Corey Scott Intern #20

Practicum Self-Reflection Essay

1. Now that you have nearly completed your spring practicum, what advice would give to an
incoming student about the organization you interned with?

My experiences while interning with Good Karma Brands and ESPN Cleveland have

provided me with a whole new set of skills that will help with my upcoming professional career.

Coming into the internship, I was anticipating it to be full of challenges, learning opportunities,

and fun experiences. It was everything that I had hoped it would be. The most important rule that

I attempted to follow while interning was to always ask questions. The culture at ESPN

Cleveland is extremely welcoming and Good Karma Brands was founded with a goal of listening

to all employees. Each teammate at ESPN Cleveland is more than willing to help when they have

the time to, and being able to have that available as an intern is extremely important to getting as

much out of the experience as possible.

Whether its asking for help with a project, getting a more in depth explanation of a

program or process, or shadowing a teammate while they work each work day is full of

opportunity for interns to take advantage of. While interning, you will face an overwhelming

amount of new information, which is why it is so important to ask questions and receive

clarification. Good Karma Brands and ESPN Cleveland pride themselves on their accepting and

welcoming culture, as an incoming intern its extremely important to ask questions and be

hungry to learn as much as possible.

2. Explain in detail using examples of how you contributed to your organization.

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Interns at ESPN Cleveland are presented with numerous responsibilities throughout the

length of the program and are expected to execute their duties fully. Work shifts at ESPN

Cleveland are separated into three categories: show shifts, office hours and events.

While working the show shifts for the Really Big Show on ESPN 850 WKNR I contributed

to the success of the show by doing show preparation, brainstorming content for on air hosts,

cutting and editing audio and recapping what went well during the show. Office hours were

dedicated to working on assigned projects from teammates. Examples of projects completed

include writing copy for commercials and live reads to be read on air, creating a presentation

about company culture and history, writing an article about NBA betrayals, and conducting

marketing research and analysis. For most event shifts, I implemented a street team with one of

the ESPN Cleveland partners on-site (typically at a bar or restaurant) to promote our relationship

and generate buzz about our partnership. Two major events that I contributed towards were the

ESPN Cleveland Fan Appreciation Party and the NFL Draft Party. For those major events, I was

primarily responsible for checking in guests, redirecting them to the appropriate place, engaging

fans in conversation, and assisting teammates with their individual needs all while representing

Good Karma Brands and ESPN Cleveland to their standards.

3. Explain, including examples, how you applied your coursework in communication to the

work you did at your organization.

My knowledge acquired as a communication studies major has greatly contributed towards

my success as an ESPN Cleveland intern. Communication theory is one class specifically that

has influenced the way that I communicate with others by applying theory. Visual design literacy

and advanced visual design, which are specific to applied communication concentrations, helped

immensely throughout the internship. One project assigned was to create banner ads for four
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ESPN Cleveland events and thanks to those two classes I exceled at creating banner ads in

photoshop.

Writing across platforms taught very valuable information about how to write for different

mediums. For instance, copy for a live read should read differently than copy for social media. I

was assigned several writing projects throughout the internship and applied what I had learned as

a JMC student to successfully write across several platforms.

4. List three new skills you learned and used during your practicum. Provide examples.

One new skill that I learned during my practicum was editing and cutting audio files. The

Really Big Show is made up of several segments, live reads, and interviews. We cut and edit

audio from each show to save for partners, upload to our podcast, and post online. I previously

had no experience with Adobe Audition, however the internship has taught me the skills to

operate the program.

A second skill that I learned during my practicum was creating digital ads. I had previous

experience using photoshop to create static banner ads. Following the creation of the static

banner ads in photoshop, I was taught how to transfer the photoshop files into a program called

Google Web Designer to make the ads digital meaning that they move like advertisements

online.

A third skill that I learned during my practicum was how to write copy for commercials and

live reads. As a student, I have spent countless hours writing papers and essays, however, I had

never had to write copy for a commercial or live read. Wording and writing style for

commercials and live reads is very different from other mediums. For instance, when writing for

live reads its essential to transition from segment to live read so that it sounds natural and more
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believable, in hopes of influencing listeners and convincing them that the testimony is genuine. I

wrote copy for two commercials and one live read during my practicum with ESPN Cleveland.

5. How did this practicum prepare you for the real world?

First and foremost, the practicum helped develop and enhance my skill set, which will help

me be a productive employee in my future career. Specifically, the practicum program helped

strengthen my communication skills, both verbally and non-verbally, my writing skills, and my

relationship building skills. Through my practicum with ESPN Cleveland I built relationships

with many teammates which can be used for references to the quality of work I can produce.

Networking is extremely important and by creating connections with ESPN Cleveland was

presented with an opportunity to further my career with Good Karma Brands and ESPN. I

applied for a marketing consultant position with Good Karma Brands and ESPN Madison and

have been going through the interview process, hopefully leading to a full-time job with the

company.

Having completed the practicum with Good Karma Brands and ESPN Cleveland, I feel

confident that I would be a valuable teammate in Madison. My experiences in Cleveland have

put me in a position to be successful and I wouldnt be nearly as qualified or prepared without

the practicum experience.