It is officially here: the first season finale of The Interns. Unfortunately, Planet X's contract was not renewed for a second season... With that being said, the cast would like to take this opportunity to reflect on their time at HLK.

To get a better idea of Planet X's experience at HLK, we asked them to ask the following questions in their final reflections...

What is your favorite memory?
What is the most valuable lesson/skill you have learned?
What is your favorite office amenity?

Jessica

It’s hard to believe my time here at HLK is coming to an end. This experience has been amazing and I have learned more than I thought I would. My favorite memory here at HLK was just eating lunch with the other interns almost every day. Although they were short most of the time, it was a time when we joked around and really bonded with one another.

I have learned so many valuable lessons through this internship, it is hard to pick just one. I guess I would say the most valuable lesson I learned is that marketing is way more about the why, not necessarily the what. I never knew how much research and reasoning went into creating cool marketing campaigns.

I’m not sure if this counts as an amenity, but my favorite part of the office is the mezzanine. I love how there is a wall full of windows overlooking downtown St. Louis. It’s nice to get to escape our room of no windows and work up there sometimes!

I’m very happy that I get to say my very first internship was at HLK. It’s an experience that I have learned a lot from, and an experience that marks the first step of my professional career. Thank you HLK for everything!

Wes

As my time here at HLK draws to a close, there is so much to reflect on and to be thankful for. Blessings can take many forms and I am confident that this agency and its people have been some of the biggest blessings in my summer, much more so in my fledgling professional career.

When people ask me what I’ve learned this summer, I find it hard to answer them. There are countless things I have learned these past 6 weeks. I usually shift in my response from what was learned to what was experienced. I think that is the only fair way to give an answer. I experienced meaningful, excellent, and beautiful work being done by passionate, driven, and kind-hearted people. In our projects, I experienced some of the real challenges within advertising that no textbook can teach. Furthermore, the culture of HLK has been an amazing experience from start to finish. Tasty snacks, cute puppies, a hipster office where shorts are accepted and jeans encouraged; this office feels like home.

I think one of my favorite memories is definitely the day that we worked away from the office and walked to get smoothies in Soulard. It was one of those days where the sun is out and it isn’t too hot. We were walking and brainstorming and thinking about how to better improve our delivery for Build-A-Bear. The smoothies were delicious and the ideas we came up were vital for our project. It allowed me to realize that hard work and play can go hand in hand, and that when they do, it often produces some pretty cool results.

My favorite office amenity is a toss up between the wall mounted basketball hoop on the south side of the third floor corridor and the Black Ice coffee. I love the basketball hoop because the way the lighting hits it and the accent of the orange backboard on the brick really makes me feel like it's somewhere in New York. It inspires me and I feel brave and curious when I walk past or shoot at it. The coffee is a no-brainer. Ask any of the interns and they will confirm that I drink copious amounts of it each day. Today has been at least 6 cups already and it’s only 12:30.

Overall, I have loved being a member of Planet X and getting to experience a snapshot of agency life for the last month and a half. We will see what the future holds but I certainly hope to be back at HLK one day.

Meg

It was hard to pinpoint my favorite memory from the past six weeks because I have enjoyed spending everyday with Planet X. Through serious evaluation, I realized that my favorite memory was going around on the first day and hearing everyone’s fun facts about themselves. I could tell right off the bat that Planet X would be a very dynamic intern group. Each member has surprised me more and more everyday. I can’t even begin to express how much I have enjoyed getting to know this group of interns.

One of my biggest challenges during the internship was facing my fear of public speaking. When it came time for our first pitch, the thought of doing a presentation in front of 50+ people absolutely terrified me. After receiving such positive feedback regarding our presentation and individual public speaking skills, I have felt a lot more confident presenting this time around. I’ve learned that being knowledgeable and passionate about what I am presenting is crucial to getting the audience’s attention. This improved skill will be an essential component in my future as a professional.

The HLK office has so much to offer, but my favorite amenity would have to be the bowl of snacks. On the rare day I have forgotten my lunch, the bowl of snacks always had my back. I could always count on the bowl to have a great variety of granola bars, cracker snacks, and fruit. I feel that through trying different snacks, I have really branched out. From now on, every time I have a Belvita Breakfast Biscuit, I will reminisce on my time at HLK.

Tony

I am so grateful and feel so overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to have been a part of the Launchpad internship. The staff of HLK has been so supportive, helpful, and provided so much invaluable career advice to me. I’ve really grown to love the office, the atmosphere, and the staff. Though my heart aches because it is coming to an end, I am filled with so much gratitude and happiness to have been here for all of it. I will always hold on to the fondness and memories I have of HLK.

My favorite memory from this experience would definitely be from our first pitch when we had to create a video of Wes speaking during our presentation because he was on vacation. Wesley’s personality really shined through and everyone, including the interns, got a real chuckle out of it. It was a creative and fun solution to a logistical problem. I will always smile when I think about it.

The most valuable lesson that I am taking away from this project is to not think of myself as a one-dimensional entity. Advertising has many different roles and each project is multi-faceted. Many of the staff here seem to have started out in certain roles and progressed or switched to other roles where they felt more fulfilled. As much as I have a passion for creative storytelling and writing, being able to look at other potential opportunities in the industry where I can contribute and offer value to projects will only help me as I begin my career.

It would be remiss of me if I didn’t show love and gratitude to the real star of the HLK office: free coffee. By far and away my favorite office amenity, free coffee is a tool to harness my creativity, fuel my work, and give me the energy to power through difficult projects. Free coffee is the star of the show. I’ve taken the opportunity to write the following haiku as a tribute:

I arrive each day

Our project deadline looming

Coffee completes me

Paige

This has easily been one of the best career experiences for me. As a new graduate, the world out there is scary and daunting, but my time here at HLK has really prepared me for my career. I have learned so much during this internship; not only about the agency life, but also about how to work well with a team. I feel like I’ve grown as a designer and as a team member.

I’ll have so many memories that I will never forget but one of my favorite memories is going out to our celebratory brunch after our first pitch. I’ll miss all the free coffee and snacks, as well as getting to pet every dog I see. Although my time as an HLK intern is coming to an end, I will never forget everything HLK has taught me.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my fellow interns and never expected to make such good friends during my time here. I wish my Planet X teammates the best in school as they finish up college. You guys are the best and can do anything!

Caroline

As the final day of this internship is coming to an end, I am left reflecting on this experience as a whole. The memories that have been made, the friendships that will extend beyond this internship, and of course, my time in the office. My favorite memory here at HLK would have to be the coffee truck day. Free lattes are definitely worthy of being the best memory.

The most valuable thing I have learned thus far in this internship is the importance of teamwork. As interns, the six of us have had to work together to overcome challenges that have arisen in our projects and without hesitation we come together to conquer the challenge. My favorite office amenity also ties into a valuable lesson I have learned, and this is the office dogs. While they are my favorite “amenity” of the office, they also have shown me how a furry friend can brighten the overall mood and atmosphere in the office. Whether the weather is just a little gloomy or the workday has been a bit challenging, I can always count on a four-legged friend to cheer me up. They never fail to brighten my day and mood, as well as provide me with tons of cuddles.