Running head: JOURNAL #1 1

Journal #1

Julia D. Kent

Azusa Pacific University

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Journal #1

Internships are an essential stepping stone to beginning your professional career, and my

internship for the past two months has been extremely beneficial and taught me so much in such

a short time. In this journal, I will be discussing my experiences at Ballantines PR through the

climate I’ve experienced there, the skills I’ve learned, the public relations theories I’ve used, and

the ethical dilemmas I have faced.

Internship Climate

I am currently interning at Ballantines PR in West Hollywood as the Public Relations

intern. The office’s location is within a co-working office with other companies. In other words,

BPR has their own office, but they share a common area, kitchen, conference rooms, call rooms,

and bathrooms with the whole office. Within Ballantines PR’s LA office, there are about 12

workers that are in and out of the office. My supervisor is Ceilidh Jeans, who acts as the office

administrator and ensures that the office runs smoothly. Ceilidh is the main contact between the

workers and the president of the company, Sarah Roberts. Sarah comes in the office

occasionally, however not for a long period of time, as she is usually meeting with clients acting

as the face of the company. Other account executives include Emily, Trisha, Terri, Kendall,

Dara, Austin, Lauren, Grace, and Brittney. There is one other intern, Taylor, that I worked with

when I began my internship, however, she switched to different days once UCLA began classes.

The office environment is very welcoming and encouraging. All of the ladies that work in the

office are very kind and helpful and always willing to answer any questions I have.
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Projects/Skills

Working at Ballantines PR has already strengthened my PR skills as I am learning all the

necessary steps to complete when working with a client on a campaign. One of the major skills I

have learned is how to create media lists. Ballantines PR is a publication based PR firm,

therefore they often contact hundreds of journalists to attempt to gain coverage for their clients. I

am often the one who creates these media lists they reference when pitching. They normally give

me a set of guidelines with the kind of people they want to pitch to, and my job is to research

those writers and get their contact information using CISION, a database with media contacts.

Another skill I have learned is press clipping and how to create quarterly reports for our clients. I

have also pitched to news desks over the phone about an upcoming event for a client. Every

week, I also research the weekly trends in the hospitality industry and compile a document that is

sent out to the team. Overall, I think that I have been working hard at my goals and gaining a lot

of experience in research (which was one of my main goals) and the process of PR.

Theories

One known public relations theory is message theory which focuses on the media and

how the message is being told. Since our firm is a publication focused firm, we are looking

exclusively at the media and how we can portray to them the message we want written about our

clients. The easiest way for us to show our clients our work is through the press they received

due to our hard work. One of the concepts within this theory is framing which focuses on how

the media frames the message and how that will impact the audience's view on the company or

situation. Public relations professionals use this theory to understand how their company is being

seen through media or even messages that you may be putting out yourself. This can help one to
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understand the image they have with every audience. I am seeing this theory every day as my

coworkers are pitching to different media contacts, and explaining to clients how beneficial this

press is to their image as a company.

Faith/Ethics

My faith at Ballantines PR has stayed strong so far and it has not changed. I have worked

on projects that are all ethical and would not jeopardize my faith. One project I had to create a

media list for CBD beauty product writers. Even though I would not use this product or

necessarily agree with CBD, this does not impact my faith. This shows that I can work with

things I disagree with while still being hard-working and objective.

Sometimes there is a lag in between assignments, however, I am always active in finding

something to help with and I will ask everyone in the office if they need help. However,

sometimes they are busy and will let me know that they will give me a task in about 30 minutes

once they finish something else, and let me know to do whatever I like in the time being. When

this happens, which has only occurred twice, I normally work on the weekly trends report and if

I finish that, then I will work on other assignments until they are ready to give me a task. The

women that work there have never necessarily outright discussed faith as they are normally

focused on their work. I am trying to be a hard-working individual, and continue to treat others

with kindness and use a loving nature to those that are helping me gain experience. I believe in

actively living out your faith more than speaking out on it, so I am continuing to do that at BPR.

Conclusion

My experience at Ballantines PR has been extremely rewarding so far as I am continually

learning and growing my skills as a PR professional. Through my discussion, one can see the
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climate at BPR, the skills I’ve learned, the public relations theories I’ve used while working

within the profession, and the ethical dilemmas I have faced. Overall, this internship has helped

me grow in many different ways, and I’m looking forward to completing the rest of my hours at

Ballantines PR.