Past Intern Interview: From Research to Strategy

Nicole Hemstad

By: Nicole Hemstad, Corporate Communications Intern

Name: Tom Riordan

Current Position: Media Associate at Spark Communications

SMG Internship: Research Intern, Starcom MediaVest Group – Summer 2008

Tom Riordan is an intern-turned-media associate at Spark Communications. In his internship, Tom got a broad view of the organization and got to work on various research projects where he learned lots of industry terminology. After learning about all the different positions, Tom decided he wanted to work in strategy rather than research and was hired on as a broadcast associate.

Now after almost two years at Spark, Tom has gotten to work on numerous successful campaigns and encourages interns to learn and spend time with all the incredible people working at SMG. Tom reflects on his experience as an intern and shares the helpful advice he learned along the way.

Read the Full interview below to learn more about Tom and the internship program.

Tom Riordan

What was your past internship at SMG and what clients did you work on?

I got the internship at Starcom through an organization called the Media Research Club of Chicago. I interned the summer of 2008, but I was only there part time – 3 days a week. I was a research intern working with the research analysts and the majority of my work was with one client at Starcom. 

Describe some of the projects you got to work on while at your internship and what you learned from them?

For the majority of my internship I worked on creating a brand research catalog. Basically it’s a collection of smaller brand metric accountability research studies on different campaigns for the brand. The data shows unaided brand recognition and shows if the advertising we are placing is working. That was my main project but I also did small projects for my supervisor. We also had an intern project where we had to create an intern recruitment video. It turned out to be a pretty funny video. 

What was a perk and a challenge from your internship?

A challenge of the internship was definitely the beginning when you are attending status meetings and you’re not really sure what is going on and they are using all this jargon. But you get the hang of it and that part gets easier.

The best part of an internship, I think, is the flexibility you have to explore all the other departments and just the opportunity to learn. I definitely took advantage of being able to grab coffee with people on other teams, asking them questions and hearing what advice they had. You get a really broad view as an intern because SMG offers so many different ways to learn about the company through their internship program.

What made you want to come back and work for SMG?

I really enjoyed my internship, so at the end of the summer I knew I wanted to come back. When you finish an internship at SMG you can be recommended for rehire. I was lucky enough to be recommended, and from there it turned into a job offer. After seeing different positions at the company, I decided I wanted to work in strategy rather than research. So I was hired on as a broadcast media associate. 

What advice would you give interns to get the most out of their experience?

My advice would be to definitely talk and get to know people outside of your team. It’s really good to learn all the aspects of the agency. Also, talk to your supervisor about what you want to be doing or what career path you want to be on. The people here are great and they will really listen and might be able to give you advice. It would really be in your best interest to just meet as many people at the agency as you can. 

What is your favorite thing to do in Chicago?

I love the street fests during the summer. I love going to concerts at Millennium Park. There is so much to do in this city for free. The summer months in Chicago are the best!