We have invited 3 of the interns from the Sussex Internship Programme to be guest bloggers about their experiences throughout the 30 days of their internships.
"Famous bass players" or "The 80% true events of my first week at iCrossing"
Day one:
My introduction to iCrossing is an exciting one with a workplace crammed with lifts, free fruit and celebrity contacts. Indeed, the bass player from a popular ‘80s Ant-themed band now works for a client of iCrossing. This strikes an immediate chord with me and reminds me of my own incredible celebrity link - the bass player from Right Said Fred went to my secondary school.
My task for the first day is to make changes to a widget design for Next. After a punishing day of graphic design my dreams are fraught with images of Photoshop’s pen tool slicing indiscriminately, but seamlessly.
Day two:
Today I am tasked with mocking up potential changes to Marks & Spencers’ website. I blaze through the designs and at lunch stand in Marks and Spencers watching all the people go by, clueless to the power I now hold over them. I begin to laugh to myself, quietly at first, but soon the food aisle echoes with my mirth. I am escorted from the premises.
Day three:
I begin reworking the iCrossing staff handbook to inject some web 2.0 into the old boy.
Day four:
Today I am banished from the office. I flee to London and seek refuge in an old theatre which, it turns out, is hosting the iDesign 2009 conference. I make extensive notes on exciting new technologies, most of which seem to involve projectors in some way, in order to win my way back into the heart of iCrossing HQ.
Day five:
Huzzah! I’m back in and raring to go. My most intense challenge today is buying beers to bring back to the office without being ID'd. And I very nearly succeed.
End transmission
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
An Interns Point of View: David Howard @ Eurogamer
We have invited 3 of the interns from the Sussex Internship Programme to be guest bloggers about their experiences throughout the 30 days of their internships.
David Howard @ Eurogamer
The morning was young; the air was still. Light squeezed its way through the tiny gap in the window, creating blinding rays down into the room. A creature lay dormant, unaware of what was to come. As time slowly ticked away he began to leave the subconscious dream, drifting in and out of a dozen state after an eternity of slumber. Then it arrived; a thunderous crash followed by another, and another, until a hand came crashing down to silence it. Shortly though, another scream was unleashed, over and over again. Finally, he was awake. With one hand he raised up the source of the noise, using the other as a visor to shield his freshly opened eyes from the blinding beam. The time read 08:37; unsure what to do at such a time the creature let out some kind of growl before stretching his muscles as far as they could manage. His muscles ached as he rose from his crib, not used to such an early rise; his grogginess was noticeable as he stuttered to the bathroom. What emerged however was a being with great ambition and excitement at the coming weeks. The creature was me.
Enough of the over edited literature now and onto the blog. The opening paragraph was just like my first week at Eurogamer, not the sleepy bit of course, but a chance to flex my creativity. Having struggled to initially enter the building due to a buzzer malfunction I was welcomed by Martin who I regard as my mentor in the design world at least - I’m sure to see a role reversal during some bouts of FIFA. Without laboriously depicting each and every task that I have engaged with so far, I will do so quickly. The majority of my time has been split between two projects; there’s the day-to-day ad campaigns that need designing and creating, and then a long term project which is as much as I can say about it. Both of which have allowed a huge influx of creative to flow, with the use of premade assets making things that tad easier.
Martin the Designer, as he shall be known, has made my transition into Eurogamer not only extremely easy, but also incredibly enjoyable so I wish to thank him for that – it’ll also act as a measure to see if he actually reads this. As with any new place, there is an array of people who already know each other’s names and roles, so when I waltzed in – not literally of course – they only had one name to memorize. After a few days though, I knew most of the staff and roughly what cog they are in the Eurogamer engine. The staff are a wicked bunch and seem a relatively close knit, with plenty of laughter and banter being thrown about during the day keeping a positive atmosphere at all times. In the odd occasion that either Martin can’t find his disc or I’m cursing 3ds Max for its stupidity, someone will unleash an absolute corker of a joke to sort everything out. Now I may be oversimplifying a tad here but it’s how I picture it in my head.
As time progresses I’m sure I’ll have more to report on the project front, but with the majority of my time being spent on ‘The Project’ I’ve don’t have that much to detail. My experience so far has been one of enjoyment from playing FIFA 10, trying out some new titles or nipping to Nando’s for lunch with the Eurogamer crew, satisfaction at producing some work that I’m proud and settling into the role, and excitement at what is still to come
David Howard @ Eurogamer
The morning was young; the air was still. Light squeezed its way through the tiny gap in the window, creating blinding rays down into the room. A creature lay dormant, unaware of what was to come. As time slowly ticked away he began to leave the subconscious dream, drifting in and out of a dozen state after an eternity of slumber. Then it arrived; a thunderous crash followed by another, and another, until a hand came crashing down to silence it. Shortly though, another scream was unleashed, over and over again. Finally, he was awake. With one hand he raised up the source of the noise, using the other as a visor to shield his freshly opened eyes from the blinding beam. The time read 08:37; unsure what to do at such a time the creature let out some kind of growl before stretching his muscles as far as they could manage. His muscles ached as he rose from his crib, not used to such an early rise; his grogginess was noticeable as he stuttered to the bathroom. What emerged however was a being with great ambition and excitement at the coming weeks. The creature was me.
Enough of the over edited literature now and onto the blog. The opening paragraph was just like my first week at Eurogamer, not the sleepy bit of course, but a chance to flex my creativity. Having struggled to initially enter the building due to a buzzer malfunction I was welcomed by Martin who I regard as my mentor in the design world at least - I’m sure to see a role reversal during some bouts of FIFA. Without laboriously depicting each and every task that I have engaged with so far, I will do so quickly. The majority of my time has been split between two projects; there’s the day-to-day ad campaigns that need designing and creating, and then a long term project which is as much as I can say about it. Both of which have allowed a huge influx of creative to flow, with the use of premade assets making things that tad easier.
Martin the Designer, as he shall be known, has made my transition into Eurogamer not only extremely easy, but also incredibly enjoyable so I wish to thank him for that – it’ll also act as a measure to see if he actually reads this. As with any new place, there is an array of people who already know each other’s names and roles, so when I waltzed in – not literally of course – they only had one name to memorize. After a few days though, I knew most of the staff and roughly what cog they are in the Eurogamer engine. The staff are a wicked bunch and seem a relatively close knit, with plenty of laughter and banter being thrown about during the day keeping a positive atmosphere at all times. In the odd occasion that either Martin can’t find his disc or I’m cursing 3ds Max for its stupidity, someone will unleash an absolute corker of a joke to sort everything out. Now I may be oversimplifying a tad here but it’s how I picture it in my head.
As time progresses I’m sure I’ll have more to report on the project front, but with the majority of my time being spent on ‘The Project’ I’ve don’t have that much to detail. My experience so far has been one of enjoyment from playing FIFA 10, trying out some new titles or nipping to Nando’s for lunch with the Eurogamer crew, satisfaction at producing some work that I’m proud and settling into the role, and excitement at what is still to come
An Interns Point of View: Matthew Moore @ Qube Media
We have invited 3 of the interns from the Sussex Internship Programme to be guest bloggers about their experiences throughout the 30 days of their internships.
Matthew Moore: Intern @ Qube Media
Hi there! This is Matthew and I am one of the lucky interns working in digital media thanks to the Sussex Internship Programme. I am currently interning at Qube media who specialise in social media. You may be asking what social media is - in layman’s terms, social media is how brands and consumers connect. Today with the advent of online communication, the opportunities for these connections are endless. Qube specialises in helping their clients get the most out of social media, be it for research or to help solve a business problem.
So far my time with Qube has been brief, as instead of the usual 6 weeks that other internships entail, I am going to be there for 12 but part-time. This should give me a greater breadth of experience and allow me to work on more projects. Suffice to say I have enjoyed my time so far and look forward to getting to know the ‘Qubites’ a bit better.
So what have I learnt so far? Under the guidance of Tom (one of last year's interns and a pretty good mentor) I have been learning the basics of community mapping. This process involves finding where your target consumers are spending their time with social media, like where they’re chatting on forums, or where they’re hanging out on Facebook. With this information it is much easier to target consumers through social media. I was not entirely successful, in finding where my target was going (the ‘Power mum’) but hope to learn from my mistakes in the future.
I hope that the next time you hear from me I’ll have a little more to say about what I’ve been up to. Other than that I would like to thank Wired Sussex for this opportunity, as I’m certain the experiences I have will be invaluable. As for anyone thinking about applying, just do it!
Matthew Moore: Intern @ Qube Media
Hi there! This is Matthew and I am one of the lucky interns working in digital media thanks to the Sussex Internship Programme. I am currently interning at Qube media who specialise in social media. You may be asking what social media is - in layman’s terms, social media is how brands and consumers connect. Today with the advent of online communication, the opportunities for these connections are endless. Qube specialises in helping their clients get the most out of social media, be it for research or to help solve a business problem.
So far my time with Qube has been brief, as instead of the usual 6 weeks that other internships entail, I am going to be there for 12 but part-time. This should give me a greater breadth of experience and allow me to work on more projects. Suffice to say I have enjoyed my time so far and look forward to getting to know the ‘Qubites’ a bit better.
So what have I learnt so far? Under the guidance of Tom (one of last year's interns and a pretty good mentor) I have been learning the basics of community mapping. This process involves finding where your target consumers are spending their time with social media, like where they’re chatting on forums, or where they’re hanging out on Facebook. With this information it is much easier to target consumers through social media. I was not entirely successful, in finding where my target was going (the ‘Power mum’) but hope to learn from my mistakes in the future.
I hope that the next time you hear from me I’ll have a little more to say about what I’ve been up to. Other than that I would like to thank Wired Sussex for this opportunity, as I’m certain the experiences I have will be invaluable. As for anyone thinking about applying, just do it!
Monday, September 21, 2009
The analytics of internships
Now that all the internships on the Sussex Internship Programme have been filled I thought I’d share some of the stats from the first round of applications.
I’d like to offer my congratulations to the interns who were successful in gaining placements It was a really competitive process with over 550 applications and less than 40 available internships available there was, unfortunately, always going to be a lot of people who missed out. For those who didn’t get an internship (and anyone else with an interest in working in Digital Media) we’re running a Skills and Training event on November 12th at the Corn Exchange so come along to that if you’re looking for careers advice and assistance.
We’ve run internship programmes in the past but this is the first one with its own dedicated website – designed by Devour and developed by TGSi. It’s also the first time we’ve had a full online application process so we’ve now got a much better idea of how people applied for the roles.
The internships were advertised on the website from the 1st of July to the 1st of August and during the month the site received just over 7,000 visits.
By the end of the month we received a total of 562 applications from recent graduates. Looking at these applications it was good to see a fairly even gender split of the applicants (49% female, 51% male).
We had a surge of applications towards the deadline with 145 applications received on the last day! We even received a few applications at 11.50pm, just before the midnight deadline! Though we were very pleased with these last minute additions I’d encourage people applying for internships in the next round to not leave it quite so late, there’s no prize for who can get closest to the deadline!
I’m making a few changes to the site to get it ready for the next lot of internships. These will go live at the start of December and I’m hoping for even more applications for this second round...
I’d like to offer my congratulations to the interns who were successful in gaining placements It was a really competitive process with over 550 applications and less than 40 available internships available there was, unfortunately, always going to be a lot of people who missed out. For those who didn’t get an internship (and anyone else with an interest in working in Digital Media) we’re running a Skills and Training event on November 12th at the Corn Exchange so come along to that if you’re looking for careers advice and assistance.
We’ve run internship programmes in the past but this is the first one with its own dedicated website – designed by Devour and developed by TGSi. It’s also the first time we’ve had a full online application process so we’ve now got a much better idea of how people applied for the roles.
The internships were advertised on the website from the 1st of July to the 1st of August and during the month the site received just over 7,000 visits.
By the end of the month we received a total of 562 applications from recent graduates. Looking at these applications it was good to see a fairly even gender split of the applicants (49% female, 51% male).
We had a surge of applications towards the deadline with 145 applications received on the last day! We even received a few applications at 11.50pm, just before the midnight deadline! Though we were very pleased with these last minute additions I’d encourage people applying for internships in the next round to not leave it quite so late, there’s no prize for who can get closest to the deadline!
I’m making a few changes to the site to get it ready for the next lot of internships. These will go live at the start of December and I’m hoping for even more applications for this second round...
Friday, September 18, 2009
We have filled the internships
Well that's it. We just had the final intern confirmed. We finally managed to fill 35 of the 40 internships in 10 weeks
I have said this before but the calibre of the applicants this year has been fantastic, with a lot of the companies struggling to decide which 1 of the graduates they interviewed to take on as their intern. Also off the back of the internship programme we have also had 3 applicants who were unsuccessful in gaining an internship offered other short-term contracts with participating companies, separate from the internship programme
We also have asked 3 of our interns to blog about their experiences as an intern, so you can keep up-to-date with how it is going for David Howard @ Eurogamer; Matthew Moore @ Qube Media and Chris Dunne @ iCrossing. Just visit the Wired Sussex blog towards the end of next week.
We now have 4 quieter weeks for the programme where we will be here to support the interns as they settle into their internships, a chance for me to grab 2 weeks holiday before coming back at the middle of October where we start round 2 where we will be meeting with media companies again throughout Sussex to find the companies for the next 50 internships that go live on the 1st December for people to apply.
If you are interested in getting involved in the next round and be one of the companies that offers an internship then please register your interest at www.wiredsussex.com/internships or for further information please do not hesitate to call me on 01273 692888
This is also where you can get further information regarding the internship scheme if you are a recent graduate looking to get into the media industry, where you can apply for the internships when they go live in December and also where you can get advice and help on CV writing, covering letters and interview techniques
So finally a great thank you to all the companies involved in the scheme, our partners and everyone who has supported the programme. A huge congratulations to all the interns that have been successful in gaining an internship.
Thanks Nick
PS you can keep up-to-date with what is happening with the programme by visiting www.wiredsussex.com/internships and also follow us on Twitter @sussexinterns
I have said this before but the calibre of the applicants this year has been fantastic, with a lot of the companies struggling to decide which 1 of the graduates they interviewed to take on as their intern. Also off the back of the internship programme we have also had 3 applicants who were unsuccessful in gaining an internship offered other short-term contracts with participating companies, separate from the internship programme
We also have asked 3 of our interns to blog about their experiences as an intern, so you can keep up-to-date with how it is going for David Howard @ Eurogamer; Matthew Moore @ Qube Media and Chris Dunne @ iCrossing. Just visit the Wired Sussex blog towards the end of next week.
We now have 4 quieter weeks for the programme where we will be here to support the interns as they settle into their internships, a chance for me to grab 2 weeks holiday before coming back at the middle of October where we start round 2 where we will be meeting with media companies again throughout Sussex to find the companies for the next 50 internships that go live on the 1st December for people to apply.
If you are interested in getting involved in the next round and be one of the companies that offers an internship then please register your interest at www.wiredsussex.com/internships or for further information please do not hesitate to call me on 01273 692888
This is also where you can get further information regarding the internship scheme if you are a recent graduate looking to get into the media industry, where you can apply for the internships when they go live in December and also where you can get advice and help on CV writing, covering letters and interview techniques
So finally a great thank you to all the companies involved in the scheme, our partners and everyone who has supported the programme. A huge congratulations to all the interns that have been successful in gaining an internship.
Thanks Nick
PS you can keep up-to-date with what is happening with the programme by visiting www.wiredsussex.com/internships and also follow us on Twitter @sussexinterns
Friday, September 11, 2009
A Quick Hello
Hi, I'm Katie!
This is just a quick post to introduce myself as the newest member of the Wired Sussex team.
As Projects and Office Coordinator, my role here involves organising a number of exciting projects and events, for example the Sussex Internship Programme, and the upcoming Skills fair.
I'll be working closely with each member of the team to maintain and create strong links with the digital community and to promote our latest news and events. You may see me out and about at various meet ups so be sure to say Hi!
I’m also here to keep the office running smoothly and to make sure the rest of the team have the best possible environment to work in.
The next few months are packed full of exciting digital ‘goings on’, I’m so pleased to have the chance to input my ideas into these future projects.
If you have any questions please do get in touch and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
I look forward to meeting you!
01273 692888
katie@wiredsussex.com
@wiredsussex
@KatieHoughton
Photo by @KlickChick
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
A New Post
Hello Sussex! I am really pleased to have been appointed as the new Community Manager at Wired Sussex.
The post was created to drive our links with the digital community forward, I am available full time to support and advise all our members. If you have questions about growing and developing your business, from providing information about The Sussex Internship programme, which gives recent graduates a chance to gain real world experience with digital agencies through to finding the perfect office space near you, I’m here to help.
Over the next month or so I will be organising a series of local meet ups to introduce myself, explain more about Wired Sussex, what events are coming up over the next 3 to 6 months and what we will be doing to promote the digital industry in Sussex as a whole. I’m also keen to explore areas for development and would love to hear your views on ways that we can be of more help to you.
Having worked with several local leading agencies, I have firsthand knowledge of the high calibre of work carried out in the area. I am really proud to be part of our digital community and I’m looking forward to being a vocal advocate for our region.
Please feel free to get in touch.
01273 692888 or 07786 622388
andy@wiredsussex.com
@wiredsussex
@special_noodles
And if you’re passing the office you’re welcome to pop in, I make a mean brew.
Over the next month or so I will be organising a series of local meet ups to introduce myself, explain more about Wired Sussex, what events are coming up over the next 3 to 6 months and what we will be doing to promote the digital industry in Sussex as a whole. I’m also keen to explore areas for development and would love to hear your views on ways that we can be of more help to you.
Having worked with several local leading agencies, I have firsthand knowledge of the high calibre of work carried out in the area. I am really proud to be part of our digital community and I’m looking forward to being a vocal advocate for our region.
Please feel free to get in touch.
01273 692888 or 07786 622388
andy@wiredsussex.com
@wiredsussex
@special_noodles
And if you’re passing the office you’re welcome to pop in, I make a mean brew.
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