This is a Story All About How..
To start the story off correctly we must revisit the sunny early morning in May that brought us all together.
Fresh faced, stress free, with a deer in headlights mentality, we had no clue of what was going on.
Walking into HLK the first day we were all intimidated. Not by the atmosphere or vibe of the firm (which totally contradicted our fears) but because we realized this place we're in, if only for six weeks, may be one of the most important and cutting-edge firms we will enter in our professional careers.
On the first day our first task was to come up with a nickname for our super team of interns. We settled on Interngalactic pretty quickly marking the early signs of our seamless level of collaboration. Our team views this photo as the "Baby Picture" of our entire advertising careers.
Hi my name is Haley Rost and I am the Account Strategist for Interngalactic! I am from St. Louis, MO, and I’m a Business Marketing major going into my senior year at Mizzou. My role in Launchpad as the account strategist, means that I am responsible for researching our clients and their target audiences, determining the purpose and overarching goals of the campaigns we create, as well as calculating metrics to decide what success looks like at the conclusion of the campaign. Additionally, I make sure that all of our tactics in our projects fulfill the marketing objectives of the brands we are working with and that the information is presented in the most effective and eloquent way possible to the client. My first day at HLK began with meeting the other interns in the lobby and all bonding over how overdressed we felt and excited that we were finally here. I was immediately blown away by the office and was thrilled that I would get to work here for the next couple weeks with all of the cool people I had met. I am really excited to work closely with Interngalactic to create digital marketing solutions for real world clients and to get to know mentors and people around the office better. Everyone is so cool, welcoming and eager to help with any questions we may have on our projects!
I was nervous initially about navigating the space and learning my responsibilities in my role, but after printing out the seating charts and meeting with my mentor, both of these concerns were put at ease. My mentor has been such an amazing source of inspiration, so encouraging and I love getting to hear her professional opinion on our campaign ideas. In my spare time outside of the office I like to read, swim, journal, listen to music and spend time with friends
Hey my name is Nick Hulsey I am the Copywriter for Interngalactic! I am from St. Louis Missouri and I just recently graduated from Mizzou with a degree in Journalism. My role as Launchpad Copy writer is to give brands a unique, attention-grabbing voice that can be conveyed over multiple media platforms. My first day at HLK was very interesting. My team and I were on the fourth floor all day getting acquainted with one other and our mentors. We also filled out paperwork, went over a few position descriptions, and ate M&Ms at 9 in the morning! After completing my first week I am very excited to learn more about the company and start getting to work on our first project pitch! When I’m not in the office I enjoy listening and reading about new music. I also frequently blow out my car speakers when I’m jamming to Kanye West.
My name is Elodie Hromockyj. I’m from St. Louis Missouri, and I just graduated from Truman State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Business Administration. My role in Launchpad as the Media Strategist includes conducting research on which media platforms can help most effectively and successfully reach target audiences, and how to leverage them. It is a wonderful role because it allows me to delve into the mindset of the target audience, as well as find and evaluate data on how each platform is used in their daily lives and how clients can, in turn, more effectively place advertising content to capture their attention and improve overall conversion rate. Alongside these main tasks, I am able to contribute to the creative aspect of the projects because we work as a team to come up with main campaign ideas. My first day was pretty nerve-racking. Luckily, I walked in with my fellow intern Bo, but as a typical first day goes, we were not sure how to get around. Confused, we tried every single door before coming to the front and finally getting buzzed in. While this may not have been the best way to start off the day, the environment in the office was enough to make us extremely excited the second we walked in. Our group hit it off very quickly, especially because we all showed up pretty overdressed, and everyone made us feel welcome. After my first week, I was extremely excited to get to know my mentor and my fellow interns even better. I was excited to learn more about my position and what it entailed and really get into the meat and potatoes of the first project. In my spare time I like to cuddle my cat, binge watch YouTube makeup tutorials, and workout. I also enjoy cooking and spending time with my family and friends. I am interested in fashion, beauty, and makeup. I will admit that I have a little bit of a shopping problem... I also am a huge animal lover, and the other interns can attest to my obsession with the office dogs. I even considered adopting a dog just so that I could bring it to work everyday.
Hi my name is Julia Heumann! I’m from St. Louis Missouri, and I am studying Graphic Design at the University of Missouri. My role as the Art director grants me responsibility for the creative direction behind the campaign. I am not only creating, I am also leading and communicating that creative vision. It's a pretty awesome gig! My first day at HLK was pretty interesting. Because of the multiple entries, I was confused from the start. Which door do I go in? Am I going to walk into a meeting? How do I know where to go? And then I saw a fellow peer who looked just as confused, and we walked in together. Once we got inside it was smooth sailing. Everyone was super friendly, and the environment was so great. I mean, it's the coolest office space I’ve ever stepped foot in. All of us interns clicked immediately, and we got to feast with our mentors. I’m terrible with names, so it took me a few days to grasp who everyone actually was. When we got to the intern office, things got real. I was so excited to start this journey with these people. After completing the first week I was so excited to start brainstorming with the other interns. After meeting them and picking up on their personalities, I knew we would have some cool times of collaboration. I was excited to grow alongside them! I was nervous with impressing my mentor, but our relationship quickly grew and he was / is super encouraging and a great teacher. After work I usually meet my mom for yoga, and an occasional happy hour. I’ve recently picked up a great book that I try to read any second I get a break. I love creating pretty much anything. But currently I am planning my wedding in August so that pretty much takes up all my time. I am creating a lot of the decor and paper goods for the big day, so I guess you could say wedding planning has become quite the hobby.
Hey my name is Bo Mello and I’m from Grand Junction Colorado. I’m going into my senior year studying Marketing with a minor in Public Relations at Baylor University. I am the Launchpad Account Manager.The Account Manager is a lot like the parent on the project. They are the one who makes sure deadlines are met, the deck is put together correctly, makes sure what is being presented is what the client wants and needs, and just generally works to make sure everyone is working together in a good environment. My situation is a little different than the rest of my team because I am the only one not from St. Louis. Not only was this a brand new company but I am also in a brand new city. Those factors coupled together definitely made for some nerves, but overall I was excited to take this new opportunity on. When I first walked into HLK I was nervous but the laid back atmosphere definitely put me at ease. My team is awesome and it has definitely been a great time really getting into the project.I enjoy rock climbing, mountain biking, fishing, hiking, and really spending time outside. I also really enjoy exploring St. Louis! Going to baseball games, trying new places to eat, and just acclimating myself with this city has been unbelievable.
Hi, I’m Josh Richter and I’m from St. Louis Missouri. I’m going into my senior year at Mizzou and I'm studying Communications with an emphasis on Mass Media and a minor in Sociology. I am the Content Manager for Interngalactic. As Content Manager, my role is to create strategic, data-driven, and thought-provoking content for various digital mediums. I also work on conceptualizing social media campaigns and coordinate posts for those campaigns through a Content Calendar.
My first day at HLK was very interesting and I was able to bond with my teammates quickly. The dress code (or lack thereof) surprised me as it did the rest of my team. Although this was not the most surprising aspect of the day. I was taken back by how much HLK thrives on personality and authenticity when working on projects. The stereotypical stiff nature of a corporation was nowhere to be found as the slogan Be Curious, Be Thoughtful, Be Brave, is illustrated throughout the entire office. Everyone I met the first day was very friendly and welcoming which made things easier. I’m very excited to work with my teammates these next six weeks. I’m interested to see what we come up with; I’m fortunate to be paired with a bunch of creative, confident, and knowledgeable teammates. In my spare time, I enjoy hanging out with friends, watching movies, going to sports games, and listening to music.