The team at Belfort Group extends our sincere thanks to our amazing summer interns—Ainsley Corriveau, Lara Guerra, Ana Victoria Mellado, and Evie Noto. These talented individuals not only approached their work with enthusiasm and a desire to learn but made meaningful contributions to both our client projects and our internal agency efforts.
We are proud of how they reflected BG’s core values of Collaboration, Innovation, Trust, and Impact in all their work. As they continue their academic journeys, we look forward to seeing their future achievements.
As they wrap up their time with us, we invited them to reflect on their experiences, the new skills they’ve developed, and offer advice for future interns. Here’s what they had to share!
What new skills have you learned since beginning your experience at BG?
Evie: Before starting my internship at BG, I only had a basic understanding of public relations. Most of my experience focused on social media marketing, so stepping into PR was new territory for me. Now that I have had the chance to dive into this field, I’ve realized how much there is to it. One of my favorite tasks has been analyzing media coverage, summarizing the key insights, and posting them on the website along with creating social media copy for the team. It’s been interesting to see how my social media skills tie into PR work in different ways. I’ve also gotten hands-on experience with creating media lists in MuckRack and designing content calendars in Excel, which has really helped me understand how to manage media strategies effectively. This experience has not only expanded my knowledge of PR but has also enhanced my ability to work across both earned and owned media strategies. It’s been a great learning journey, and I feel much more confident in my ability to navigate the PR world.
Ainsley: There are a ton of new skills I learned throughout my BG internship. One of my biggest takeaways was learning how to use and working with platforms such as MuckRack, Meltwater, Meta Ads Manager, and LinkedIn Campaign Manager. I also learned how to be a team player and how to be flexible with helping out whenever and wherever I can. Achieving goals set by our clients often require everyone to collaborate and support each other.
Ana Victoria: At BG, I learned more about how social media marketing works and how to work on different kinds of projects for clients. I also improved my time management skills in a fast paced environment. I conducted a lot of social media research for BG and was thrilled to share findings and contribute to the team. I used to feel shy when talking to people I know and collaborating with the team at BG has helped me come out of my shell and I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to grow my communication skills here. Open communication is encouraged here and I felt that I could easily ask anyone for help and communicate easily with everyone on the team.
Lara: I’ve learned so much throughout my internship at BG. This was my first internship, and without much professional experience, everything was new to me. I’ve learned how to properly conduct thorough research, write and communicate effectively, and how to collaborate on a team. My favorite skill I gained was performing a competitor analysis. I had never done in-depth research like that before, but I had a lot of fun gathering and formatting the information. From media relations to reputation building and management, I now have a better understanding of the complexity in running an integrated agency.
What advice would you give to others considering an internship in marketing?
Evie: If you’re considering an internship in marketing, my biggest piece of advice is to be open to learning as much as you can. Marketing is a broad field, so don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try new things! Every experience, even the ones that seem small, adds up and gives you a better understanding of the bigger picture.
Also, be patient! There are different paths to take in Marketing/PR and it’s normal to not know exactly which direction you want to take right away. I suggest trying out as much as you can during your internship. The application process can be daunting, so it’s important to stay patient and open-minded as you explore your options.
Ainsley: I would say go for it, no matter what roadblocks you might run into! There are so many different aspects of marketing and you never really know what you like until you actually get into the work. A marketing agency, like BG, is a really fast paced environment which is unlike anything I’ve experienced in the classroom. It is a lot of fun to work with various clients and on numerous projects, and every day is truly a unique experience.
Ana Victoria: Internships are great opportunities to expand your knowledge and gain insight on how research can be used in the real world. So my advice would be to provide as much information as possible in your research and share your own ideas based on your findings. Your ideas might be used by the team which can be a great feeling!
Lara: One piece of advice I would give others considering a marketing internship is to be open to exploring all aspects of a marketing agency, not just what you’re majoring in. I started my internship solely focused on PR work. As I settled in, I began to learn more about marketing and the kind of projects we do for the agency itself. Exploring other areas in marketing has helped me realize that what I learned in school relating to PR was useful for aspects of marketing. Don’t be afraid to explore something new!
What has been your favorite part of working with our team, and why?
Evie: My favorite part about working with the team at BG is the strong sense of community I feel within the team. Everyone here is genuinely supportive and wants to see each other succeed, which makes for a great working environment. I’ve really appreciated how everyone is always willing- and happy- to lend a helping hand or answer any questions I have. There are a lot of benefits of working on a team that is unified and friendly. Even though BG is hybrid, the sense of camaraderie within the team is clear.
Ainsley: One of my favorite parts of working with the team at BG has been getting to collaborate with a supportive and kind team. Every single person has gone above and beyond to help me feel welcomed into the company, which I think really goes back to their overall company culture. I was curious about so many different aspects of the digital marketing and PR field and I was extremely fortunate that the team was willing to show me bits and pieces of everything!
Ana Victoria: My favorite part of working with BG was getting the opportunity to create social content for BG’s social platforms and be featured in the content. I never saw myself being in front of the camera in any way, but I honestly had a lot of fun taking clips for A Day in the Life of a BG Intern reel and editing it. It took me out of my comfort zone in an amazing way, and now I want to find ways to keep doing things like that. Also, it was fun to be a part of the Landmark College account. My oldest sister graduated from there so I visited it a couple of times, but here I was able to learn a lot more about the college and what the students do. Because of the college’s location I never thought much of what they do for fun, but because I was given the opportunity to work on this account, I learned that they truly have an amazing community for their students.
Lara: My favorite part about working with the BG team is that everyone is a team player. In every task assigned, I felt supported by the people I worked with and never felt nervous asking for help. No question was a dumb one! At the start of my internship, it was clear that I was working with people who were always available to help! Also, everyone I worked with were like teachers to me, and I learned something new from them each day. I also loved how the advice interns shared were taken into consideration. We worked on assignments that were impactful to our coworkers’ work and helped projects move forward.
Why are you passionate about marketing/pr?
Evie: I’m passionate about marketing because you get to create tailored messages for different audiences. It’s exciting to see how efficiently and quickly messages can spread, and I love the entire process—from developing a strategy and plan to crafting posts or campaigns and bringing the plan to life. Social media is particularly fascinating to me because it provides such an efficient way to reach a wide audience. With so many people active on these platforms, using them strategically can boost customer engagement, enhance brand awareness, create a brand image, and so much more. PR, on the other hand, fascinates me because of its role in building relationships and shaping public perceptions. It’s intriguing how PR efforts are vital in influencing how the media and the public view a brand or individual. It’s exciting to navigate how the elements of building relationships and managing reputations come together to shape a brand’s image and connect with people.
Ainsley: Marketing and public relations really interests me because they are central to the success of most companies. To effectively promote their objectives, brands need a strong understanding of their image and how to shape it. Specifically the creativity and ideation that is needed to succeed in the digital marketing and PR field really excites me. On the digital marketing side of things, crafting compelling ad copy and developing campaigns allows me to explore the goals outlined by clients. From the public relations perspective I enjoy aligning our clients’ areas of interest with relevant news stories to engage larger audiences. These fields are constantly evolving due to new technology, meaning that learning is an ongoing process and strategies are continually being refined.
Ana Victoria: I am passionate about marketing because this career sums up everything I want to do in my professional career. I am an artist, but I would never want to do that for work, and in my first year of college I found that I really liked my business classes, which opened up a whole new world for me. Marketing is a great career opportunity for me to grow in the business world, but it could be creative and fun where you can do so many different tasks. One day I hope that my future job and career is as colorful and fun, but busy, as I imagine it to be.
Lara: Going into my sophomore year of college, I decided to add a concentration in public relations to my major. I was very intrigued by the field and excited to see how communication studies applied to the real world. When I started my internship, I didn’t think I was prepared for the marketing aspect, but I quickly realized that both fields are similar and overlap with each other. Because of this, there is something new to learn and work on every day. As someone who is passionate about learning, this aspect of the marketing and PR industry fuel my passion for working in this field. The fast-paced environment of the marketing and public relations field keeps me on my toes!