ComArtSci student Jillie Gretzinger spent the summer of 2021 interning at VCU Camp ADventure, where she was an art director intern.
While working as an art director intern, her primary functions were to produce campaigns tackling three different projects: increasing donations and the donor base, increasing awareness of the organization for Black Women-Owned businesses and creating awareness for Black Women-Owned Businesses Awareness Month in November. Gretzinger also worked in a team that included herself as an art director, a copywriter, a strategist and a graphic designer.
Although this wasn't Gretzinger's first experience in her field, she shares what made her want to apply for this opportunity.
"When I saw the internship on LinkedIn, it seemed like an amazing opportunity, and I knew instantly I wanted to apply," Gretzinger said. "I especially wanted to apply because I wanted to exercise and grow my skills as an art director, and I thought the internship at VCU Camp ADventure would be the perfect place for that."
The greatest lesson Gretzinger learned while participating in the internship is the importance of collaboration, especially in the advertising industry. This internship equipped her with the skills of adaptability and creative thinking. It was important that her campaign was unique, which involved a lot of group brainstorms and constant content output.
In February 2021, Gretzinger received the opportunity to participate in an internship at Know Advertising in Royal Oak, where she worked as an art director.
"This internship was definitely memorable, and I was surrounded by amazing people in the ad field," Gretzinger said. "One of my favorite parts of this internship was working on the company's podcast, 'Advertising and Other B.S.' I even got to be featured on one episode!"
Gretzinger is currently the creative director and vice president at Michigan State's Advertising Association. Within this role, she is responsible for creating all advertisements, running the social accounts and producing/updating the association's website. While working as the creative director and vice president for the Michigan State's Advertising Association, she also serves as the social media manager for The State News. Her photographs were featured in VIM's 2019 print edition.
By Demetria Bias