Texas Showcase - Sara McGee

Sara McGee is a senior in the Texas Media Advertising sequence. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Advertising and a Business Foundations minor and plans to graduate in May of 2012. 

First things first, why advertising?

The honest story of how it happened? I decided that starting college with an undeclared major was far too daunting, so I randomly picked advertising out of the line-up and hoped for the best. My mom was an advertising major in college (more for the artistic design aspect than anything) so she was ecstatic about my decision. Since that fateful decision, I have found all of the classes so interesting and haven't been able to even look at the TV the same way.

What attracted you to the media sequence?

Media was another thing I sort of fell into. I took the Intro to Media course with Lisa Dobias (as every advertising student should) and ended up loving the subject. Every aspect of the media field interested me; the project, the Excel sheets, the puzzle of putting it all together, I found it so fascinating. Though many people find the class boring, I loved the challenge. After taking the class, I couldn't see myself going into any of the other sequences. Now that I'm involved in it, I just can't get enough. 

You spent the summer working at Starcom MediaVest in Chicago. What sort of projects did you work on as an intern?

Though every team at Starcom is different, team interaction and involvement are shared qualities. My team was amazing about including me in status meetings, client calls, and vendor pitches. I really felt like I knew everything that was going on with the campaign, even though I left the office far earlier than the rest of the team. My main project was the Upfront Buy Summary Deck. Essentially, I was in charge of compiling all of the Upfront plans into one gigantic and daunting (terrifying, scary, tearful...) spreadsheet. This involved calculating the TRPs, total cost, shows, etc. After I put them all together, I presented the deck to both my team and the client. Honestly it was kind of a pain, but it made me understand so much more about why we advertised on certain shows and targeted the preferred segment. Success! I was also involved in an intern group project where we developed a plan for Burger King's multicultural team. Each intern group presented the media proposal to Burger King's client, the intern committee, and our teams. 

What was your favorite thing about living in the Windy City?

The pizza. No, the Bean. No no no, the wind (kidding). I'm relatively obsessed with the windy city and have been for years. Not only was I born there, but most of family still lives there. I've visited more times than I can count and can recall the location of every great pizza place, every Walker Brothers Pancake House, and every Trader Joe's. As for a serious answer- I loved that it felt like I had graduated and was living on my own. I felt like a new-hire at Starcom who had just moved to a huge city alone! Also, the city itself is fantastic. No matter where you are in the city, you have everything at your fingertips. Bars, food, grocery stores, gyms, Target, and even a new Chick-Fil-A, are all right there! The El can take you anywhere, anytime. Unless, of course, you wait until 2 a.m. and the Purple Line is no longer running. Other than that, the city never sleeps and you can experience the world in only 3 blocks. 

Now that you’re back in Austin, you’re working at another impressive agency, GSD&M. How does that compare to your experience over the summer?

My experience at GSD&M thus far is very different than my experience at Starcom. Both companies are excellent and provide interns with real life experiences and client interactions. Both companies have extensive and well-thought-out intern programs that help to shape interns into perfect future employees. That being said, the company, environment, and thinking are very different between companies. GSD&M focuses on innovative thinking and quirky solutions, with each employee learning something new every day. Starcom focuses on client involvement and team interaction. At Starcom, not a day went by that I didn't have at least three meetings with my entire team, including the highest-level team member. Starcom was much more of a group effort and sought to have every person on the same page. At GSD&M there is more focus on individual work.

With so much experience already under your belt, what comes after graduation?

The thought of graduation makes me want to crawl under the covers and never come out. I would love to move back to the Windy City. Starcom was the greatest experience of my advertising (and college) career and I can't imagine going to any other company at the moment. As an intern I felt like I already worked there full-time and I loved every minute of it. I can't wait to go back, work until 10 p.m. every night, and actually be a real advertising hire. Though opportunities are always changing, right now I picture myself in Chicago with a slice of deep-dish pizza in hand.