Weird is a Good Thing

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

It’s funny to think that this time last week, I was ecstatic for simply being able to sit in any meeting at all. I am thrilled to be a part of team meetings and editorial sessions but I never even thought I would be allowed to sit in on new business meetings, especially at this stage in my internship. My mouth dropped on Tuesday when Justin Finnegan, a senior account executive here, asked me if I wanted to take notes at a new client meeting the following day.

The beginning of the day was a typical Tuesday, equipped with compiling research about relevant coverage and publications that would be a good fit for the new client as well as composing an editorial calendar for a current client. As the day began to wind down, I was asked to sit in on a prep meeting between Justin and Fusion’s CEO Jordan Chanofsky in which we, yes we, discussed strategies and proactive PR ideas for the new client. All of these elements were included in a PowerPoint presentation along with an overview of the company and the team, client experience and what makes Fusion stand out from all of the rest. After the first time I looked over Fusion’s Web site, and certainly after three weeks, I have learned that Fusion is very different from other PR firms of its kind. This new business meeting and PowerPoint presentation just simply reinforced this notion.

When I return home from Fusion every day, my mom always asks me, “Did you learn something new today?” Most of the time it bothers me, but she is absolutely right. Internships thrive on the learning experiences and are unsuccessful if you do not learn and experience new things each day. In the new business meeting, I almost felt like the clients. Throughout the presentation and discussion, I was learning new things about Fusion’s client experience prior to the beginning of my internship and even more details on the backgrounds of the team. The team’s wide array of backgrounds was even described by Jordan as “weird, but I believe weird is a good thing.” This weirdness is what makes Fusion truly unique. I learn that every day of my internship and hope the potential new client did as well. I hope they came out of the new business meeting the same way I did, saying there is truly no other place like Fusion.