This experience entailed interning for Duval Guillaume, while also assisting Publicis Emil, the global network agency for Daimler, as well as doing an English voiceover for Leo Burnett—all agencies are entities of Publicis Groupe.
My presence has been a bit of a hot topic, as it is uncommon to hear of a Texan girl going all the way to Brussels for an internship. Yet, here I was! But it all started like this…
One random day in April, I found myself googling internships in Brussels. A few agencies piqued my interest, so I spent the next few days sending emails. To my surprise, I received a reply from an agency, Duval Guillaume. I was shortly in correspondence with the Account Manager, Axelle Gontier, who oversaw the internship program. A Skype interview was scheduled and that Friday I received word that I had gotten the internship. All of this in the span of a week!
Then on June 3rd, 2019 I arrived at the Publicis building, the office stood tall and looked prestigious. When I walked in I could see the building had an industrial meets modern feel. I would come to learn that it used to be a customs office. I was welcomed by Nathalie, the HR manager, who gave me an office tour which was followed up by a detour to IT, where I received my company laptop. Shortly after, I met the entire Duval team and settled at my desk to start my days as a Duval intern.
As my time here came to an end, I couldn’t help but to feel this bittersweet feeling. After initially feeling anxious about going into the unknown, I soon found my rhythm. I had my morning routine of taking the Stade 51 tram, walking to the office, talking to the receptionists, getting my morning coffee, and starting my day. I had so many wonderful teachers who were so patient and kind. I interacted with many talented people who gave me great insight into life in this industry.
Here are some of my top moments from my time in Brussels:
Former Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Lévy walked passed, the glass conference room, I was in as I stared at him
I was asked to do a voiceover for a Greenpeace voiceover, that didn’t end up getting used but nonetheless
I was asked to do another voiceover for a breast cancer charity event
I got credit for managing the PR on a Greenpeace project
I helped Publicis Emil with any tasks they needed me to do
I got to work with the coolest family-like team who welcomed me with open arms and who taught me so much
I was drawn to Brussels as I had fond memories of my time there with family, but I would have never expected to be an intern there. This summer in Brussels, at Duval Guillaume, was truly an experience that I will never forget!
In her last two years at SMU, TAI student Mae Murrell has interned with three different advertising agencies. Through these experiences she has learned the ins and outs of what agency life is like, including culture, work pace, and the responsibilities of different positions.
Currently, Murrell is working at Johnson & Sekin as their account service intern. She is the only intern at the agency right now, so she has gotten to experience working with many different departments.
“When other departments need a helping hand, I’m there to help!” Murrell said. “So far, I’ve created two months’ worth of social calendars for three clients, scheduled and posted posts to all social media platforms, helped in the development of new brand positioning, creating recap decks for the client that include their analytics data, and pitched ideas for client newsletters. Recently, I’ve been dipping my toes in web development and coding.”
Working at a smaller agency, she has gotten to experience the unique culture that comes along with it.
“So far, I have loved the energy of Johnson & Sekin!” Murrell said. “Working in a small agency is so different than a large agency because you get to know everyone on a much deeper level. There may be less people but there certainly is more personality! Everyone in the office is more than just colleagues, they’re friends. From Halloween pranks to happy hours to ‘mystery jelly bean games,’ Johnson & Sekin employees know how to have fun at work.”
All of her internships have helped Murrell realize what facet of advertising she wants to start a career in once she graduates, which is account service.
“Account service did not fall directly into my lap,” Murrell said. “It took some digging to determine that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I started my internship journey in non-profit, moved to project management, and then did media and account service internships simultaneously at Moroch. There I learned that account service was the right place for me. This internship in account service has solidified that I’m on the right career path!”
The slide in Moroch’s Dallas office.
This past summer, Murrell worked at Moroch Partners here in Dallas. At Moroch she worked as both an account service intern and a media intern, working on clients like Dickies, Wilsonart, McDonald’s and Six Flags.
“At Moroch, I gained a ton of experience about account service,” Murrell said. “I was thrown straight in to working directly with clients and interacting with them regularly. This was the internship that truly taught me the art of how to work in account service. It does not just take organization skills. It’s a mix of every job: creative, technical, analytical and strategic. It’s necessary to have excellent communication and organization but also understand everyone’s role in the agency so that the campaign process can be carried out effectively and efficiently.”
While Moroch helped her discover her passion for account service, Murrell also had an incredible experience interning with Spill Agency in Paris, France. At Spill, she was a project management intern working with clients like Hermes, Chanel, and Memo Paris.
“[Spill] is an agency for luxury brand clients and focused more on the digital side of advertising. I learned how to get work, get it done efficiently, and make myself useful so that my supervisor’s jobs were made easier. In addition, I did the social media for Hermès, which was really fun! I helped with the new website launch of Chanel and Memo which was a lot of work but extremely rewarding.”
Working in a foreign country, Murrell had to adjust to the differences not only of living in a completely different country but also in the workplace. As the only American working at the agency, she easily noticed that the work environment was very different than that of an American agency.
Murrell in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
“One of the [biggest] differences was the pace of the agency in France,” Murrell said. “In America, the norm is to be consumed by work and be busy all the time. In France, they are leisurely about their work and put socializing first. I would go in to the office at 10am and be the first one there! That said, some days I would leave at 9pm and my colleagues would still be working away. The hours are, for the most part, shorter and end once they leave the office. There is no working at home or out of the office. Work stays at work.”
While her time in Paris was an irreplaceable experience for Murrell, it was unforgettable in more than one way. Completing her internship during the fall of 2015, Murrell found herself in Paris during the time of devastating terrorist attacks. Although she could have chosen to leave Paris after the attacks, Murrell stayed feeling it was her duty to help during the city’s time of need.
“Being in Paris during the attacks was a terrifying experience,” Murrell said. “Not just in the sense that I was scared for my safety but also in the sense that I was seeing the destruction of terrorism right before my eyes. After the attacks, people were like ghosts that wandered the streets of Paris. Each person’s eyes filled with sorrow, sadness, and most of all emptiness. Paris was no longer upbeat and exploding with love; the people lulled through the streets. Everyone had a broken heart: from the crying strangers on the streets to my coworkers mourning their friends, everyone was hurting. There were ‘what ifs’ running through everyone’s minds, and thoughts of how easily it could have been us. From it all, there were bonds that were being created among the people of Paris. Everyone was mourning and came together as a strong, united city.”
Although not every moment of her time abroad was as she had imagined, Murrell still regards her internship in Paris as her favorite thus far.
“Getting to work in Paris was a dream come true! I have always wanted to spend some time in Paris, and getting some advertising experience under my belt at the same time was the icing on the cake. Who knows, maybe I could end up there again someday!”
The first year MA in Advertising students spent the second week of their global immersion in both Hong Kong and Macau. The week started with an informative guest lecture by Dr. Kara Chan on Branding in Asia followed by an interesting visit to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. Among many exhibits, the life story and accomplishments of Bruce Lee was a group favorite. Thursday had the group meeting with the McCann & Spencer Advertising Agency where they learned about the creative growth of advertising in Hong Kong while experiencing many famous advertising campaigns undertaken by McCann over the years.
The week ended with a trip to Macau for a guided tour by the Advertising and PR team of the Galaxy Entertainment Group. Phase II of the 1.1 million square meters property, that is home to six major hotels with casinos, shopping and recreational facilities for families and VIP members, opened on May 27, 2015.
Saturday the students enjoyed a day tour of the famous sites of Macau such as the Ruins of Saint Paul’s Church, the Macau tower and the A-Ma Temple. Saturday night found the group experiencing the cultural blending of East and West while enjoying The House of Dancing Water show at the City of Dreams. This amazing show was directed by Franco Dragone (former director of Cirque du Soleil) and weaves cultural symbols and a love story through death-defying stunts, acrobatics, ballet, diving and water explosions.
Stay tuned for more to come from Week 3 as the group visits with OMD and enjoys some social time with a group of advertising students visiting Hong Kong from Queensland University in Brisbane, Australia.
Eight Temerlin Advertising Institute (TAI) graduate students spent three weeks in Hong Kong this summer to study advertising in another culture. The program was led by TAI faculty members Dr. Carrie La Ferle, Director of Graduate Studies and Professor, and Dr. Steve Edwards, Director and Professor. All first-year Master’s students took part in this global immersion experience, which was designed to expand industry knowledge and refine cultural sensitivities in a dynamic foreign market.
Class of 2014 leaps into their future in advertising with global immersion experience.
Students completed an international advertising class, taught by Dr. Carrie La Ferle, during their stay and participated in a number of agency visits and cultural tours to further leverage their coursework. They attended presentations by industry experts at top agencies, including Mindshare, Publicis, Omninom Group Inc. and Create Hong Kong. Other cultural highlights included hiking in the surrounding mountains, dining at local restaurants, and spending a weekend in Macau.
The Temerlin Advertising Institute offers one of the only MA in Advertising programs with a built in global immersion experience. Established in 2009, the Master of Arts in Advertising program in the Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU incorporates theory and practice from every major discipline within advertising and filters it through the lens of social and corporate responsibility. The leaders coming out of TAI recognize their responsibility to their brands, their consumers, their industry and their society.
Karissa Jobman is the Spring 2013 recipient of two major awards namely the IES Abroad Leadership and Community Involvement Scholarship and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.
IES Abroad Leadership and Community Involvement Scholarship is open to students in any major who have demonstrated leadership and/or commitment in such areas as social service, student government, politics, or community development/welfare. The scholarship covers the cost of a student’s overseas study with the IES Abroad Buenos Aires – Latin American Societies and Cultures program for Spring 2013. The IES Abroad Merit-Based Scholarship program is very competitive. In this term alone, approximately 500 applicants competing in 20 different scholarship categories were received and only 12% of applicants received an award.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is funded through the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000 and is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. During the Spring 2013 application cycle, the Gilman Scholarship Program reviewed more than 2,600 applications for just over 1,000 awards.
This experience entailed interning for Duval Guillaume, while also assisting Publicis Emil, the global network agency for Daimler, as well as doing an English voiceover for Leo Burnett—all agencies are entities of Publicis Groupe.
