Blog

Today is a fairly busy day, so I plan to write on the go and cover my day in short snippets. Here goes:

8:40­ – I greet Luis, the doorman, as I hurry to get inside the air-conditioned luxuries of 220 East 3rd Street. Tip – don’t wear dark tones when you have a 1-mile walk to work and the temperature is already nearing 80 degrees at 8:30 a.m.

8:47 – I head to the agency kitchen to make a cup of iced coffee. After briefly catching up on some world news, I’m ready to start my day.

9:00 – Though I am a strategy intern here, I have always been fascinated with the creative side of the business. A few weeks ago I got the chance to speak with Antonio Fragoso, who is one of the agency’s brightest copywriters. After a short discussion, we scheduled a lunch where we would sit down and he could share his creative process with me. With the approval of my strategy manager, Maddie, I began to ask Antonio and Art Director Katie Renfroe if there were any side projects I could help them out with. One thing I have noticed is that people at DiGo are open and inviting.

This morning I am in the process of writing manifestos for a particular concept that is being developed. Exciting stuff, but hard work nonetheless. One of the insights that Antonio shared with me is that while the creative process is fun, it can also be quite wearying. Often, coming up with the best concepts is the end result of hours of hard work. Eventually, genius does strike, it’s just a matter of getting there.

11:00 – I have a meeting with Megan Yoniak, who is the talent acquisition and HR manager here at DiGo, for the midsummer check-in. Megan, who’s always full of positive energy, enters the meeting with a smile and a coffee in hand. During the meeting, we evaluate how my internship experience has been. The purpose of the meeting is for her to find out how she and DiGo can make my experience as valuable and beneficial as possible, and it’s nice to know that this is a place where interns are cared for like that. They want me to learn and grow just as much as I do.

11:25 – Back to working on manifestos. I’m trying this new thing where I look at images and listen to music, hoping that it gets me in the creative mind-set to develop some inspiring concepts. One thing I’ve noticed is that all the creatives here have their own and special way they like to work, and this seems to be mine. My friends who follow me on Spotify are probably wondering why I’m listening to such funky music.

12:00 – I have a mini brief with the head of strategy (and my manager) Maddie. Her mind must

run at 100 miles per hour because it seems she is always zipping around from one project, meeting, or brief to another. She is constantly on the move and is always willing to help out. We discuss a couple of projects that are in the pipeline, and she gives me a definitive idea of what’s expected of me. For me, this is super helpful. I am one of those people who needs a “to-do list” to stay on track. Time to start researching!

2:00 – Another meeting beckons! People are on the move, and the office is bustling. We meet with Ali Chastain, who is a behavioral strategist, and she briefs us on some research tasks that are coming up.

2:57­ – I start watching a video and researching about Blockchain – the world’s most popular bitcoin wallet. Although semi-controversial, the company is certainly disruptive and direct.

4:00 – After an hour, I feel like I have a good sense of Blockchain and its mission. While I’m definitely not done with the research portion, I feel like I’ve got a great start and can’t wait to learn more.

4:30 – It’s Thursday, and Thursdays at the agency mean beers on the beach starting at 4:30 p.m. I can’t express how cool it is to go to work every day and see a beach in the office. We raise a toast, say cheers, and then get back to work (I’m over 21, I promise!). Just like all the others before it, it’s been a terrific day here at DiMassimo Goldstein, and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

-Malhar Mali, Strategy Intern