Starting my PR internship, I expected the biggest learning curve to be working in PR itself: writing pitches, communicating with clients, conducting media scans and learning how to bring in new business. While these were all important parts of my learning experience, I quickly realized that university can only teach you so much about PR. You can learn the theories of communication, media relations and PR strategy in a classroom, but it is difficult to truly understand the pace, pressure and expectations of an agency until you are in the middle of it.
Being an intern at Brookline, I learned how PR works in real time. Writing a pitch meant understanding the client, finding the right story and angle, researching relevant media and thinking about why a journalist would want to cover it. Media scans taught me to pay attention to news cycles, trends and the smaller details, while client communication taught me the importance of being clear, responsive and adaptable.
The pace of agency life was perhaps the biggest shift from university. Deadlines were no longer theoretical; clients had very real expectations and every task had a purpose beyond simply completing an assignment. I learned that PR is about understanding the bigger picture, managing competing priorities and knowing when to adapt, ask questions or take initiative. During my internship, I was also given new opportunities to be creative and see the results of my work in real time. These experiences are difficult to replicate in a classroom and ultimately taught me what it really means to work in PR.
In many ways, I felt a little like Rory Gilmore stepping into journalism for the first time. Her determination in Gilmore Girls to become a reporter captured a feeling I recognized in myself: excited, passionate and most importantly, eager to learn. Like Rory, I came in with an idea of what I wanted my career to look like but quickly learned that there is a lot you can only figure out by doing the work.
Throughout my internship, my understanding of PR expanded beyond what I had learned in the classroom. I began to see how much thought goes into the work behind the scenes, from knowing when an idea has potential to understanding how each piece fits into a larger communications strategy. Working at Brookline taught me to think creatively while still being strategic, adapt quickly when priorities shifted and pay attention to the small details that could make my work more effective. Not to mention the crazy amount of coffee consumed along the way, in true Lorelai Gilmore fashion.
It is also important to note how much I would have benefited from a basic Excel course. University taught me a lot of helpful skills; however, it did not teach me how to navigate a spreadsheet filled with formulas, media lists, reporting data or more tabs than I knew what to do with. Between learning Excel and juggling different client needs and priorities, I sometimes felt like Ross trying to get his couch up the stairs in Friends: PIVOT! PIVOT! PIVOT!
Another element I quickly learned during my internship was that staying organized is not just a nice skill to have in PR, it’s a necessary strategy. With multiple projects, countless document drafts and different clients to keep track of, I began to understand why Michael Scott was so passionate about having a “special filing cabinet” for Corporate. His filing system may not be the gold standard, but his commitment to knowing where everything belongs is surprisingly relatable.
Looking back, the most valuable thing my internship taught me was that there is a big difference between knowing about PR and actually working in it. University taught me the theory and skills behind PR, but my internship taught me how to trust my ideas, work through uncertainty, take feedback and understand that no two days in an agency are ever the same. I learned to be comfortable not having all the answers and instead ask lots of questions, figure things out and keep moving.
Brookline gave me a glimpse into the fast-paced and sometimes unpredictable life of PR, but it also showed me how incredibly rewarding it is. I came into my internship wanting to learn what working in PR was really like. As I continue working with the company as an intern, I hope to keep showing up with the four pillars of Fresh, Solid, Creative and Professional. I want to bring those values into everything I do and continue to grow into the PR professional I want to become.
Nisa Abid is an Intern at Brookline Public Relations and is entering her final semester of Communications and Media Studies at the University of Calgary. A natural storyteller and collaborator, Nisa brings a creative mindset, fresh perspective and curiosity to every project. Always ready to learn, connect and lend a hand, she’s excited to grow her skills and make her mark in PR.