Creative and Marketing Intern - Consumer Products UK Review

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of my placement at Warner Bros. The opportunities I was presented with were invaluable and significantly improved my portfolio and future employability. The social aspect of the role was a plus on top of this. All interns get along and naturally form a social atmosphere, just like at University.

All employees were incredibly friendly towards me. Everyone treats the interns as fellow employees and not 'interns'. You are made to feel that your role has significance and that you are adding to the company. The staff are always open to your input and opinions, which is flattering when working for a company with the global scale of Warner Bros. My team always involved me in social events and invited me to any industry events.

My line manager and team were always helpful. If I was every struggling or was unsure about something, they were always open to helping me out. This was reassuring and always made me feel comfortable. The staff understand that you are new to the industry, but they also push you as if you have been in the industry for years. They help you hit the ground running as it benefits both of you.

I felt comfortable with my workload for the majority of my placement. Ofcourse there were times where I was under pressure and multitasking multiple roles - However, this is to be expected at any job, and was therefore an experience in itself. Throughout the year you start to understand your workpace and know how to manage your workload. In a design role, you are often given last-minute briefs which is an exciting aspect of the job, as it means new opportunities are always around the corner. However, the staff understand that these requests are sometimes last minute and always make sure that you are free enough to take on the project. As you will learn to understand your own limits, you can give them estimated deadlines, and let them know if their deadlines are realistic. It is definitely advised to be open to as many opportunities as possible.

You are given a lot of responsibility. The staff treat you as a fellow employee, rather than an intern. Feeling valued was a very important aspect for me, as it built my confidence significantly. You are trusted with finances and consumer-facing campaigns. For example, in my design role I was tasked with creating inserts for DVD/Blu-Ray releases. This included titles that were sold to hundreds of thousands of people. I was also ask to create large-scale banners to be used at events such as the London Comic Con. As a design student, knowing your work is actually being used for consumer-facing activity is very motivating. I was actually given so much responsibility and trust that I will find it hard to go back to University and start doing work for myself again.

The gained invaluable experience, and improved my skills significantly. I learned about the inside-outs of the industry and what is required of designers. I.e. how to prepare work for large-scale print/digital distribution. When using the Adobe Suite all day every day, I've only gotten better and more comfortable at using it. This is invaluable for when I go back to University. The projects you work on also help you think about what you can transfer to your final year project. I now know that I want to base my final year projects around the entertainment industry and the marketing of its titles.

Everyone was always enjoying themselves. You could tell employees genuinely enjoyed their work, and more importantly, the franchises they were working on. The staff are genuine fans of the franchises they work on, which means they have a natural-drive to see their work succeed. Staff were friendly and would make each other laugh. We always had music playing which created a casual atmosphere. I can honestly say that I was always excited to come into work. It was a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

Very well organised. My first 2 weeks were spent with my preceding intern. This handover period felt like a natural transition form intern-to-intern and all my responsibilities were clearly outlined. My introduction process was comfortable, with the recruitment team organising introduction sessions (i.e. Safety Regulations, How to deal with Data, etc.). Throughout the year, there were multiple learning centres about gaining a job, presentation skills and other employability-aiding skills.

Throughout the year, interns attended multiple learning centres. Some courses were taught by the in-house recruitment team, and some by external agencies. We were involved with a 'Presenting Me' workshop which helped us improve our presentation skills - both in terms of preparation and execution. There was also a session aimed at improving our employability after university. This workshop had the interns actively working together to discuss the best ways to approach job applications and interviews. The most interesting sessions for me, was the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) Test. We had to answer questions before hand, to try and determine what sort of person we were. In the session, we then got our results, which outlined our personality and behaviours (i.e. to what degree were we an introvert/extrovert). This was very interesting to learn about ourselves.

As Warner Bros. is a cross-divisional company, I was able to work with many teams. This meant that I got to learn about how each division worked, and what work was involved within their respective teams. This exposure has helped me think about what division/role I would like to apply for after I complete my placement year. At the end of my placement year at Warner Bros., I can honestly say that I will definitely be applying for a permanent job here when the opportunity arises. I feel that I have found the sector I want to work in following University.

The social atmosphere was excellent! Interns naturally formed one big social group within in the first few weeks. As a lot of us have never lived in London, this helped us get used to the city. We organised multiple social opportunities outside of work (i.e. weekends) as well as after-work drinks. In addition to this, the teams within the company organise multiple social events throughout the year, meaning that there is always something going on. This can be company events, such as Christmas parties, to team after-work socials. Your employees put in the effort to make sure you're enjoying yourself, which is very reassuring when working in a big, new city.

London is definitely not a cheap city. Coming from University in the East Midlands, the prices of food/drinks in London came as a shock at first. However, as all the interns are in the same boat, we all helped each other find the best values around the city - i.e. cheap alternatives for lunch around work. The permanent staff are all very familiar with the city and are therefore always happy to give money-saving advice. The company also understand that London can be expensive for students and therefore offer a Travel Loan scheme, where they pay for your Annual Oyster card and gradually deduct the payment from your wage throughout the year - this was very helpful!

Working in central London was a huge advantage. The office is only a 15 minute walk from Leicester Square, so we were close to all the big events going on throughout the year. There are also a lot of bars/pubs near the office, which are ideal for after-work drinks. During my first few weeks, there were many socials organised that took advantage of these nearby pubs/bars.

The company participates in many charitable events. This means that you always have the opportunity to get involved with activities that will enhance your CV and keep you busy. One example was the 2016 SleepOut. This is an annual event in London where teams from a variety of companies sleep outside in order to raise money and awareness for homeless youth. It was great fun and was all for a great cause. In addition to the charitable activites, the company also has sports teams, such as a football team that take part in a year-long season. The best part of these activities is that everyone is able to take part.