Eddie Brennan '19 is interning this summer with Digital Brand Architects, a social influencer marketing agency in Los Angeles. Brennan's internship is supported by the Allen Family Internship Fund. Here's what he has to say about his experience there.
Where are you working this summer?
I am the influencer talent management intern at Digital Brand Architects, the first company to recognize social influencers as talent and to manage a world-renowned roster of leaders in the social space, in Los Angeles. I was referred to this internship by my boss Jenna Fain ’09 after my last internship in NYC with her creative digital marketing studio, Stone Set Studio.
What drew you to this internship?
Throughout my college experience and after an immersive, career-development experience in the First Year Forward program at Hamilton, I knew creative marketing in the digital space was where I wanted to be. I love the democratization of luxury, fashion, travel, and pop culture that social platforms provide, especially the community-building aspect.
As a young LGBTQ+ kid growing up in a small town, the only access I had to my community was through social media, and I marveled at the influencers who taught me to love myself through being their authentic selves. After a few transformative internships in brand-direct marketing and integrated campaigns at the country's largest LGBTQ+ marketing agency, I saw an influx of creative campaigns heading to the social sphere — spearheaded by influencers — and I wanted to jump on the curve.
Major: Hispanic Studies
Hometown: Waterville, NY
High School: Waterville Central School
Can you describe an average day for you on the job?
My day begins at 9 a.m. with one-on-one meetings with our clients to discuss brand strategy and their goals and aspirations for their social accounts. These meetings are crucial as we pitch clients to brands for digital campaigns. We also meet as a management team to talk about upcoming contracts and how we can better work together on projects.
Then, lunch with a beautiful view of Beverly Hills and time to connect with the other managers and sister companies. After that, the afternoons are filled with creating one-sheets to promote clients, calculating analytics, writing campaign recaps, and studying new changes to social platforms. And can’t forget about those emails! Then at 6 p.m., I head out to explore LA. I love to go hiking in the mountains around West Hollywood or down to the beaches in Malibu. Work-life balance is very important to me.
What’s your favorite part about this experience?
In this internship, I get to be surrounded by the leading creatives in the digital space: the influencers. I love that in this role, I have the opportunity to pitch new talent from the LGBTQ+ influencer space and promote my community through brand partnerships with queer talent.
This experience has taught me about compassion and the importance of learning how to work with so many diverse types of people. Whether they are mommy bloggers, fashion critics, body-positive models or personal trainers, every influencer has the opportunity to impact someone's life and help them feel a little more included, a little more confident, and a little more whole.
