Straight to you from a Park alumnus: An amazing internship opportunity in NYC

OK, so I just got back from three days in New York City, where I saw the Broadway show Wicked (blogged on that one already); attended the Trustees' meeting to talk about digital media and learning; had a chance to watch Raphi (your faithful student rep to the Trustees) in action [great job, too]; and spent some time with one of our really amazing alumni, David Thalberg, who is the VP of Planned Television Arts -- a division of Ruder Finn, one of the largest public relations companies in New York.

Planned TV Arts has a very active internship program, and Thalberg has agreed to reserve one spot for a Park student for the summer. Here's a description of the program:

Planned TV Arts, a division of Ruder*Finn and a media placement public relations firm that specializes in book publicity, is seeking new applicants for its Summer 2005 Internship Program. We have a very active year-round intern program that accepts interns from a variety of colleges and universities. It runs from the first Tuesday after Memorial Day thru the last day of the first full week in August.

PTA is celebrating its 43rd year. Ruder Finn is ranked as the 12th largest PR firm in the nation. Interns are given a variety of responsibilities ranging from clerical duties (faxing, copying, etc.) to active public relations assignments such as booking radio and TV shows for authors, researching media lists and participating in writing assignments. Our fall, winter/spring and summer programs are flexible in terms of starting and ending dates.

PTA provides a dynamic opportunity for students to participate in a challenging public relations atmosphere, offering the following to its interns:
 Provide one-on-one training in the art of public relations
 Give direct exposure to the news media – students make calls to the media
 Help them confirm a career decision
 Provide a future job lead and letter of reference
 Present valuable direct job experience
 Provide a written evaluation and personal assessment to help examine the student’s skills
 Mentor in core competencies and allow for hands-on experience to learn by observation and execution

These are non-salaried positions but do offer a great opportunity for learning media placement and working with top authors and publishing houses. We do reimburse interns for travel expenses.

Many PTA interns have been hired by the company so it is an excellent opportunity to get a foot in the door of an established public relations firm. Many others have used the experience to help them in their respective job searches.

Please contact Planned TV Arts with any questions at 212/583-2718 or e-mail your resume to feinblumb@plannedtvarts.com. Be sure to also send it to David Thalberg (dthalberg@plannedtvarts.com); he wants to know that you're applying!

Cheers,
Dianne