A Day in the Life of a Long Center Marketing Intern
If you know anything about the Long Center, you know that we’re invested in the future of the Austin arts scene. And that includes the future leaders of our industry! Each semester, we welcome a full cohort of interns to join our team. Under the mentorship of a staff member, these interns get to see how we make the magic happen while cutting their teeth on real life projects. So on that note, tag along with Gracie, our summer Marketing intern, as she shows you a day in her life.
LONG CENTER: Welcome! Just for fun, what song should people listen to when they read this?
GRACIE OLIVER: Happy to be here! If your headphones are handy, you should queue up “I Am Right On Time” by the band Bleachers. I just saw Jack Antonoff and the gang at the Moody Amphitheater the other weekend, and it may have made its way into my top three favorite concerts of all time. I highly recommend, and it would add to the authenticity of this article, given that their new album has been the constant soundtrack of my summer recently.
LC: What’s your story? Why were you interested in interning at the Long Center this summer?
GO: What’s my story? I’m a SENIOR (weird!) at the University of Texas at Austin – which is coincidentally what brought me to Austin. I haven’t found anything yet that I don’t love about this city, and I couldn’t dream up a better place to spend my twenties. I can’t believe I’m almost done with school – I’ve even been eyeing grad school pretty closely recently… maybe they’ll let me Hook ’Em for a couple more years.
I am a native Dallasite (Dallasonian?), where I grew up playing piano and going to dance classes. My family of artists and music-lovers threw me into the deep end of the creative pool, and I’ve loved everything creatively charged for as long as I can remember. In college, I’ve focused on honing my graphic design, photography, and social media skills, which leads me to what attracted me to the Long Center.
I spent almost every day of my childhood and young adult life in a dance studio. There is no feeling like stepping on stage, and there is just a certain magic that floats through the vents in a theater. It’s weird to think I won’t be performing very much in my life from here on out, but I can’t think of a better way to blend my professional journey with my passions than working in marketing at a performing arts center, so I’ve been soaking up every second of this summer at the Long Center.
LC: What does a day in your life look like as a LC Marketing Intern?
GO: Let me take you through my Thursday! Thursdays are, in my opinion, the best day of the week here at the Long Center! The Drop–In, our free outdoor summer concert series, sets up on the lawn every week.
1:30 PM – Since Thursdays are usually late nights at The Drop-In, we get to start the work day a bit later. I hung out around my apartment this morning and got some schoolwork done. At around 1:30, I made myself lunch (Trader Joe’s chicken taquitos with homemade sriracha ranch and a Mediterranean salad!) and got ready for the day.
2:30 PM – I had to stop for a snack on the way to work! I grabbed my latest obsession, a Wildflower smoothie from Mañana – a coffee shop right down the street from the Long Center.
3:00 PM – Lots of exciting things on the agenda for today! We started with an intern focus group that surveyed our 5 summer interns about all things Long Center. We gave our opinions on marketing, sales, and programming – we were able to give our perspectives as a younger Austin-area demographic, and the full-time staff will put all of this info to use in their planning this year.
4:00 PM – Afterwards, the interns made our way to the Dell Hall stage to take some headshots. I’m working on my photography skills, so this was a great way for me to flex my photography muscles and for the interns to commemorate our summer at the Long Center.
5:00 PM – I sat down at my desk to knock some things off my to-do list. Updating social media trackers, helping cultivate Facebook and Instagram story content, and researching target audiences are all part of my responsibilities this summer. I also get to promote the wonderful company culture here at the Long Center by showcasing our intern program – I edited some of our headshots and worked on writing this very article!
6:30 PM – Time for the big event! Members start arriving at The Drop-In at 6:30, so I changed into a Texas-weather-appropriate outfit and headed out to the terrace to start taking pictures. Between the food trucks and drink vendors, the games, the DJ, the attendees (both human AND canine!), and the insane talent performing on our 3D-printed stage, there’s lots to do and lots to capture.
10:00 PM – The Drop-In is done, and I head home to curl up on the couch with some popcorn and an episode of Friends. What a day! Drop by (or Drop-In… see what I did there?) and visit us any time!
LC: Do you have any tips for a future intern?
GO: If we’re being cliché, I would say “ask lots of questions,” but if we’re being adventurous – I would say “ask for OPPORTUNITIES.” Pitch ideas to your supervisor, speak up in meetings, ask to take on responsibilities. Any internship truly is what you make of it. Internships are like a free trial run for your career – this is the time to learn how best to play to your strengths and weaknesses. Set the tone for how you’re going to be successful in the “real world” – not only to your current and future employers, but to yourself!
LC: Why is it important to you to support local arts?
GO: Growing up, music, art, and dance were intertwined in every part of my life. There is no feeling comparable to performing, and there is something magical about live performances that can’t be replicated on any screen. Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World for a reason, and the Long Center provides a home for unique and innovative performers to take their place amongst the renowned performing arts scene in Austin.
Thanks for reading! If you’re less of an article-reader, and more of a TikTok-er, follow along during my Day in the Life on the Long Center TikTok!
At the Long Center, we’ve always got a new partnership or something cool we know you’ll want to check out! Find and follow us @longcenter on your social media platform of choice, and we’ll see you real soon.
