Having just graduated from the University of Texas (hook ‘em!) and with the final days of classes already under my belt, the past few weeks have been full of reflecting and looking back over the past semester. I can hardly believe that just a few months ago I was starting here at HMG, taking the reigns from their previous rockstar intern, Emily. I feel like I’ve accomplished a TON and learned so much here, and I’m very grateful to have been part of the team this semester.
To wrap-up my time here, I wanted to share a few highlights from my experience as an intern and some of the projects that I’m most proud of.
What I Learned
Starting at HMG Creative, I didn’t have much previous experience in the world of web design or digital branding. Since that’s what this company is all about, I dove in headfirst learning as much as I could from websites, blogs, and other industry leaders. I really enjoyed seeing how both the creative process and business works behind-the-scenes and was able to reflect what I had learned in bi-weekly company blog posts and new content for HMG’s website.
What I Loved
Writing, writing, writing. I love to write, and so having the ability to practice my skill on a regular basis and in a more professional setting than I usually would was a great experience for me. Tailoring my messaging in blog posts, company newsletters and daily social media posts was a fun way to expand this skill set to the professional realm. A couple of my favorite posts to write were Inspired on Instagram: 10 Creative Accounts to Follow and HMG Picks: 15 Austin Nonprofits We Appreciate.
What I Achieved
In August, I had the great pleasure of having a blog post published on theaustinot.com. The blog was an idea that I came up with myself – a fun, Austin-y list of date ideas for summer and fall. It was really rewarding to see something I’d written featured on the site and I like that I was encouraged to write about a “non-industry” subject for my internship. I recently completed a follow-up post with more ideas for winter & spring that you can check out here.
In November, HMG Creative was in the running for an Austin Young Chamber of Commerce FAVE Award. We were nominated in the FAVE Professional Services Category alongside 5 other great local businesses. To secure a win, I created an email marketing and social media campaign that encouraged our followers to like, share, and vote for our company for the award. The campaign was a hit and we succeeded in securing the award for the 2nd year in a row – go HMG!
I’m grateful for everything I learned during my time here and what I was able to accomplish. Thanks HMG for a great internship experience!