Views from an Intern

Adam Ross is a senior at the University of Northern Iowa and is a marketing intern at Mudd Advertising. I have been an intern at Mudd Advertising for a little over two months now, and it has been nothing short of interesting. I had an idea of what to expect when I was first brought onto their staff.  I was told that this company had a very fun and loud work atmosphere that may not be for everyone.  Previously, I worked at a large retail store for four years, meaning I’ve been in loud work atmospheres before.  I felt ready and excited to work for such an intriguing company. I was shocked at what I saw in the first week or so of working at Mudd.  I saw Nerf Footballs being thrown across the large sales floor. I saw employees being put in a box with a fan at the bottom to try to grab as much money they could. To some this may come off as an unprofessional work atmosphere or that it may impede work to be completed, but I have never been in an atmosphere where every single person is capable of completing their job on a day to day basis without any slack. Coming from a retail chain, there were a large proportion of high school students who also knew how to have fun at work.  There would be large rubber bands being thrown across the store, and games that were played via headset communication between these employees.  The significant difference between these two environments is not age, but the difference in work appreciation. Mudd Advertising knows that there is a balance between work and play, and can incorporate the two seamlessly because of the individuals who work here.  I have dealt with many different people in the past two months, and I have realized how intelligent and diligent these individuals are.  Everyone I speak to has something to contribute to the conversation, and every individual is capable of keeping up with the next. Even if there are Nerf Footballs being thrown across the sales floor, there is a constant effort being made to complete the work at hand and also having fun while doing it.  These individuals actually love doing the work they do. The employees at the retail chain simply wanted to have fun to get away from work and receive their paycheck every other week. The employees here at Mudd Advertising have fun because they love being at work, and enjoy what they are doing and respect everyone who works here. Every day, there are calls over the PA system announcing sales, causing the sales floor to break out in applause for the individual or individuals who were responsible for the sale. These are not people who hate their work; these are people that love working in an extremely competitive industry where other firms are biting one another to get a leg up on the competition. The philosophy here at Mudd is simple: we love it when you succeed.  This applies to everyone who works at Mudd Advertising, ranging from interns like myself up to the executives.  Most of all, we love it when our clients we represent succeed. We are not in this industry simply for the money, we are in it because we love our jobs, and love this industry.