Terrifying But True - An Intern Horror Story

Ever since taking my first PR class and learning about the different occupations of the Public Relations industry, I've pretty much had a lot of my life mapped out. I was going to spend the better part of my twenties expanding my skill set by diving into the chaotic and cut-throat world of a public relations agency. Then, with these years of experience & hundreds of satisfied clients (hey, dream big right?), I would land a corporate PR job at a company I love where I can steadily move up the ladder and have a comfortable and fulfilling position. Not exactly a detailed plan but a plan nonetheless. However, this summer I worked at a boutique PR firm in Manhattan and it definitely gave me a ride on a long and emotional roller coaster. 


In the world of Public Relations, "boutique" is the equivalent of small. Yet, they have their advantages, such as full service and complete attention to detail (or so it is advertised). This boutique PR firm in particular specialized in the luxury industry - their clients are salons, clothing designers, high-end restaurants, and yes, personalities. Since it was the summer season, many of the clients that the firm was working with were in the Hamptons - the playground for the rich and famous from Memorial Day to Labor Day - and I was told that we would be covering events in the Hamptons almost every weekend and I could not be more excited. This kind of hands-on experience is just what I was craving and I was ready to dedicate every minute of my summer absorbing everything I could. 


The minute I stepped through the door, I noticed the cluttered office. It was probably the size of my living room at my house in Miami. There was one window facing a concrete wall in the very corner which completely deserted the purpose of a window to begin with. Everyone working in the office (other than the president & founder of the firm & her sister who works with the beauty clients) were under the age of 25, and they were all doing a million things at once. 


At first, I was intimidated. These girls are a year out of school and handling every aspect of Public Relations for these high-profile clients. But then after a few weeks at the job, I quickly realized that this was probably the worst and most unhealthy work environment I could ever be in. 


Following is a cliffnotes version of my summer in no particular order:

• Over the course of the summer, our boss has made 6 people quit, hired 7 different unpaid interns (for a firm that totals at 13 people - over half of the employees are UNPAID interns!), and has made people cry on numerous occasions.
• The employee that has been there the longest has been there for 6 months and is frantically sending out her resume.
• I was the only person in the entire office that knows how to use Adobe. And my boss took advantage of that.
• The firm's use of social media (if any) were outdated and poor. 
• On my first Friday at work, I stayed in the office from 9AM-9PM doing a send-out, while most of the office (including the boss) left. 
• For events in the Hamptons, my boss refused to provide us with lodging, instead making us drive back at 1AM after working from 5AM in the morning all the way to 10PM.
• None of the employees got paid for working late or working events on weekends
• You were constantly verbally abused and NEVER appreciated.
• My boss administered a grammar test & found that I was the one with the best editing skills, so she made me, an unpaid intern without even a travel allowance, read and edit every single piece of writing that was sent out
• I read and edited an article she wrote on the Cannes Film Festival and found over 30 mistakes.
• Starting salary is $25,000
• Interns were assigned articles, and our boss would put her name on them. 
• I once had to chase a paparazzo through the woods at an event.
• Our boss frowned on any and all friendships in the office. If you and another employee/intern left the office at the same time, she sensed a conspiracy theory.
• Our boss took any and all credit. You were penalized if a client praised you.
• You had no lunch break. Every employee would buy their lunch and eat it in the cramped little office. If you were gone for more than 20 minutes, you would get phone calls asking where you were.
• It was not uncommon for unpaid interns to work from 9AM-8PM on any given weekday.

I'm sure I could think of more if I really wanted to but I think you get the gist of it. It was not only an unprofessional atmosphere, it was downright unhealthy and absolutely illegal. And this wasn't some unknown public relations firm either, it has been around for 11 years. The founder/boss has been featured in numerous news articles, such as The New York Times as a power publicist. In fact, she has become a socialite herself, with invitations to every red carpet event you could imagine and her wedding extensively covered in the internet and print media. The clients themselves are nothing to laugh at either. They are restaurants that are regularly visited by well-known celebrities, personalities that are constantly photographed, and designers that have dressed dozens of bold faced names and movie wardrobes. And not even a tenth of the clients' fame should be accredited to the firm's founder. 

But alas, it was a learning experience that I don't think I would give up. Although the internship physically generated nothing more than a lukewarm recommendation letter with absolutely no feeling written by the founder's husband (despite working 60 hour unpaid weeks and doing tasks of a paid account manager), I gained invaluable experience and knowledge. I learned that I can survive the agency world because no agency could ever be as bad as the one that I've already worked for. I learned that the next PR job I take, it will absolutely not be with a boutique firm. I learned to never judge the professionalism of a firm based on its clients. And finally, I learned that your coworkers are your best friends, no matter how much your employer may discourage it. Because in the end, they will be the ones that will have your back. 


In our PR classes at Miami, I remember professors trying to convey the insanity and chaos of public relations agencies. Even in countless books and movies, the world of Public Relations is painted as evil, cut-throat, and downright cruel. But it's firms like the one I worked for this summer that truly epitomize and reinforce this stereotype. So I consider this post a commentary on that negative PR stereotype and would like to say that although the head of the firm was the most unprofessional and useless publicist I could ever dream of finding, the people that she employed were some of the most hardworking and genuine professionals I've ever met. Under that dark and scary stereotype, there are true people doing good work - that is what I think defines PR.

So to all future employers, bring it on. Hit me with your best shot & I will surprise you.