Final Post

Dear Future Intern at Riot Act,

Congratulations! You have landed yourself in an internship right in the center of Washington DC's entertainment industry. Riot Act is DC's first Comedy Theater and that means there is always a million things going on and even more things to get accomplished. Here are my tips to making the most of your internship:

• Take initiative. On my first day, I was completely overwhelmed by all the new people and their openness to my ideas. I was used to being told what to do and completing it. At Riot Act, they trust you. If they hired you, that means that you are cable and they don't want to waste your time. I was put on the team that worked with social media and Riot Act's online presence. I was put in charge of writing and sending out Riot Act's social media press release and I quickly learned that online, a picture grabs attention a lot fast then a page of words.

• Don't be afraid to fail. The first event Riot Act hosted with an outside company, we experienced a ton of issues. This was the first time we had to collaborate with people outside our staff and while the event was not a disaster, there were small details that were overlooked. Who was in charge greeting people as the entered? Where is the best place to serve food without overcrowding? What the incentive for people at this even to come back to Riot Act and see a comedy show? We ended the event with a meeting where we listed what was to happen next time we hosted an even, and the next time we did, it ran a lot smoother. Everything is a learning experience.

• Traditional PR should never be forgotten, but it is not the only tool. I spent many days simply walking into hotels and business's introducing Riot Act. Most people were receptive to this kind of commitment. A press release can do wonders, but people remember a friendly face over a nicely worded emails. We established connections just by making it through the door and handing out free passes to invite people to experience Riot Act first hand. It's refreshing to know that what you are marketing is worth while. Once Riot Act got people to come once, it was almost a guarantee they would come back because of their great experience.

• Don't be afraid of busy work. Riot Act has a small staff. There were mornings I spent answering phones and making calls. There is no way to avoid this in a staff this small. Through this I learned how better to deal with people when they are upset or angry. When in PR, dealing with people is a must. It's so easy to do when everyone is happy, but it is a skill to learn on how to effectively deal with people who are unhappy.

• Have fun! Riot Act was amazing because they always invited me to shows and events. The best way to learn is through experience, so if you have the time, do any event you can, even if it is just as a participant (and not as an intern). I got to learn how much time and detail it takes for every show that happens at Riot Act. I was also able to market this events online and on American University's campus. It was like a backstage pass for event planning and marketing, but it is only there if you want it. Take it. Learn from it. Enjoy it.

Get ready for one hell of a semester. You'll be great. Step one was landing the internship, so the rest is just being open to new experiences.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I would be happy to talk about Riot Act all day.

Sincerely,

Jordan Van Clief

Making Connections

As the semester winds down, I am forced to look into my future plans. While I have greatly enjoyed every minute of interning for Riot Act, I will not be able to work with them next semester due to my schedule. Regardless, I will maintain contact with them because of the wonderful team I worked with and because they can help me when I graduate.

Even though I have decided I probably would be happiest at a PR Agency, it doesn't make my connection to Riot Act any less important. I know that if they ever have a lead or a contact, they will let me know. They also worked fairly close with me, and if and when I need a reference, they are the first people I will call.

Maintaining connections takes work. I will stay in contact by email, but I also plan on dropping by Riot Act at least once a month: to catch a show, get lunch, or simply say hello. Life moves fast and people come in and out of that building everyday. It is my job as the intern to make the effort, not the other way around. My thank you card was only the beginning of the appreciation I plan on showing the people at Riot Act.

Whatever does happen in my future, I want to be able to thank Riot Act for preparing me for what lies ahead.

So, thank you Riot Act. It's been wonderful.

Thanksgiving Break

As I returned to my internship after a wonderful 5 days off, which I was lucky enough to spend at home at my family, I quickly learned that most people who worked at Riot Act got a glorious 24 hours off.

In the world of a new business, especially a business in the entertainment industry, days off are few and far between. Riot Act had a comedian performing the Friday after Thanksgiving and had to promote that comic all week to help ticket sales. As a small business, everyone was working around the clock just to be able to take the holiday off.

It's just a reminder that when I graduate in May, I will no longer be a student with allocated time off. PR waits for no one, and that's what is so exciting about the job. Luckily Riot Act has avoided any major crisis's, but that doesn't mean there isn't always work to be done.

Up this week is another event on Thursday for Yelp and another comic to promote for the weekend. I am well rested and ready to hit the ground running.

Social Media

Riot Act has utilized social media of all forms, besides being a presence on Facebook and Twitter, they have created deals on Groupon and Living Social (and other website based deals). It has been a huge success. Thousand upon thousands of these deals have sold and phones have been ringing of the hook.

This is a great way for Riot Act to get know. The goal is to get people here, and once they see a show, or drink at our bar, they won't need more incentive to return. Lure in with good marketing, but make sure the product is worth the price.

As an intern I have been helping funneling the plethora of phone calls that have been coming in recently. It is hard to remember "The Customer is Always Right"when answering the same question over and over again, but it is extremely important to not only be nice but inviting. Riot Act wants to be known for great customer service; friendly, patient, helpful. Part of this training is knowing the area. Know where to park, know directions to the club, know good places to eat before the show, and good bars to go to after the show. If Riot Act can become a one stop destination, it makes the night easier on our patrons and they can enjoy themselves.

Riot Act is serve with a smile, mixed in with helpful advice and endearing tips.

Coffee Time

Coffee time is bonding time. It's a small moment in the day to breathe, take second, and enjoy a warm beverage. Caffeine is the drug that surges through Riot Act day in and day out. With nights that can run as late as 5:00am and with an opening time of 10:00am everyday, coffee (or tea) is a much needed commodity in the office.

As an intern, I manage much more reasonable hours then the rest of the office, but I am a little java junkie myself. So my new goal is anytime I go to get coffee, offer to get coffee for those in my office.

It shows that I am taking a small initiative, and that I care. It is a simple act that can help me stand out or at least keep my managers awake through the end of the day.

It is always good to keep looking for minor things that can set interns ahead of the curve. Interns these days are smart, and are all groomed and bred from fancy colleges. This means, that work wise, they can all be on an even playing field - especially if the intern tasks are more mundane. To stand out (in a good way!), it might take some creative thinking. My way to stand out - caffeine.

Soon they will start associating the coffee rush with my presence, and never want to let me go. Just kidding, but they will definitely appreciate the thought.

It's Okay if This Isn't It

I love my internship. I love the people I work with. I love the responsibilities they give me, but 11 weeks in I  realize that this probably isn't what I want to do after graduation.

And that's okay.

It's not PR I don't love, it's working for one company. It can get a little stale. I think I would happier at a PR agency with more clients and a higher demand of PR activity.

For Riot Act, every weekend we have a new comic. They are usually performing Thursday - Saturday, but at some point of a lot of the PR for each comic can become cut and paste. Each comic has there own style and certainly there own target audience, but generally it is fairly similar. This is not a bad thing, I just realized this is not my thing.

Doing PR for one company, or one specific non-profit means you get become specialized, and increase relationships with partners. It give you the opportunity to work long-term techniques and take risks if the audience is already stable.

On the other hand, PR agencies work with numerous clients at once, a person can become specialized in one area of PR - social media, grass root campaigns etc. 

Even though my internship is not exactly what I want to do in the future, it has given me an incredible amount of experience - not to mention it's been a blast! That's the point of internships. I'm happy I was able to discover this while in school, while I only promised a five month commitment instead of a two-year one. This will help me narrow my job pool when I graduate, and for that, I couldn't be more grateful.

If At First You Don't Succeed

Last week Riot Act had one of it's first rentals. A group of young professionals had rented out the show room for lunch and paid for a comic to entertain them while they eat. It was on a weekday afternoon, which is normally not a profitable time for a comedy club, so this was a great way for a little extra profit.

Needless to say, it was a little rocky. We had over 200 young professionals, all very eager to explore Riot Act, but all very hungary. Unfortunately, without thinking of the congestion, we had set up our show room with one buffet line. This was the issue.

As the intern, I helped the everyone set up the room, and then greeted people as they entered. It was about 20 minutes into greeting that I noticed people were leaving especially fast. I met to talk to my manager to discover that the line to get food was winding all around the room. People were getting fed up with waiting and decided that they could get their food elsewhere.

At the time, there was very little we could do. We apologized to the young professionals and promised there would be enough food for them. We couldn't offer refunds, since they hadn't actually paid us. We just tried to be as friendly and receptive as possible and handed out Buy One Get One tickets for our comedy shows.

This showed me, that even big companies make mistakes. This was not an event that was thrown together last minute, but it was one small detail that was not thought through and it threw the whole even off. Next time we will obviously have two, or even three, buffet lines. Until then, we will just learn from our mistakes and hope we don't offend anyone enough for them not to give us a second chance.

Halloween Extravaganza

Here is the conversation that happened at my internship today:

Paul: "It's weird, we are selling out tonight, but not tomorrow night."
Me: "Well, I can't speak for everyone, but you guys aren't doing any Halloween special. I know when I go out tomorrow, I'm going to do something Halloween themed. You guys should encourage people to dress up or give out candy."
Paul: "Yeah, yeah! That would be really great! We could give out free tickets to another show to the best costume!"
Me: "Yeah! Even just a little Halloween flavor would entice people."
Paul: "Let me tell John (the owner)."
(10 minutes later)
Paul: "John loved your idea, we are promoting costumes starting right now. Too bad you didn't think of this two weeks ago."

While the timing may not have been my best, I love that the people at my internship take my ideas seriously. I am given relevant tasks for PR with no one constantly critiquing me over my shoulder. Since Riot Act is smaller, I seem to matter more. I still do some clerical work, but everyone does. There is no hired office administrator, they can't afford one. Everyone pitches in for everything. It truly is a team effort.The best part is how much everyone believes in Riot Act, we are all fighting for the same thing, and as an intern this make my job extremely rewarding and exciting.

Sure, I'm an undergrad student, but they don't care. A good idea is a good idea.

What To Wear When They Don't Care

I started my internship at Riot Act Comedy Theater in late August, and on my first day there, I dressed up. No one had mentioned any dress code, but seeing as this was a professional establishment, I assumed business attire was appropriate

When I arrived, my boss greeted me in shorts and sandals. As it turns out, during the day, the Comedy Club is fairly casual. They want to be approachable, cool. Riot Act opened in mid-August, they were the new kids on the block. Of course my boss would suit up for meetings and every night for the shows/events, but during the day he was able to take it easy.

I casually asked what was appropriate for an intern to wear, he replied "Whatever I want." Suddenly the freedom of my clothing became overwhelming. Do I dress down? Do I wear flip flops? What do my clothes say about my respect for my internship?

I decided to take this freedom and use it to my advantage. I decided to always dress to impress, but since I did have this 'wear whatever I want' allowance, I was going to be creative. I wanted to show Riot Act I took my position seriously, while also expressing my creativity. Since I was held down by the term 'business casual' I started arriving at my internship in a bright red dresses, or patterned tights, chunky jewelry, or yellow high heels. To me, my outfits say I'm composed but expressive; I know how to do a lot with a little; and I have confidence in myself.

Obviously, not all internships are this flexible, but the point is - know how the clothing you wear to an internship reflects upon you. If there is a serious dress code, follow it; if there is some flexibility, use that to express your individuality. It can give you an edge and it can make it memorable. It doesn't take a lot, accessories are small and can make a huge statement.

Dress to Impress. It's fun, it's free, and you will look fantastic.

AU's Job and Internship Fair

After a seemingly harmless but daunting reminder of my looming future in the Internship Meeting at 7:00, I ran home after my 8:55 block to shower, change, print resume's and head over the AU's Job and Internship Fair.

I got there barely after it started at 1:00pm and it was already full of well-dressed students bustling about. I took the pamphlet of information and looked through any potential employers. Sadly I didn't seem many that sparked my interest, the Job and Internship Fair was mostly full of Politics, Policy, Educational jobs etc. not one PR or Advertising Agency, and low on Public Communication job areas.

As mentioned during the meeting, I forced myself to go to three booths and meet three new people. Most the the companies (Discovery Communication, Casey's Tree, and Living Social) didn't want paper resumes, but wanted my information to add to a mailing lists. I have already received emails from all of them thanking me for my time and interest.

It was crazy busy and exciting. Students politely formed lines in front of companies they wanted to talk to, and every employer was extremely patient and enthusiastic.

My favorite group there was Living Social. They stood out - the were colorful, young, dressed in jeans, handing out neon sunglasses and pong balls (they know there target audience). The girl I talked to, Amanda, was an AU alum and completely in love with her job. It was refreshing to here of the causal atmosphere that encouraged creativity with headquarters all over the US. I will definitely keep them in mind next semester.

Overall, I would rate my experience a success. I was able to test out my social skills and pass out a resume. It certainly won't be the last time I go to a Job and Internship Fair. Practice makes perfect.

Riot Act is going extremely well! I'm finished up week 4 today and besides the rain, I am enjoying everything about it. But more on that later.

Weeks 1 & 2

Starting an internship is always terrifying. They obviously like you enough to hire you, but they haven't actually worked with you for longer then an hour.

My internship started at 11:00am (what to you expect at a Comedy Theater?) and the dress was "casual". The dreaded word casual with no standard definition besides don't show up to work in your bathing suit. For these instances, I always dress to impress, at least a little. I showed up at Riot Act at 10:45am in black jeans and pretty top.

My first day was a whirl. I met the staff, the incredibly small and hard working staff, that have basically moved into this wonderful location to get it off the ground. I got the official tour, learned the basics of the website, and became the proud owner of a Riot Act t-shirt.

I began by created gifts packages for media outlets, hotels, local businesses. This included basic information about Riot Act and Buy 1 Get 1 Free VIP Passes to any show. I then stationed myself outside of Riot Act armed with more VIP Passes trying to entice passerby's to stop for a moment to learn about the new business in the neighborhood.

What I love about the team at Riot Act is they believe that good customer service leads to customer loyalty. They are not about gimmicks, all we have to do is get them in the door and the Comedy Theater should do the rest. There is lots of face-to-face interactions, lots of personal phone calls, and of course thousands of emails, but they always make time for anyone who has a question.

I ended my first day at a Concierge Welcome Back Party at a hotel, where we passed out more VIP Passes and told all the local residents to come check us out.

My second day they put me behind a computer to address all the charity donation requests we were getting. Riot Act gave me complete freedom to write a response letter, draft a gift certificate request, or organize what/where we were donating for tax purposes. Awesome? Oh yes.

My second week was full of rain and rainy day questions. Between marketing for the upcoming show, I was filled with hot coco and coffee. One of the greatest perks of interning at Riot Act is getting to see the shows on the weekends. On of their goals is to become more social media based, and part of that vision is to have live Tweets during a show. Something I am completely qualified to do and happy to do so. Watch comedy and Tweet? The world of marketing is truly amazing.

First two weeks have been a success, I'm sure the rest of the semester won't disappoint.