In April, I stepped into the world of professional communications as I began my internship with communikate et al, eager to be part of an agency environment and to push myself to develop my skills with guidance from industry experts.

The team at communikate welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to be part of the behind-the-scenes work that occurs to make public relations happen, from researching to shooting to publishing, with genuine warmth, friendliness, and care.

Assisting a shoot with Bec, Brydie and Henry

One of my favourite days with communikate was when I assisted on a shoot with Bec, Brydie, and Henry for an Adelaide Hills Council campaign. The shoot took place at Morialta Conservation Park and starred a mum with her 3-year-old boy.

It was really exciting seeing behind the scenes of the shooting process and getting to watch the storyboard come to life. Unleashing my inner model, I stood in as the photographer adjusted his gear to get the perfect shots and helped to capture content for communikate’s social media accounts.

I also put my childcare skills to the test as I entertained the young boy while his mum was being interviewed and became an outdoor explorer as I searched for koalas and native birds in the national park to be filmed for B-roll content.

Creative planning for a rebrand

Another project I enjoyed working on involved creative planning for the rebrand of a client, that’s soon to be launched. I was given the task of rewriting the brand narrative into a script for a video and creating a visual story board to capture what it could look like.

This project pushed me out of my comfort zone as it was not something I have done before but I enjoyed the creativity involved in the process, particularly in interweaving the brand’s messaging and values into the visual and spoken elements.

Support from Ben and the CK team

I really appreciated the way that the team at communikate were invested in my internship and put effort into ensuring it was a valuable experience. Ben made sure I always had projects on the go and provided valuable feedback that celebrated my strengths while pointing out where I could improve, developing my skills and confidence in a positive and constructive way.

Some of these projects included crafting media releases and email pitches, LinkedIn and social media posts, and conducting industry and client research. As my internship comes to an end, I am grateful for the new skills, confidence, connections, and experiences that I will take with me as I finish my degree and head into the wide world of public relations.

It has been a privilege to be able to experience working in an agency with such talented and genuine people and I am excited to see where this experience will take me!

Erin Lockwood
University of South Australia