A summer of firsts

Just to prove how much fun a student can have and how friendly and welcoming Wunderman is, we threatened asked Saadya Gellens to write about his 10-week internship.

A summer of firsts

This week, my summer-long internship with Wunderman UK will draw to a close. It’s been a summer of firsts: my first time in Europe, my first time really travelling alone, and my first time walking into an office with out knowing a soul.

It’s taught me a lot about UK culture, advertising, and even myself.

Culltcha?

Obviously it took me a few weeks to really get used to the accent, but after that, it was pretty smooth sailing. I was able to really appreciate the more laid-back lifestyle of the British, and get a chance to be taken out to all sorts of cool and interesting places (Shoreditch being my favorite!) by newly made friends from around the office.

The forefront

In terms of advertising experience, this summer afforded me the opportunity to really be on the edge of advertising. I was challenged constantly to come up with new ideas and campaigns for Land Rover and Nokia, all the while getting positive and constructive feedback from teams and creative directors.

I delved into the tech world, thinking in terms of how I could utilize the newest innovations like augmented reality and motion-sensitive cameras to solve our client’s problems. I turned bus shelters into cages, web pages into mud, even worked on developing a couple of YouTube mini-series.

Attitude is everything

Taking on an internship as the only foreign intern was a daunting one, but staying positive and constructive has been the key to being able to achieve my goals and contribute to the creative department.

I had great teams and creative directors constantly pushing me to do great work, but also checking up on me to make sure I was doing well and taking me out for a pint after work to make sure I was relaxing as well as working hard.

All in all, I’m really going to miss London, the non-stop, exciting life of a creative agency, and the friends I’ve made this summer.