On the Client's Side

Over the summer I interned at Breslow Partners, a full service public relations firm located in Rittenhouse Square specializing in restaurants and bars in and around Philadelphia. I was hired by the firm's founder and president, Tina Breslow, to be on her team. Each intern can take on a specific client to work on as their project for the duration of their tenure with the firm.

While interning during the week, I worked at The Yardley Inn Restaurant & Bar on the weekends. Upon my return to the old side job, the manager asked me how school was going. I informed her of my new internship. Her reaction was a mixture of surprise and relief, "I'm looking for new marketing people as a matter of fact," she revealed to me, "take my card with you." Sometimes opportunity shows itself in the strangest of places. I acted quickly and pitched the idea to my boss. Upon explanation to Tina and her daughter, Jennifer a meeting with the Inn was set up.

I was in a unique situation; I knew everything about the restaurant from my three years experience, the good and the bad. I also actively worked there at the time. I was quite literally the middleman on this deal. Three weeks and four meetings later, the deal closed on July 1st. I was shocked and slightly horrified because I had put many eyes on me to help make this newly formed relationship work. Without realizing it, I created an immense amount of pressure for myself. With this deal closing, I tapped into a new drive and got down to work because this was not another homework assignment, this is a real life client and I have become a publicist.

Some say success is half luck, those people couldn't be more right. Success, in my opinion, comes from hard work and experiencing many failures along the way before getting what you want. Success is also having the foresight to spot an opportunity and having the tools on hand to grow that opportunity into something bigger. I have failed many times. I have done some silly things at the infancy of my career as a student. But this is why we go to school and intern, to fail in a safe zone where we can pick ourselves right back up and keep going. It's when we get past graduation where it takes a lot more out of you to pick yourself back up after failing. With the opportunity to be on the strategic planning side of a client, this is the avenue to creating a successful portfolio to launch myself into the career that I want. Without the support of my professors in the Strat. Comm. department for showing me what I need to do to become a successful publicist and the invaluable experience working in PRowl all last year on the Strat. Comm. account, I would not have had the knowledge and tools at my disposal to spot this opportunity let alone follow through on it. So for that I say thank you. 

At Breslow Partners, we are in the third month of the 12-month contract and we are starting to see some results.  We have over hauled their social media, created a fresh newsletter and gained media relations for special events. 

Breslow Partners is hiring interns for the fall and spring semesters.  To apply, send your resume over to Jennifer Mansfield at Jennifer@breslowpartners.com. 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Nathan Wilson.