Two weeks at Emota: My internship experience

Week 1

I kicked off my first week working from home, where Katie Streten (Head of Creative Strategy) spent some time talking me through how Emota works and what her role entails. I also spoke with Global Managing Director Mark Jackson, which really opened my eyes to the scale of the company and the opportunities that come with it – working with influential clients around the world and, in many cases, travelling to some amazing places.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in the London office, which felt like a real step forward. I was finally able to be amongst it all, surrounded by talented, fun and interesting people, many of whom were kind enough to sit down for a proper chat with me. The office is such a relaxed, vibrant and welcoming place, while still maintaining a clear professional standard that sets the bar high.

One of the highlights of the week was working alongside Strategy Director Adrian Dinsdale, as I was tasked with reimagining a creative brief for a major client in the fertility space. I had so much fun with this. It really got my creative juices flowing and gave me a much better understanding of what the creative strategy side of the company does.

Some of the most stimulating conversations I had were with Principal Behavioural Science Consultant Jessica Holt, Executive Creative Director Colin Melville and Director of Strategy & Innovation Wil Procter. My chat with Jessica was particularly enjoyable, as behavioural science was one of my main interests going into the internship. Meanwhile, Colin and Wil challenged the way I’d thought about careers, reframing them as something much less rigid than I’d previously imagined.

Week 2

While my first week was slightly overwhelming (in the best way), by my second week I’d got to grips with how the company operated and was settling into the experience.

Alice Moyce kicked off the week with a really interesting conversation. Being close to my own age and having joined Emota fairly recently as Environments Project Coordinator, she gave me some great insight into her own experience as an intern, applying for jobs after university, and starting her career at Emota.

This week also meant working more closely with Katie while conducting a research project for an energy company looking for exhibitions and conferences in specific regions. It was less creative and more analytical than my project the week before, but just as engaging. Along the way, I also learned more about how AI chatbots are used to support this kind of work.

It was fascinating to see how AI is being incorporated into all kinds of work at Emota. This came through not only in my research task, but in almost every conversation and meeting I attended. It’s exciting to see how the AI conversation is constantly reshaping working environments and entire careers. I even contributed to a meeting exploring new ways people and AI can work together to make work more streamlined, creative and exciting.

Attending meetings was another constant throughout my internship. Most of the time I was there to observe catch-ups on projects and preparation meetings for pitches rather than contribute, but this is where a lot of the quieter learning happened. I tried my best to absorb everything like a sponge, and I think I got the most out of these meetings in developing my understanding of how things operate at Emota.

In summary

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at Emota. I tried my best to throw myself into every opportunity and take nothing for granted. From engaging conversations with talented professionals to exciting creative briefs and fascinating projects, my time here has been nothing short of inspiring.

Before joining Emota, I was curious about what a career in marketing might actually look like. Two weeks later, I’ve left with a much clearer picture, not just of the work itself, but of the people, creativity and collaboration that make it so rewarding. It’s an experience I’ll take with me into the next stages of my life.