Three weeks down and only three to go! Time flies when you’re having fun and we are officially complete with our first pitch. After weeks of research, collaboration, Zoom calls, Slack messages and a happy hour, we completed our first pitch! Each intern reflected on the questions below to wrap-up the project.

What was your favorite part of the Ameren IL project?
What did you learn that will help with the upcoming assignment?
What did your pre-pitch pump up look like?
How did you feel after the pitch?

Bound answers:

Alexis Maragni

With our first project, my favorite part was helping our collective brain child come to life! I love making cool designs, but it's even better when there's passion and purpose behind those designs.
This first project helped me to learn how to communicate and collaborate in this remote setting.
My pre-pitch pump up consisted of sweating profusely and putting on deodorant. Also, chatting with the girls beforehand definitely helped to set the tone.
After the pitch, I was elated and proud; elated because the words of affirmation were so unexpected yet appreciated and proud because each girl CRUSHED it. We all put our very best into this, so it felt very rewarding to have this project end on such a high note.

Lauren Harris

My favorite part of our first project was seeing everyone settle into their roles and then bring such different skills to the table. It was so cool to see each person contribute something different and have it end up as such a great pitch in the end.
Oh I for sure learned what my role is and how to excel in it. At the beginning of our first project I think we were all a little like "soo what do we do?", but now I am much more confident and think that will make our second project even better.
Pre-pitch was a lot of practicing and nervousness, but mostly talking with my team about it helped settle my nerves!
SO good. I don't think any of us expected it to go as well as it did or get the amazing feedback we got so I was so so happy that we delivered a pitch that they thought was spot-on. It has made me even more excited for project two!!

Bella Corona

My favorite part of the project was seeing how the team ran with the creative brief ideas. The team created an in-depth content and media strategy as well as awesome creative work!
During the first project, I spent a lot of time getting comfortable in my role and understanding how a brand planner interacts with the team. And while I know that a new ask will require me to start that process over, I feel much more comfortable and ready for the next ask.
My pre-pitch pump up really just consisted of a lot of sweating and brushing my teeth.
I was absolutely blown away by the response to the pitch! I was so proud of myself and especially my team. After only knowing these ladies for three weeks, the way we were able to work as a team and create this project really gave me a sense of pride and confidence.

Ashton Stegman

My favorite part of the Ameren IL project was seeing the strategy come alive through the content we created and being able to find a way to fit that in with the existing messaging.
I learned that great ideas come from working with a team and collaborating!
Pre-pitch me likes to listen to some relaxing music - The Head and the Heart "Let's Be Still" is my favorite song and a great way to calm down before absolutely anything.
I felt great after the pitch. It's like we successfully put together a difficult puzzle and now we have our spirits up for the start of the next one!

Michelle Thai

I enjoyed the challenge of adapting social media efforts as people are using it right now more than ever. It was fun trying to come up with new and unique ways to send our message.
I now have a better understanding of how our team works and how to organize the next assignment.
My pre-pitch pump up was listening to music and taking laps around my house.
I felt extremely proud of our team for how hard we worked for this project and how well we were able to present our ideas. It also felt great hearing all the amazing feedback from HLK!

Abby Carpenter

My favorite part about the project was taking all the information given to us, researching and breaking it down into deliverables. I loved seeing everyone shine in their position, taking on tasks and coming back together to see how each idea came to life.
I learned that it is important to research to learn as much about the client as possible. The more we knew about Ameren IL, the better our ideas got. Also, I learned that it is important to communicate and hold yourself accountable for the work that needs to be completed. Especially working remotely, Slack and Google Hangout became our best friends to help us communicate and update the group.
My pre-pitch pump up looked more like a calm down. I resisted the third cup of coffee to help calm my nerves and hopped on the Zoom call 15 minutes early to get some last-minute confidence from the other interns.
I felt accomplished and proud after the pitch! We got amazing feedback and it was so rewarding to present all of our work and get a positive response. I also loved that Lauren immediately created a google hangout invite titled “What just happened” so we could debrief and celebrate as a team.