Read our Q&A with Hirons’ latest round of interns to hear about their previous experiences, and why they chose Hirons.
Name: Lexi Eisert
Internship Title: Media Intern
What college do/did you attend and what is your major?
I attend Indiana University. I am double majoring in media, advertising and Spanish, with a minor in marketing.
Why did you choose Hirons for an internship?
Hirons has a great reputation at IU for providing internships for students and giving them the hands-on experience that is crucial in this industry.
What do you hope to accomplish during your internship?
I hope to gain a better understanding of how media and advertising work at the local level.
What kind of work-related experience do you bring to us?
Over the summer, I worked at the media agency MediaCom in NYC as an intern on the Allergan pharmaceuticals team. Last year I was greatly involved with the National Student Advertising Competition, creating an ad campaign from scratch, including research, creative and media.
What kind of life experience do you bring to us?
I grew up in a small town in southeastern Indiana, though I lived in Spain for six months and spent one summer in Mexico and one in New York. I often find myself making cultural comparisons, both consciously and subconsciously.
What are your first impressions of Hirons?
Everyone here is super nice (and hardworking, too!).
Fun facts about yourself:
I taught myself how to juggle when I was 9 because I thought it would make me “cool” (it really wasn’t “cool,” but now I use it as my go-to fun fact).
I’ve been a Seattle Seahawks fan since I watched them lose the 2005 Super Bowl and I thought it was “unfair” that they lost.
Name: Marissa Smith
Internship Title: Communications Management Intern
What college do/did you attend and what is your major?
I am currently a senior at IUPUI majoring in journalism with a concentration in public relations.
Why did you choose Hirons for an internship?
After five previous internships, I had experience working in-house at several organizations, but I sought experience in a more fast-paced agency setting. Hirons is a well-established, full-service agency, so it was a perfect fit. I am very grateful to be here!
What do you hope to accomplish during your internship?
I hope to hone my time management skills by working on multiple projects at a time. I am also very interested in learning how each of the departments here work together to execute projects.
What kind of work-related experience do you bring to us?
I have completed five communications internships in the last year, most of which were with nonprofits. At each location, I was responsible for generating social media content, writing blogs and executing public relations campaigns.
What kind of life experience do you bring to us?
I am from a rural Indiana town, but I have been living in Indy for several years now. I understand both the perspectives of small town Indiana folks as well as urban residents in the city, so I feel like I am able to communicate well with either population.
What are your first impressions of Hirons?
My first impression of Hirons is that it’s very much a “work hard, play hard” company. As much as I hate to use clichés, I feel like that pretty much embodies the culture here. Everyone is friendly, but they know how to get work done efficiently and don’t waste time.
Fun facts about yourself:
My hair has been every shade of the rainbow.
I grew up around cats and consider them part of the family.
I wrote my first short story when I was 8 – it was about a pioneer woman who decided she didn’t need a husband to build her own homestead.
Name: Brandon Benesh
Internship Title: Communications Management Intern
What college do/did you attend and what is your major?
Ball State University (graduated May 2018)
Major: Interpersonal Communication
Why did you choose Hirons for an internship?
In the interview the interviewer was very caring and willing to accommodate specific needs/issues that were asked.
What do you hope to accomplish during your internship?
Big goal is to figure out what I would like to do after this internship ends and what job I would like in the foreseeable future.
Help out on projects by seeing them from start to end.
See how the different jobs function together and independently.
What kind of work-related experience do you bring to us?
- Action Filtration
I have worked in sales/management (selling dust collection filters).
I did the rebranding of that company (creating a new logo, updating website, adding pictures of their finished products). - Shafer Leadership Academy
Helped put on leadership presentations including setting up and helping out attendees who had questions/concerns. - Eskenazi Health
Led a team hosting an employee engagement event.
Edited the processes/tests that were used in the garden for kids on field trips or adult groups touring it.
Edited and created patient handouts for the nutrition department.
What kind of life experience do you bring to us?
I’ve played basketball all my life: enjoy working on teams and the fast-paced environment.
I’ve had 10 surgeries so far. I am patient and able to see the big picture in situations.
I grew up in a small town, traveled a lot and went to Ball State. I’ve seen many different kinds of people with different thought processes.
What are your first impressions of Hirons?
Friendly, understanding, accommodating, able to take on many different projects, appears to be good with people and customers.
Fun facts about yourself
I won my hometown’s basketball tournament in 5th grade, I collectively have nine toes (4½ on each foot), my favorite musician is Elliott Smith (Indie rock artist ‘90s-early 2000s) and I have a pacemaker.
Name: Aspen Schopp
Internship Title: Tom Hirons Media School Intern
What college do/did you attend and what is your major?
I’m currently a senior at Indiana University Bloomington studying journalism, public relations and advertising with a concentration in media science and a minor in creative writing.
Why did you choose Hirons for an internship?
One of my professor connected me to Hirons, and the company’s values to outthink, outwork and outperform align with my goals for myself.
What do you hope to accomplish during your internship?
This is my first experience with an agency, so I’m wanting to get a good understanding of agency life. I’m also hoping to do well as the first Tom Hirons intern and learn as much as I can from the opportunity.
What kind of work-related experience do you bring to us?
I was part of IU’s 2018 PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition Team that earned the school’s first honorable mention in 10 years. I’ve also done freelance work for a few nonprofits and interned at The WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology in Bloomington this past summer.
What kind of life experience do you bring to us?
My life has trained me to roll with the punches, venture out of my comfort zone often and have a good sense of humor. Moving from Illinois to Indiana halfway through my junior year of high school got rid of any security blankets I had. From joining my high school’s tennis team with zero idea of how to play tennis to being an RA for IU’s Outdoor Adventure LLC, I’m always looking for new challenges and adventures.
What are your first impressions of Hirons?
The snack cabinet was restocked right before my first day, so that definitely made a strong impression.
Fun facts about yourself:
Like most people, I enjoy music a lot. My all-time favorites are Joni Mitchell, SZA and Frank Ocean.
My favorite place to be is outside. I like to joke that I’ll be choosing the places I live based on how beautiful my near-daily walks can be, but I’m also pretty convinced this is not a bad policy to live by.
I got really into audiobooks this summer and spent a lot of time with my headphones on, wandering around Bloomington and the IU campus listening to stories. I’m an INFJ to my core, so this was easily the most recharging part of my summer.
I have really bad luck that makes for really funny stories. I broke a bone for the first time (my wrist) roller skating on a date. I also got impetigo twice in one year, even though it’s not all that common in adults.
Name: Jordan Nussear
Internship Title: Business Development Intern
What college do/did you attend and what is your major?
The University of Indianapolis, marketing.
Why did you choose Hirons for an internship?
Every job I have worked until now has had fewer than 10 people in the entire office. I wanted the opportunity to develop my skills in marketing/PR while experiencing a new office dynamic.
What do you hope to accomplish during your internship?
I want to learn as much as I possibly can about working in an agency and everything that goes into a public relations campaign.
What kind of work-related experience do you bring to us?
I spent the summer interning with the Greater Greenwood Chamber of Commerce. I was responsible for planning events, developing social media material, filming videos and organizing a public awareness campaign. I also am a writer for the University of Indianapolis Athletic Development. I write all of the department’s solicitation materials from gift letters to Christmas cards.
What kind of life experience do you bring to us?
I was a swimmer for 14 years so I have spent a lot of time being a part of a team and working with different personalities.
What are your first impressions of Hirons?
The dogs are awesome. There is a lot to learn so it is really important to always be paying attention.
Fun facts about yourself:
When I was a freshman in high school, I was on the swim team. At a weightlifting session a week before our championship meet, I dropped a 30-pound weight on my face and broke my nose.
Name: Anna Weddle
Internship Title: Creative Intern
What college do/did you attend and what is your major?
I graduated from Ball State in May 2018. I majored in graphic design.
Why did you choose Hirons for an internship?
I previously was an intern at BaM and my old boss recommended that I may be a good fit at Hirons and should reach out.
What do you hope to accomplish during your internship?
I want to learn more about working in an agency and experience the culture here. I’m also hoping to improve as a designer and learn from those around me.
What kind of work-related experience do you bring to us?
In college I worked for three years at the Digital Corps. It was a unique office environment that allowed me to collaborate with developers, writers, UX designers and other designers to create apps, websites and branding projects for the university. I was also a team lead of Studio 165+ during school, where I led a team of student designers as we made work for clients such as the Muncie Arts and Culture Council. I stayed involved in the local AIGA chapter, attending events and volunteering the past two years at the national conference. I also made print advertisements for Be Here Now, a Muncie music venue. After graduating, I’ve been doing freelance for a farm and CBRE, I interned at BaM and I volunteered at the Brand New Conference. Now, I’m happily starting off at Hirons!
What kind of life experience do you bring to us?
I love to travel and experiment with new mediums to see how it informs my design. I have learned to (poorly) make neon signs, and love to experiment with illustration and photography.
What are your first impressions of Hirons?
Hirons seems to have collected a wonderful group of hardworking, fun, dog-loving people. The work is well done and the office is very cool! I’m excited to work with them!
Fun facts about yourself:
I have been to a wedding in India, climbed Kirkjufell mountain in Iceland and gotten stitches in Jamaica.
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