect. I also had no idea that I would be walking into one of the best and most rewarding opportunities I’ve ever had. When I was applying for internships last year and saw that RED PR was involved with this one-of-a-kind program, I just knew that I had to be a part of it. The PRISM program is made up of five leading independent public relations agencies that work together to provide interns with hands-on experiences in the public relations industry. The PRISM agencies this summer are Bridge Global Strategies, Herman & Almonte PR, Andrew Joseph PR, Makovsky and RED PR. Though each agency has different specialties, which range from beauty and travel, to technology and health, they all have one thing in common: they want to give their interns the opportunity to explore the multi-faceted world of PR. As if interning at RED PR isn’t already exciting enough, once a week, the other interns and I travel to different areas of New York City for “lunch and learn” sessions organized by our respective agencies.
Only a few weeks into the program, I have already gained plenty of valuable information. After visiting The Hearst Tower, I now have a new understanding of the public relations side of the editorial world. We were given access to the building and received a tour of several magazines’ offices. Not many people have had the chance to take a peak at the beauty and fashion closets of Seventeen Magazine or view experiments in action at Good Housekeeping. Our trip to the Museum of the Moving Image opened my eyes to another career in PR that I had never even though of before: being the publicist of a museum. A trip to an NYC museum is always enjoyable and seeing the actual costumes and props from some of my favorite movies was very impressive. Even all of the makeup used in Sex and the City 2 was on display, which is very exciting for me, an intern at an agency that is focused on beauty. However, the best part of the visit had to be having the opportunity to sit down and speak with the public relations director of the museum who graciously answered the many questions that we came up with during the tour.
My internship at RED PR has been amazing so far. Being a part of the PRISM program is like the icing on the cake for my first internship in New York City. Not only am I getting the experience to learn the ropes in the type of PR that my agency focuses on but also I am also getting the chance to learn about the many other elements and specialties of public relations. This program has reminded me why I even chose public relations as my college major in the first place: the industry is so large and versatile and the opportunities will be endless for me once I graduate next spring. I can’t wait to see what else the PRISM program has to offer as the summer continues. Nonetheless, I can already conclude that I will leave with a new perspective of the industry and experiences that I will never forget.
— Paige Delaney
RED PR is a boutique public relations firm in New York City that specializes in beauty, fashion and lifestyle.
