Texas Showcase - Paulomi Pratap
What is it like to be selected to participate in the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP), and then win the first The One Club MAIP Creative Intern of the Year Award?
Just ask Texas Creative student Paulomi Pratrap.
Pratrap spent her summer working as an art director intern at Ogilvy NY. She was awarded the first-ever The One Club MAIP Creative Intern of the Year Award at the “Face of Talent” luncheon celebrating the 39th year of the MAIP program.
So what was it like to work at Ogilvy?
It was a really cool experience because I got to do interactive and traditional work -- a mix of all sorts of really cool stuff. It was the first really big agency I had worked at and it was kind of interesting to see how the people are and things work.
What was your coolest project?
I got to do character design for a videogame. It was really cool!
How did you get that assignment?
I got in people's faces! The first two weeks at Ogilvy, I was just sitting there fiddling with illustrator, and I was like, “You know what, this is not going to be my whole summer!” Every hour I didn't have work to do I sent an e-mail to someone, and eventually work just started coming in.
Having interned with both big and small agencies, which would you recommend students try first?
I feel like everyone has to work in a big agency before they work in a small agency. If you work at a big agency, you will understand how different departments interact, so that when you end up working at a small agency or you have your own agency you know how to manage those relationships a little bit better.
What led to your nomination for the MAIP Creative Intern of the Year award?
MAIP sent out a notice that there was going to be an award, so I had to get the courage to go to my supervisor and say, “This is a thing, and I kind of want it, so help me out maybe?”. It was really great because my creative manager and my supervisor started working together on the recommendation, and that was pretty cool.
Well, congratulations on your win! How has the award helped you professionally?
There are MAIP seminars where people from Wieden + Kennedy, for example, will come and talk to you about their agency. You’re rubbing elbows with some pretty important people.
And winning an award definitely makes networking a little easier. There was an event called Face of Talent, which is an advertising awards ceremony and career fair, so there were people from McGarryBowen, Digitas, and Leo Burnett, and it was easy for us to talk to them. But for the couple of us who had won a MAIP award, they were like, “Oh hey! How are you?”