Adam Lenze Internship

Journal

Today contrasted with yesterday because it was a fairly standard day. I began by checking email, making sure that my eTime was logged. Then for around 4 1/2 hours, I hunted through the websites of media organizations looking for contacts to whom we can send our press releases. I’ve also been using LinkedIn a lot to find this info.

I don’t think that I learned anything today. I didn’t see much of Michelle or Stephanie and I think that my understanding of the structure of media organizations is coming along well. Moving forward, I need to turn my attention back to the press releases for culinary students who made the Dean’s list.

Log

9:16-9:19 (checked email)
9:20-9:30 (filled out eTime)
9:30-2:03 (hunted for contacts at media organizations)
2:03-2:11 (clocked out and prepared to go home)

Journal

Today was an unusual day because I spent most of it outside the office. The morning began when I arrived at an IUP safety science building to participate in a marketing photo shoot. I witnessed IUP employees interacting with an independent agency (whose name I do not recall) to generate images to support the major brand revamp going on at our university. During one photo I was covered in diodes and photographed indoors, during another, I posed with other students in the North Dining Hall. The final location I attended was in the Oak Grove for photos/video of playing soccer and walking with other students.

It was helpful to watch the producer, creative director, and photographer of the shoot all perform their different roles. I’m not sure that I knew the creative director attended shoots, and it was nice to see the understanding of producers that I’ve been gaining receive confirmation as I observed Taylor perform her role. Moving forward, I’ll return to the office and continue the hunt for media contacts.

Log

– 9:10-10:52 (attended photo shoot and participated in marketing photos)
– 10:52-12:31 (project hrs)
– 12:32-4:30 (headed back to the photo shoot)

Journal

Today I logged in and began to correspond with Michelle about opening up the O and S drives. I then spent the remainder of the day searching for contacts at media organizations to whom we can send our press releases. I learned today that Michelle would like me to include both the contact page URL and the main page URL in the excel sheet where I’m storing this data.

I also learned that an executive producer typically differs from a producer in that they are rarely directly involved with the assembly of whatever the product is. They are more focused on the determination of assignments/projects (or at least that is my current understanding). Moving forward, I’ll be attending a marketing photo shoot tomorrow.

Log

• 9:15-9:27 (corresponded with Michelle about drives)
• 9:27-2:03 (searched for press release media contacts)

Journal

Today, I checked again and I’m still unable to get into the O:Drive. I then checked out the GroupMe app that Emily (Assistant Director of Video Services) helped me access. Next, I continued my hunt for media contacts in PA to upload to my spreadsheet. I realized along the way that some media outlets may cover more than one county. Thus, it may be appropriate to list them multiple times in the spreadsheet. I think that I may remove the duplicates and list each organization underneath the county in which it is based (at least to start).

Towards the end of the day, I had a quick meeting with Michelle about getting access to the O and S drives. I confirmed with Michelle that I’ll be helping out with the marketing photoshoot tomorrow. She reminded me of the upcoming project where I write a report for Molly which inventories brand elements across the IUP campus.

 

Log

9:31-9:34 (checked email)
9:35-9:37 (checked O:Drive)
9:37-9:43 (checked GroupMe)
9:43-2:08 (sought for media contacts in PA to upload to the spreadsheet, logged my time in eTime,).
2:09-2:17 (checked O:Drive and S:Drive, and met with Michelle)

Journal

Today, my hours varied a bit due to a personal errand I needed to run. When working, I checked to make sure that the drives I need to complete the dean’s list press release assignment from Michelle are not yet open. That being the case, I turned my attention back to the Tribune website to look for contacts from the different news departments in that organization.

I learned that the representation of the departments in the Tribune in the excel sheet Michelle gave me was, at least as far as I can tell, at odds with what the Tribune website says about themselves. So I made some significant changes to the department names on the excel sheet. On Monday, I may be able to move forward to a new media organization or even finish Allegheny County.

Log

10:03-11:09 (project hours)

11:09-11:59 (checked to make sure that the drives were not open)

2:23-4:09 (hunted through the tribune for media contacts for Allegheny County)

Journal

Today was relatively relaxed. Michelle provided me with two new projects. The first is to assist with press releases regarding the dean’s list. The other is to help take inventory of older IUP branding material located around campus. I wasn’t able to make much project on either today as I’m waiting to get access to the O: Drive. There I’ll edit and store press releases based on hard copies of personal information Michelle provided me with today.

I learned the face belonging to the name of one of my coworkers today. Emily and I had been in a meeting earlier this year but its beneficial to be nailing down exactly who everyone is in the office. I’m still not finished with that process yet. For tomorrow, Michelle won’t be in. I’ll likely focus on making sure those press releases are ready to go.

Log

10:06-1:32 (Media Relations work)

1:32-2:09 (project work)

Journal

Today was a shortened day due to a personal matter I attended to early in the day. Once that was completed I turned my attention to the excel sheet Michelle had given me. I learned that it contained more data than I initially had thought. I pulled a lot of the material out into a new excel sheet that focuses on media outlets and contacts.

Moving forward, I’m not sure how best to move forward. On the one hand I had just completed my word doc templates and was filling them with data. On the other hand, this project will likely result in an excel spread sheet anyway. I’m less familiar with excel and that may account for my hesitancy to move forward in an excel format. That may very well end up being a valid concern, as the amount of data entry I’ll be doing is considerable and being comfortable with the program I’m using might speed things up.

Log

10:20-2:11 (spent the bulk of the day preparing new excel template in light of the one Michelle sent over to me prior)

3:31-3:41 (blogged about the day’s activities)

Journal

Today I wrestled with an error message that keeps appearing when I try to change the names of files. It’s coming up again and again because as I enter in contact info for media outlets we may like to send press releases to I’m updating the names of files and folders to indicate that the region I’m working on is done. I’ve yet to learn how to solve the problem. I tried to check with Eric Barker, who seems to be a resident tech guru, but he wasn’t in.

Nevertheless, I did manage to find contact information for multiple counties and I’m making progress through the list. I’d like to learn eventually how to keep this error from popping up. I also need to double check the excel sheet Michelle sent me to make sure that I’m finding the info she wants.

Log

9:31-2:06

Journal

Today, I learned how to enter my time into the system IUP uses. Michelle was gracious enough to alert me that there was a hangup in the payroll system and by working together with the nice people downstairs we were able to solve it. Everyone approached the issue with grace and with the others interests at heart and it worked out quite nicely.

I also sent Michelle and Stephanie my conclusions about IUP addressing our re-brand in press releases. On the whole, it seems like multiple academic institutions are doing so. Therefore, it seems wise to follow their example, perhaps by asking the president to give an address on the subject. Moving forward I’ll be searching for contacts at media outlets in Pennsylvania who can receive our press releases. There are so many, I wonder if I’ll be able to finish this state before my internship ends.

Log

9:36-2:15

On Thursday I stayed home with a family member feeling under the weather. Friday, Stephanie asked me to help re-arrange her office. It was fun to joke with her as we moved things around. Then I headed back to my office where I installed a new monitor Erik Barker was kind enough to provide me with. For the rest of the day, I calculated the pace I need to set with my internship hours for the rest of the semester. I learned that if I leave at 2:30 PM every weekday till August 31 I’ll be done on time.

Moving forward, I need to finish updating my templates for media contacts in PA (and actually find media contacts). I also need to wrap up the media-relations/best practices-during-a-university-rebrand project.