Our Brandcampers (aka interns), were recently featured in Rochester's Democrat and Chronicle.
Unique advertising internship has "campers" excited
The posters for BrandCamp - the internship program at High Falls advertising agency Partners + Napier - have catchy slogans like, "Most interns make copies. Ours create originals." And: "You think you've got something we've never seen? It better not be a third nipple."
This definitely isn't a typical internship.
And the past and present interns? "The best and the brightest," says Barry Strauber, vice president of creative services.
BrandCamp's motto - "It's not an internship, it's a lifestyle" - reflects the dedication the interns (or campers, as they're called) have for the program and the real-world projects they work on.
"It's a lot more than just a job," says Michael Chatfield, account planner at Partners + Napier. "People who come here come because they love advertising." (Click "Read more" to see the full article.)
"We're gonna really push you here," says Strauber. "There are no sandwiches, no cleaning closets - we have them do stuff we would do. It's a mini agency inside the agency, with its own process, its own infrastructure."
Although BrandCamp was born just last summer, the first session saw 180 applicants, while only 15 interns were accepted into the program. Since the start, 23 campers have completed the program. The most recent selection of nine campers for the Winter 2010 session includes RIT photography and advertising student K. Nicole Murtagh. Her photography skills are new to BrandCamp, which includes typical ad agency roles like account executive and copywriter.
Her 90-second stop motion photography application video immediately impressed Chatfield.
"We were pretty much blown away," he says. "We see the talent more than we see the specifics," adds Strauber. "There's an amazing amount of talent inside of them, where if we can just create the opportunity, and have them thrive in this environment, it will bring it all out."
Current camper Rose Feor, 25, says the program has given her much more real world experience than sitting in a classroom. "It's merging real tasks, real priorities to meet deadlines and have deliverables," says the University of Rochester Simon Graduate School of Business student.
But with such a hands-on internship, some of the campers are worried they'll be disappointed once they find a job after graduation. "Every time I walk in here I can just feel (the energy of) this place, and I know that's what I want," says camper Jamie Least, 23. "I'm nervous about maybe never finding that anywhere else."
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