Internships are crucial to the college experience. Whether you bleed politics or simply want to learn more about a major in communications, Haddad Media interns learn valuable communication skills for their futures. Haddad Media is a political event-planning firm in Washington, D.C., the center of the nation’s political network.
Interns at this firm will gain valuable experience for their future, whether that includes elephants and donkeys or not.
What We Do
Haddad Media offers high-profile multimedia services that have to do with politically affiliated organizations such as media outlets, technology distributors, innovative startups and nonprofit organizations. The firm deals with the social side of Washington, D.C. politics, so interns work to plan events, research prominent figures and network.
Who We Help
This reaches a broad audience, from politicians to local D.C. businesses to high-profile media outlets. Think Washington Post and representatives from Capitol Hill.
What It’s Actually Like
The work at this internship changes day-by-day according to interns. “There is no typical day here; my days go by a case-by-case basis. Sometimes we compile research for different companies we are planning events for. We gather research on what the politicians we are planning events for have said and their recent actions in office. Other times, it’s calling up offices to invite people in Washington to our events,” sophomore at the George Washington University and current intern Elizabeth Irwin said. With the nature of the ever-changing task list, interns gain broad experience in the communications field.
What You’ll Learn
Interns gain valuable experience pertaining to the communications field. “I learned how to think quickly and a lot about how intense the political world can be. I also learned how being nonpartisan can be important to understand both sides of issues and create something for everyone. It can be difficult but is doable if done right,” junior at the George Washington University and former intern Sarah Schindler said. Because of the political nature of the internship, interns learn about the politics of the District and resulting communication skills.
Skills that Impress Them
Because this job moves as fast as the D.C. political world, interns should be quick on their feet. Employees expect interns to research topics on the spot. They should also think innovatively, which is a key facet of event planning.
The Deets
This internship is open to anyone interested in event planning. “I am a political communications major, and it definitely showed me the more social side of Washington. I can see political people outside of a political setting, which showed me another avenue of political communication and developed my public relations skills,” Irwin said. As Irwin’s first internship, Haddad Media provided her a great stepping stone into the field. “This internship went hand in hand with my communications major because it has to do a lot with event planning and working with people. It went along with the classes I took, and, in turn, it taught me skills before I learned them in class,” Schindler said. Interns thus build on classroom topics and can apply what they learned in school to the real world.
Cool Stuff You Get to Do
Interns at this firm have the opportunity to network and speak with the politicians and companies that the firm works with. “I was in the same room as Mike Pence and I took a photo with Sean Spicer,” Irwin said. This firm gives its interns the classic communications experience, with a special D.C. twist.
