Independent bicoastal (NY and San Francisco) creative agency Pereira O’Dell and advertising pro turned professor Rebecca Rivera have launched an initiative designed to support high potential students at New York’s public universities. Save The Internships looks to support future industry talent deeply impacted by this ongoing coronavirus crisis. 

Students at public universities in New York City often work full-time while going to school. Agency internships help them fill the financial gap, allowing them to move their careers forward. These dedicated and motivated students, hit hardest by the pandemic, are looking for meaningful and future employment opportunities. 

Save The Internships showcases these talented students and connects them with advertising and public relations agencies for a remote-based internship experience. These candidates--who are nominated by their professors--use the platform to share their talents and dreams and connect with agency talent managers. Nominees can be undergraduates, graduate level or even recent grads. Once the nomination is accepted, the student’s profile will be posted to the digital showcase, and agencies can use this showcase to find top CUNY (City University of NY) students for 2020 virtual internships.

In addition, there are these three different program options:

• Immersive: Interns work across multiple pieces of agency business, participate in internal discussions and actively contribute thinking and work.
• Focused: Interns are briefed on 1 agency brief (either a client ask or an agency passion project) for the duration of the program.
• 101: On-going agency 101 sessions held by senior leadership to educate interns on the industry and business, and encourage Q&A.

“Now is not the time to cancel internships. It’s time to reinvent them and to hire the diverse and inclusive intern talent the industry needs,” said Rebecca Rivera, advertising professor, and co-founder of Save The Internships. Rivera is the former CCO of 3 Percent and the founder of Speed Mentoring.

Pereira O’Dell has already committed to hiring two CUNY interns starting June 1. 

“New York agencies--like all businesses--are in a difficult spot, assessing how best to protect themselves against a long period of instability,” said Mona Gonzalez, managing director, NY, Pereira O’Dell, and a Save The Internships co-founder. “Internships might feel like a small part of the larger pandemic picture, but this is a real opportunity where we can make an investment in these students’ futures and in the future of our city - and the industry needs their voices.”

In addition, The AD Club of New York, the G.R.O.W.T.H. Initiative and other partners will offer opportunities to mentor students and invite them to participate in their education and development programs.

The Save The Internships program will run from June 1 through the end of summer and potentially beyond. More information can be found here.