Point Park Connections Help SAEM Junior Land Pittsburgh Penguins Internship Monday, October 24, 2016
"We selected Brittany for a variety of reasons. She is outgoing, creative, interested in working in sports, and she has an in-depth knowledge of our team and our social media. I think it's great she is part of the SAEM program."
Meet Brittany Bishop
Internship: New Media Intern for the Pittsburgh Penguins
Degree pursuing: Bachelor of Science in Sports, Arts and Entertainment Management
Expected graduation: December 2018
College activities: Her Campus Point Park, Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing and SAEM Club
Scholarships from Point Park: Trustee Scholarship, Jon A. and Donna L. Boscia Scholarship and School of Business Frank Sinatra Memorial Scholarship
Hometown: Monaca, Pa.
High school: Central Valley High School
Hobbies/interests: Hockey and concerts - and a lot of them!
Twitter: @brittbish_
LinkedIn: Brittany Bishop
How did you score your internship with the Pittsburgh Penguins?
This past summer, I knew the Penguins would be posting for a new media intern position so I prepped by having Angela Scaramucci from the Career Development Center review my resume, cover letter and references page.
For my references page, I was able to put Tom McMillan, vice president of communications for the Penguins and a Point Park alumnus, as a reference since I am a member of the student activities board for the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing at Point Park.
Also, I met Point Park alumnus Evan Schall, new media coordinator for the Penguins, at a Career Development Center networking event so Angela reached out to him when I sent in my application to his department.
Additionally, I introduced myself to Point Park alumna Celina Pompeani at a Penguins game. I told her I went to Point Park and we became friends. Celina eventually introduced me to my internship supervisor, Andi Perelman, who is the manager of new media for the Penguins. I had several connections from Point Park going into my interview so that definitely helped.
Tell us about your key responsibilities as a new media intern.
So far my main job duties have been drafting tweets to be sent out on the @penguins Twitter account, coming up with ideas for future events and listening in on league conference calls. Each game night, I am either taking fan photos and cutting them for Twitter in Photoshop or running the @penguins Snapchat account. Also, I recently created a Point Park University-sponsored Throwback image of Tom Barrasso for the Penguins' Instagram account.
With all the colleges in Pittsburgh, what drew you to Point Park?
I always knew I didn't want to go to the typical Pittsburgh area schools. Point Park's sports, arts and entertainment management program put my future dreams into reality. I knew I wanted to work in hockey, but if that didn't work out I discovered I could work in the concert business, so it was the best of both worlds. Also, being able to live Downtown in the middle of everything happening was an extra perk. Even though I'm from a small town, I've always been a city girl at heart.
Please list internship and career-related experiences you've had so far as a Point Park student.
- Guest services representative, First Niagara Pavilion
- Job shadow assignment with alumnus Aaron Cooney, Erie Otters
- Catering assistant, Shania Twain concert at PPG Paints Arena (formerly CONSOL Energy Center)
- Social media manager, Her Campus Point Park
What is your career goal and how do you think your SAEM degree will help you reach it?
My career goal is to work for an NHL team in their new media department and be able to do what I am doing now as an intern, but for the rest of my career. I think my SAEM classes have already helped me. Everyone wants to know more about the major and they think it is an amazing program. I've already met so many incredible people in the program.
Final thoughts?
Don't think your career goal isn't a real possibility. I already landed a dream internship with my favorite hockey team. If you want something, don't settle until you get it.
Photo by Olivia Ruk, senior mass communication major