Advertising, UNLOCKED | Sophie, Story Intern
Sophie, Story Intern
I have reached the end of my UNLOCKED internship at Story, and what an experience it has proved to be! I will miss being part of the creative department at Story and growing and learning as a creative under the masterful mentorship of Heather Hughes, the Head of Copy. Having so many four-legged companions keeping me company whilst working on briefs only boosted the positive energy in the office! See Bonnie, my new best friend.
I came into Story as a filmmaker with limited knowledge and insight into advertising, but I left significantly more informed about the creative processes behind advertising. As we are so familiar with advertising and see it in our daily lives, it is easy to forget or fail to appreciate the creativity, skill, and talent that goes into making a successful advertisement or campaign. I can firmly say I will never see the world in the same way again!
Creative communication is imperative to a project’s success. It starts with understanding your client’s needs, addressing a challenge with creative problem-solving, and knowing the target audience and their wants. I liked the midweek creative catch-ups at Story, as it allowed the team to give an overview of current projects and assign tasks across the department to manage the workload. I want to incorporate this into my production workflow for my final year at university!
My favourite insight was observing client briefs that came to the accounts department and became detailed, fully-fledged briefs, which were then sent to the creative department to craft and develop. With a film production background, I am used to a process that begins with development and pre-production, to production, culminating with post-production, distribution, and exhibition. It was fascinating to see a variation of this operating in a professional environment and how each member collaborated to produce a finalised product or project for the client.
I experimented with a completely different writing style from my usual screenwriting format - copywriting! I learnt how to internalise the brand voice and embody the characteristics of each brand through live and mock briefs. Copywriting was a great challenge, as I am used to writing in either an academic or screenwriting format with a set style and structure. Copywriting challenges you to become the brand and find a relatable, stylised, and succinct way to communicate a core message. As Heather once wisely quoted from the copywriting oracle: “Say it straight, then say it great.”
Story meticulously and thoughtfully created a masterclass introduction to copywriting. It covered ideation, which prioritised finding the truth in what to say and asking questions. Crafting excellent copy through experimenting with writing many lines and trying to feel instead of think. A key takeaway was to keep it simple and follow the rule of a complicated visual accompanying simple copy and simple visuals accompanying complicated copy. Less is more, and write every word like it’s costing money!
During my UNLOCKED internship at Story, I was lucky enough to participate in a commercial shoot for a long-standing client. I witnessed ideas from the creative directors become a reality through the shoot and professional voiceover recording at Finiflex with a voiceover artist from Sao Paulo! As a film writer-director and cinematographer, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the creative execution of a commercial shoot and the remote direction of a voiceover artist. I also picked up some terminology for directing voiceovers relating to the breath, intonation, and even the enunciation of words!
The internship allowed me to adapt to a professional environment and witness interdepartmental and interpersonal dynamics over a month. Observing how different staff members and departments communicate, collaborate, and manage a fast-paced, quick turnover of projects has taught me that communication and a strong team are at the heart of creativity and success in the workplace.
I was fortunate to attend meetings with creatives and freelancers who approached Story to present their books and portfolios. During my internship, three creatives contacted the agency for feedback and a review, and seeing how each presented themselves and their work has given me the confidence and insight to do the same in the future in my way.
During my internship, I connected with two previous interns at Story and forged additional contacts with video production agencies specialising in advertising. I am thankful for the people I met at Story and for continuing to meet new creatives through Story even after my internship!
The most important thing I gained from my UNLOCKED internship at Story was a renewed sense of self-belief, direction, and confidence in my creativity, skills, and talent. Thank you to the staff at Story, who taught me what they know and generously gave me their time. I want to thank Heather for seeing the potential in me. Even though I applied with a different creative specialism, she saw something in me and gave me the opportunity to shine.