A Toast to a PR internship to remember

PR INTERN, OLIVIA CAMPBELL, REFLECTS ON HER TIME SPENT WITH AN AWARD-WINNING EDINBURGH PR CONSULTANCY

By Olivia Campbell

THE TIME has come to say farewell, as I drive off into the sunset and journey home for a weekend of relaxation in the quiet countryside, reflecting on my recent PR internship with Holyrood PR.

The aim is to take a pause from the fast-paced world of PR.

I say a break, I actually mean wait a day or two before the boredom kicks in and I’m looking to get straight back in to the fast paced lifestyle of communications – which is just addictive, enjoyable and one that I’ll hopefully continue to be a part of throughout my career.

My time at Holyrood PR has been informative and thoroughly rewarding. I have worked on accounts which vary from Property PR, Hospitality PR, Care PR, Cosmetic PR… and the US Kids Golf European Championship! I have written press releases, attended events and photoshoots, created montage after montage, and attempted to control children (children are not my thing – I prefer dogs). Most importantly, I am proud to say I did not spend the majority of my internship making coffee and tea rounds.

In my first week at Holyrood PR, I have written several press releases, I have interviewed people over the phone, I have chased people for photos, I have worked with a host of new software, and I have almost cried over Photoshop. Read my first blog detailing how I got on when I first walked through the doors of an Edinburgh-based award-winning PR agency.

Highlights of my internship include liaising with the press and media about the relaunch of the Nira Caledonia Hotel, Edinburgh – I even managed to attend the event myself! Whilst I was there I had to dust off my rusty networking skills and schmooze with the clients and members of the media. While champagne was passed around I stuck with a diet coke (for once I did not adhere to the popular saying “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!”) and toured the impressive and luxurious rooms of the Nira Caledonia Hotel.

Another highlight was spending the day out of the office on a rare and gloriously sunny Scottish day to get some footage for the US Kids Golf European Championship. I had spent the previous day creating content for the US Kids Golf social media, and it was a nice change to actually see the kids play golf and swing a club than just writing about it on a computer. I also helped Seb and Cat Q with the filming of interviews and control the not-so-camera-shy children.

We later attended the opening ceremony where I had to wrangle a handful of parents up for interviews.

*Side note: the self-proclaimed ‘daddy caddies’ were a lot more willing to appear on camera than their partners and the children even more so. One child commented: “Can I be interviewed, I’ll do anything that’ll make me famous”- very wise words to live by.

Working at Holyrood PR has been a fantastic experience where I was able to expand on my communications skills, experience new software, and conduct my own research and interviews for press releases, blog and social media content. The sheer volume of client work and accounts meant that I was never sat twiddling my thumbs, as there was so much to do and so much to learn. The copious amounts of tea and coffee kept me caffeinated, so I was more than able to keep up with the pace and meet every deadline.

The time though has come for me to part ways with Holyrood PR and to kick my now excessive caffeine addiction. I now look to the future with not a cup of tea in my hand but a large glass of Malbec.