Tag: Marketing

Alexa: A Summer of Interning

Hope everyone is enjoying their last few weeks of summer. This summer I hadn’t really planned on interning anywhere but when I was offered an opportunity to do so I was really excited. I am interning for a company called, SmileSimplicity. The company focuses on enhancing a person’s smile without eliminating any tooth structure (unlike regular veneers which contour teeth and can never be reversed). I am still interning there and feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with such innovative, hardworking people.

You’re probably thinking: what does this have to do with journalism?

Well, a part of my job is interviewing patients before and after their SmileSimplicity procedure, creating marketing tools and writing press releases. The positive thing about working for a small company was that I wasn’t just doing things to keep busy but I am able to be  involved with important components, like being a part of conference calls and having the opportunity to contribute to advertisement ideas. I didn’t feel like an intern, I felt like an employee. I was also able to learn more about the business side of journalism. Even though I still would like to pursue a sports journalism career, I’m glad I have had the opportunity to branch out and see a different side of journalism.

I am so excited to meet all of you come fall and hope you are looking forward to being a Terrier!

Jon: Game On: PAX East Invades Boston

Jon ImageHi all! Spring is in the air, and you know what that means: time for PAX East. What is PAX you ask? Well, for those of you who don’t know, Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX, is a three-day gaming convention created by the writers of the Web Comic Penny Arcade. The convention, originally launched in 2004, was created as a celebration of everything gamer culture-related. From Halo to Ski-Ball, PAX had a niche for every type of gamer.

Unfortunately for us east-coasters, the original PAX, now known as PAX Prime, is held on the west coast. However, in 2010 the creators of PAX launched a brand new event: PAX East. Held in Boston, PAX east was to be a chance for Atlantic fans of video games to enjoy the pure awesomeness that PAX had to offer, and it lived up to that ideal, with more attendees in its first year than the 6-year-old PAX Prime.

Since 2010, PAX East has flourished, and from April 6th to April 8th, it invades the massive Boston Convention and Exhibition Center(BCEC) with music, lectures, Q&A’s, slammin’ dance parties, and, of course, a massive dose of gaming.

PAX is going to be a great experience, both personally and professionally. For anyone interested in the entertainment business, there will be something relevant to your chosen career field going on. For me, this is the Star Power in Marketing lecture, which will discuss the role and effect of celebrities in video game marketing campaigns (an issue that is certainly relevant with the recent Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 trailer featuring Sam Worthington and Jonah Hill). For others it might be Video Games Aren’t Just for Playing panel on pro gaming and e-sports broadcasting/spectating. Or maybe it’s even the Community Management 2012 talk by a group of P.R. professionals working for major gaming studios and developers. These amazing opportunities are not your average industry panels. This is all without mentioning the plentiful opportunities to network with professionals in the gaming business.

PAX East is going to be chaotic and amazing. The weekend-long gaming-oriented event will be a chance to party up, groove out, and game on. It’s going to be a weekend to remember. And of course, I’ll be live-tweeting the whole thing from @JonMayer249.

Until Next Time,

~Jon