Week 1 - The Organization and It's Mission
My latest internship with Foundation Management and Pro-Productions manages events for non-profit organizations like The Greg Hill Foundation, Jason Varitek Celebrity Putt-Putt, and the 5K2Play to benefit The Friends of Michael Joyce. FMP Productions works with many celebrity’s and athlete’s non-profit foundation and helps to create and run their events smoothly and successfully. FMP Productions is located at 45 South St. Hopkinton, MA. They do not have a land line, but instead through their website (www.fmpproductions.com) you can email a member of the staff directly. The best way to contact FMP is to email or call their cell phones, which may or may not be work phones. I know that all their clients seem to call whenever they need anything which works out well.FMP is a very small company of three full-time staff. There’s Erin Lynch who’s the President, Kaitlyn Montagna the Marketing Director (this would be my intern mentor), and lastly Adam Benoit the Marketing Coordinator. The staff have over 22 years of combined experience in managing over 500 events with about 50 foundations. Their services include Event Production, Foundation Management, and Marketing Consulting.
FMP Productions does not exactly have a very clear “This is The Mission of FMP Productions.” Instead, under their “Services” tab, they have a list of what they do and what they’re goals are for each. This list includes...
Event Production: “FMP Productions provides the resources, leadership, fund development, managements expertise and comprehensive event planning to accomplish the overall objectives to enhance communications and media strategy, event publicity, increase exhibitors displaying on-site, brand-marketing, develop partner integration, and most importantly increase sponsorships.”
Foundation Management: “Whether you are creating a private or family foundation from the ground up or having had a well-established foundation for years, FMP will facilitate in helping your philanthropy be more effective and efficient. Our knowledgeable team of experts is ready to support the operations of the foundation, as well as help donors define and achieve their philanthropic visions and maximize the impact of their philanthropic efforts.”
Marketing Consultant: “FMP Productions has a proven track record for providing clients with a marketing strategy that will allow them to effectively communicate to their target audience, thus enabling success in their field. Our comprehensive strategic marketing plans produce remarkable results for our clients by helping them create, plan and implement effective custom marketing methods tailored to their unique situation and needs. We approach each consulting marketing situation to develop plans that will grow your business and bottom line profit.”
These are just the first paragraphs of each description from FMP’s website (http://www.fmpproductions.com/services/marketing-consultant) of what FMP’s services are and how they will help you. Although I think it’s a good way to show a potential client what FMP can, and will, offer, I also believe that one clear mission statement would be helpful. Most, if not all, successful companies and organizations have a mission statement. The statement wouldn’t have to be anything super long or descriptive like what they have under their “Services” tab. Instead it could be something like; We strive to give each foundation what they need to successfully reach and surpass their goals. I know that’s really short but FMP could just have something short like that as their mission, or maybe message, and then under that have their descriptions for the services they offer.
Week 3 - Organization/Personal Goals of Your Internship
The goals that I have established for myself in this internship with FMP Productions is to learn as much as I possibly can about their company and the industry that they’re in. I want to learn what it takes to be a graphic designer and work with a marketing team. As always, I want to try and network and make as many lasting connections with the people at FMP and the people that FMP works with. That way, I will have some good references after I graduate that may lead to a full time job. I am still trying to figure out what I will do with my life and career, so I plan on soaking up everything that I see and do with FMP and apply it to my decision on choosing a career.
The goals that FMP Productions provided me with are; assisting with design programs, assisting with creating email blasts, assisting with website maintenance, writing press releases for events, distributing press releases for events, follow-up with media outlets on press releases, and assist with event execution.
Although that’s not exactly a typical job description it’s what I was given. Working with FMP Productions for the last month or so now I believe that we share similar goals for myself. I think that they want me to learn as much as I can from them about marketing and the industry that FMP is in. This way I can use the tools that they have taught me in my future endeavors.
As it is with most internships that I’ve ever been apart of, FMP has me working on things that they don’t have time to do themselves. That means that I’m doing most of the tedious work. Sometimes the projects they give me are fun and interesting, and other times they’re a bit boring. I tend to think that they’re just showing me the behind the scenes work that goes into the events and projects they do for foundations. Everyone has to start somewhere and most often you don’t start at the top, so I’m happy doing all this low level work and learning how FMP does everything from the ground up.
The goals that FMP Productions provided me with are; assisting with design programs, assisting with creating email blasts, assisting with website maintenance, writing press releases for events, distributing press releases for events, follow-up with media outlets on press releases, and assist with event execution.
Although that’s not exactly a typical job description it’s what I was given. Working with FMP Productions for the last month or so now I believe that we share similar goals for myself. I think that they want me to learn as much as I can from them about marketing and the industry that FMP is in. This way I can use the tools that they have taught me in my future endeavors.
As it is with most internships that I’ve ever been apart of, FMP has me working on things that they don’t have time to do themselves. That means that I’m doing most of the tedious work. Sometimes the projects they give me are fun and interesting, and other times they’re a bit boring. I tend to think that they’re just showing me the behind the scenes work that goes into the events and projects they do for foundations. Everyone has to start somewhere and most often you don’t start at the top, so I’m happy doing all this low level work and learning how FMP does everything from the ground up.
Week 5 - Organization Hierarchy, Management Structure, and Communication Methods
FMP Productions has a very simple management structure because there’s only three members of the company. At the top of the chart would be Erin Lynch who is the President, she’s then followed by Kaitlyn Montagna the Marketing Director and then Adam Benoit the Marketing Coordinator. I believe it’s pretty clear who’s who out of these three. There’s no confusion of who’s higher than the other, but I wouldn’t say that there’s a lot of “I have more power than you” coming from any of them. Erin clearly is the powerful person and Kaitlyn and Adam both refer to her on almost everything they do, but otherwise it’s more of a group collaboration I feel. They all share one small, cramped, office which gives the feeling that they’re all in this together.
FMP Productions is clearly informal in my opinion. Some days they come in dressed nice and other days they come in wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. It’s a very relaxed environment; Erin even brings her dog into work. I don’t mind this sort of environment and when it comes to businesses and companies this is actually what I’m most used to. Although things are relaxed it doesn’t effect their business. They get work done and work hard at what they do. Being a bit more relaxed I believe allows them to focus more at the work at hand instead of worrying about how they’re dressed and how they act. I think the relaxed environment makes for a more inviting environment. It was easy for me to come in and feel comfortable with them. If this was a very high class professional business environment then I would feel a bit intimidated and rather uncomfortable. FMP does know how to take things to the next level and is not casual all the time.
At a recent event that FMP Productions had me come and help with, they were all very professionally dressed in business attire. This shows that although in the office they may not always be dressed to impress when they’re out in the world they are looking to impress everyone. They clearly know how to put on a very professional event and conducted themselves likewise. I think it’s really important to be able to be professional when it’s needed.
Communication is very important when it comes to any aspect in life and work. At FMP Productions they mostly communicate through emails, but will call people as well. I know for myself I still don’t have their numbers and they clearly want me to email them at all times. For FMP, emailing works because the three of them are always on their computers, making it easy to email them and get an immediate response, or at least a near immediate response. For the most part FMP is very clear and understanding in their communication. The only issue I have found, which really only applies to me, is that when I’m not at FMP Productions they don’t really communicate with me. For instance right now I am working on creating a ticket for an event and Kaitlyn told me that she would let me know of some ideas she had for the ticket but I have yet to hear from her since and I would love to hear her ideas for it so that I could brain storm on my own outside of the office. This isn’t a major problem, and as I said it really only applies to myself, but it would be helpful if they communicated more with me whether or not I am in the office.
FMP Production’s does not have a formal Code of Conduct but
they do that certain rules to follow that are clearly stated when you accept a
position with FMP. You should never act
like a crazed fan when around celebrities and pro-athletes, or basically don’t
go up to them asking for photos or autographs.
Other than that major rule it’s just the basic business conduct and
common sense. There are only three
people in FMP Productions so I believe that they don’t really need a big formal
list to know how to deal with and interact with each other and their
clients.
FMP Productions is clearly informal in my opinion. Some days they come in dressed nice and other days they come in wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. It’s a very relaxed environment; Erin even brings her dog into work. I don’t mind this sort of environment and when it comes to businesses and companies this is actually what I’m most used to. Although things are relaxed it doesn’t effect their business. They get work done and work hard at what they do. Being a bit more relaxed I believe allows them to focus more at the work at hand instead of worrying about how they’re dressed and how they act. I think the relaxed environment makes for a more inviting environment. It was easy for me to come in and feel comfortable with them. If this was a very high class professional business environment then I would feel a bit intimidated and rather uncomfortable. FMP does know how to take things to the next level and is not casual all the time.
At a recent event that FMP Productions had me come and help with, they were all very professionally dressed in business attire. This shows that although in the office they may not always be dressed to impress when they’re out in the world they are looking to impress everyone. They clearly know how to put on a very professional event and conducted themselves likewise. I think it’s really important to be able to be professional when it’s needed.
Communication is very important when it comes to any aspect in life and work. At FMP Productions they mostly communicate through emails, but will call people as well. I know for myself I still don’t have their numbers and they clearly want me to email them at all times. For FMP, emailing works because the three of them are always on their computers, making it easy to email them and get an immediate response, or at least a near immediate response. For the most part FMP is very clear and understanding in their communication. The only issue I have found, which really only applies to me, is that when I’m not at FMP Productions they don’t really communicate with me. For instance right now I am working on creating a ticket for an event and Kaitlyn told me that she would let me know of some ideas she had for the ticket but I have yet to hear from her since and I would love to hear her ideas for it so that I could brain storm on my own outside of the office. This isn’t a major problem, and as I said it really only applies to myself, but it would be helpful if they communicated more with me whether or not I am in the office.
Week 7 - Preliminary Evaluation of Internship Experience
- Erika Anderson
- Foundation Management & Pro-Productions
- This internship definitely provides me with a more than adequate experience for my background. So far I have had to use everything that I’ve learned in previous communication courses to complete tasks for the internship. I’m learning about the real world and apply my skills in useful ways.
- Yes, my mentor knows my goals of learning all that I can from them to apply to my future endeavors.
- Yes, just like a job, I made sure to research the company and see what they were all about and whether or not it would be a good fit for me.
- No, I believe that they require just the right amount of work from me and if I am ever confused or unsure of what I’m doing I feel comfortable asking questions.
- Yes, I cooperate with the company to meet goals and assignments given to me. Though I’m usually on my own when completing assignments, I am always able to ask questions and work with them when I need to.
- Yes, I recently spent an afternoon designing a ticket for an event for them. The next time I was at the internship I was told that they believe they were not going to need the ticket now. It’s a bummer that they will most likely not use the ticket I spent so much time on, but I understand that this will happen depending on what the clients want or need and was able to move on from it with no problem.
- I am very eager to learn new skills. That’s exactly why I accepted the internship at FMP Productions. I wanted to learn everything that I could from them. Whether it be new computer skills or just new knowledge on graphic designing and what a career in graphic design would be like.
- You learn something new everyday, even if it’s something simple. I have not learned any new skills really, but I’ve been learning a lot about the company, the business, and the behind the scenes work that goes into creating events for clients. I have also been learning little things like all the cycling clubs in Mass. for a recent project FMP had me do.
- I would not say that I feel exactly challenged by this internship, but it forces me to use and practice the skills that I’ve learned throughout my time at WSU. Some skills I have not used in a while.
- Yes, when it comes to clients and colleagues in the company I always try to helpful and do whatever I can for them. Whether it’s a job or an internship I always work hard and do what I can for them to show that I’m dedicated.
- I don’t work directly with the clients that FMP Productions deals with, but through my colleagues I do what I can for the clients. I use my time wisely and help where needed.
- I tend to be introverted, especially when I first meet people, but after the initial meet and greet is over I try and open up and really get to know the people I’m working with/for. I have been trying to be social and network with the people at my internship.
- Whether or not I feel confident, I always make sure to act confident. I believe that it’s incredibly important to come off as someone who is confident, though that doesn’t mean if I’m not feeling confident I don’t ask questions. I’m ok in showing that I need help and may not be confident in something.
- I believe that FMP Productions can be very proud of me and the work I’ve done for them. There is no reason for them not to be happy with my performance.
- Although low level tasks are not my favorite, I do believe that it’s still important to do them well. Even low level tasks are important to getting the job done and please the client.
- Yes, I always work hard no matter what I do for FMP Productions. I arrive on time and leave only when my task is done or there is no other work for me to do. I believe that my work easily justifies the time they have invested in me.
- I always look forward to working with FMP Productions and am excited about the projects they assign to me.
- I know that this internship is only for one semester and is already nearing the half-way mark, but I am very committed to FMP Productions and doing everything I can for them while I can. I use this short period of time to learn as much as I can and impress my colleagues enough so that when it is time for the internship to end I will at least have some positive connections that could potentially help me land a job in the future.
- This internship, although not over yet, has helped me to learn more about graphic design work and about the work of non-profit organizations. It has given me a better grasp on what it’s like to work in the communications field in the real world.
- I hadn’t realized how many little things go into creating events and how much work goes into creating an event for an organization. This internships has helped to see where my skills could be useful in the real world, not just for my own personal projects.
Week 9 - Tasks/Assignments and Educational Implications
Every week at FMP Productions I am assigned a new task. Some weeks I am simply assigned to research projects. One such project was when they wanted me to find new companies, organizations, and foundations for them to work with and make connections with in hopes to someday take over that organizations event planning. I spend the afternoons researching and creating excel spreadsheets full of information on different organizations and contacts. I have also done some InDesign work for FMP Production’s events, creating documents of information for them and I always sending out information to people. For every event they’ve done I’ve had to research different companies to contact with information, newspapers and event listings to send the event info to, and email blasts to the contacts we have already. I’ve done that most recently for the McCourt Foundation Spring Gala event that FMP Productions is helping to put on.
When it comes to my tasks and the work that I do for FMP Productions I have yet to negotiate anything with them. I enjoy what I do for them and feel appreciated for the work that I do. If I was starting to feel unappreciated or that the work they assigned me was of no interest to me then I would have a reason to confront them with how I feel and what I would want to change.
In this internship I’ve been utilizing a lot of skills that I’ve learned over the years at WSU. For instance I took Media Writing and have been doing a lot of PR writing at FMP Productions so this course has certainly come in handy, though at times I feel like I have to relearn different ways of writing because I haven’t practiced it in a few years. I have also been using skills learned in my Graphic Design course. These skills are still very fresh and have been used often enough so that I haven’t had to relearn anything. I wouldn’t say that there have been too many new skills that I’ve learned, just mostly relearning skills and tweaking them a bit to fit what FMP is looking for. Like all the PR writing. I am a good writer and have written a lot over the years but some of the press releases and email blasts are skills that I have not used often and have had to become reacquainted with. The one thing that I have had to learn new is the email blast program. I forget what the program was called, because they only had me use it once, but it was a completely new program that I’ve never used before and found that it was a bit difficult to get used to. Overall I am happy with what FMP Productions has me doing and I feel that I’ve been able to really hone my skills with them and work on the PR writing skills that I have forgotten.
When it comes to my tasks and the work that I do for FMP Productions I have yet to negotiate anything with them. I enjoy what I do for them and feel appreciated for the work that I do. If I was starting to feel unappreciated or that the work they assigned me was of no interest to me then I would have a reason to confront them with how I feel and what I would want to change.
In this internship I’ve been utilizing a lot of skills that I’ve learned over the years at WSU. For instance I took Media Writing and have been doing a lot of PR writing at FMP Productions so this course has certainly come in handy, though at times I feel like I have to relearn different ways of writing because I haven’t practiced it in a few years. I have also been using skills learned in my Graphic Design course. These skills are still very fresh and have been used often enough so that I haven’t had to relearn anything. I wouldn’t say that there have been too many new skills that I’ve learned, just mostly relearning skills and tweaking them a bit to fit what FMP is looking for. Like all the PR writing. I am a good writer and have written a lot over the years but some of the press releases and email blasts are skills that I have not used often and have had to become reacquainted with. The one thing that I have had to learn new is the email blast program. I forget what the program was called, because they only had me use it once, but it was a completely new program that I’ve never used before and found that it was a bit difficult to get used to. Overall I am happy with what FMP Productions has me doing and I feel that I’ve been able to really hone my skills with them and work on the PR writing skills that I have forgotten.
Week 11 - Codes of Conduct
I have
yet to see any ethical issues or moral questions. I am sure they do run into these when they
deal with certain clientele though. FMP
takes everything into consideration though and if a client were to say that
they were against using certain products at their events because their morals
then FMP would listen and honor that request.
FMP is very considerate to their clients and always listening to what
they have to say and what they need or want.
Overall
the three FMP people don’t really have to worry about anything in their company
because the three of them have worked with each other enough to know where each
person stands and how they each work and how not to step on each other’s toes
so to speak. Their biggest concerns are
when they’re working with clients and especially new clients that they have
never worked with before. You have to be
very careful when working with new clients and make sure that you listen to
everything they say, so you don’t cross any boundaries with them.
Week 13 - The Overall Experience
Even the simplest and most boring internships are helpful in some way, or that’s what I believe and have told myself a lot this semester. FMP Productions was one of those internships where I wasn’t all that challenged but I believe I still came out of it with some useful information. I wouldn’t say that it had a very large impact on me, I’m not going to remember the experiences I had with FMP for all my life, but I am walking away knowing more than I walked in with. I think one thing that really did impact me in a positive way there is that if you’re driven and want to do something then you should just do it. FMP Productions is made up of three full time employees. Just three! It makes me think that maybe if I wanted to start something on my own that I could. For instance, I really love photography and I think some of my work is pretty good, so maybe I could start my own photography company and sell my work wherever. I otherwise wasn’t really impacted by this internship. With myself, this internship only further taught me that I don’t mind doing remedial work. If it’s easy work then I know I’ll be able to complete it with no issues, which is good because it doesn’t stress me out. Over the last year or so I’ve realized how much I don’t mind the easy work I do. My philosophy has always been that as long as I’m not bored I’m happy. This internship was no different. Going in and just researching and creating documents for FMP really wasn’t so bad. There were some projects assigned to me that maybe didn’t enthuse me as much as others but if I was busy then I didn’t mind so much.
An important question at the end of everyday is “did I meet my goals?”. My goals for this internship were,
“to learn as much as I possibly can about their company and the industry that they’re in. I want to learn what it takes to be a graphic designer and work with a marketing team. As always, I want to try and network and make as many lasting connections with the people at FMP and the people that FMP works with.”I believe I partly met these goals. I say partly because I only really met half of my goal. I did learn about the event production industry and what it takes to put on events for non-profit charities. I learned what the events are actually like and what it’s like working at these events. I also believe that I built some lasting professional relationships with the three FMP employees. But I don’t believe that I learned what it’s like to be a graphic designer for a company. Yes I did some, very minimal, design work for FMP, but it wasn’t much. I thought, or had hoped, that maybe I’d be doing more InDesign work for them. Instead I did much more Public Relations work for them.
The PR work I did for FMP taught me that I didn’t hate it as much as I thought I did. When I took a PR class at WSU I really didn’t like it, but I like to write and writing up press releases and event information and sending them out to the press and whoever else wasn’t so bad. I think I learned that PR wouldn’t be such a bad career choice for me. On my own though, and maybe with the help of my internships this semester, I have learned that I am much happier doing work that I’m comfortable doing and work that I know I can do and am good at. When I’m thrown out of my comfort zone and told to do work that I’m not as confident with I immediately become rather stressed. Which is why I’ve been thinking that maybe working a job that’s a bit more simplistic would be best for me and do all the other challenging work, like design, on my own for fun and not as a career choice.
It’s hard to say whether or not this internship met my expectations. I think in some ways it did and other it didn’t. As I said I didn’t do nearly as much graphic design work as I had hoped to or wanted to, but in the end I was happy with the work that I was doing. And I did learn about the industry and what it’s like to plan for events and how much work goes into them. For the most part I think I will leave feeling that I learned something about myself and the non-profit industry.
I would recommend this internship to other students but I think it would be best for sophomores and juniors. As a graduating senior I would’ve liked to have had more work or more responsibility. It felt like I was simply there to do work that they didn’t want to do. I didn’t exactly learn any new skills there. I learned about event planning, but I could’ve figured it out on my own as well if I had to I believe. I was shown different sites that can be used for event planning and donations, but again I could’ve discovered them on my own with a little research. This internship taught me about the industry but I wasn’t really challenged in the work I did with them. I think as a senior I would’ve rather have been at another internship that gave me more work, knowledge, and insight on a certain career path. I think that was the biggest issue with this internship. It was more like me volunteering my time to write, once in a while create, and do any other jobs that the employees didn’t want to do. I don’t think I learned anything about a specific career, which is why I would recommend this more for a younger student who is just getting into the communications field and is curious about what is out there.
An important question at the end of everyday is “did I meet my goals?”. My goals for this internship were,
“to learn as much as I possibly can about their company and the industry that they’re in. I want to learn what it takes to be a graphic designer and work with a marketing team. As always, I want to try and network and make as many lasting connections with the people at FMP and the people that FMP works with.”I believe I partly met these goals. I say partly because I only really met half of my goal. I did learn about the event production industry and what it takes to put on events for non-profit charities. I learned what the events are actually like and what it’s like working at these events. I also believe that I built some lasting professional relationships with the three FMP employees. But I don’t believe that I learned what it’s like to be a graphic designer for a company. Yes I did some, very minimal, design work for FMP, but it wasn’t much. I thought, or had hoped, that maybe I’d be doing more InDesign work for them. Instead I did much more Public Relations work for them.
The PR work I did for FMP taught me that I didn’t hate it as much as I thought I did. When I took a PR class at WSU I really didn’t like it, but I like to write and writing up press releases and event information and sending them out to the press and whoever else wasn’t so bad. I think I learned that PR wouldn’t be such a bad career choice for me. On my own though, and maybe with the help of my internships this semester, I have learned that I am much happier doing work that I’m comfortable doing and work that I know I can do and am good at. When I’m thrown out of my comfort zone and told to do work that I’m not as confident with I immediately become rather stressed. Which is why I’ve been thinking that maybe working a job that’s a bit more simplistic would be best for me and do all the other challenging work, like design, on my own for fun and not as a career choice.
It’s hard to say whether or not this internship met my expectations. I think in some ways it did and other it didn’t. As I said I didn’t do nearly as much graphic design work as I had hoped to or wanted to, but in the end I was happy with the work that I was doing. And I did learn about the industry and what it’s like to plan for events and how much work goes into them. For the most part I think I will leave feeling that I learned something about myself and the non-profit industry.
I would recommend this internship to other students but I think it would be best for sophomores and juniors. As a graduating senior I would’ve liked to have had more work or more responsibility. It felt like I was simply there to do work that they didn’t want to do. I didn’t exactly learn any new skills there. I learned about event planning, but I could’ve figured it out on my own as well if I had to I believe. I was shown different sites that can be used for event planning and donations, but again I could’ve discovered them on my own with a little research. This internship taught me about the industry but I wasn’t really challenged in the work I did with them. I think as a senior I would’ve rather have been at another internship that gave me more work, knowledge, and insight on a certain career path. I think that was the biggest issue with this internship. It was more like me volunteering my time to write, once in a while create, and do any other jobs that the employees didn’t want to do. I don’t think I learned anything about a specific career, which is why I would recommend this more for a younger student who is just getting into the communications field and is curious about what is out there.
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