Internship Spotlight: Justin Hartsell
Justin Hartsell is a senior in the Mass Communications department who is involved in almost all of the extracurricular activities the major has to offer. His related work at WEHC 90.7 FM and the McGlothlin Center for the Arts have given him many tools he needs to be successful.
“These extra activities have not only given me connections to accomplish the things I am doing now, but they have also given me the resources to do my job,” Hartsell said. “The Mass Communications department has helped me to better critically and ethically think about the work I do, while also providing me with the skills to produce graphic design work and social media posts.”
Over this past summer, Hartsell has been involved in an internship with Abingdon Music Experience, which is mostly known for the Thursday Jams concerts held weekly during the summer at the Abingdon Marketplace Pavilion. Hartsell was involved in putting this concert series together as a part of his internship.
“I helped with the summer concert series via social media, poster distribution, assisting with the overall event from start to finish, collecting and analyzing survey data to better understand the demographics of the attending crowd and how to market the event better, and selling merchandise,” Hartsell said. “It went well! It allowed me to use a variety of Mass Comm disciplines from marketing to public relations. I think what I enjoyed the most was getting to work with such a wide variety of people through all the responsibilities I had. For example, when publishing a new social media post recapping a show, it encouraged me when there were over a hundred likes on it, or seeing a band re-share an Instagram story I posted, and to see all the audience members engage with the post was uplifting.”
Through his connections at Abingdon Music Experience, Hartsell was offered a part-time job at Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company in Glade Spring to help with internal marketing and public relations. “This is the first and only position of its kind in the company currently. I will have the opportunity to introduce new projects and ideas to the plant, which include but are not limited to increasing rate of new hires, increasing retention rate/decreasing turn-over rate, improving internal communication, and enhancing the company’s engagement with and investment in the surrounding community.”
After graduation in May 2020, Hartsell wants to work locally in the public relations field. “I certainly am happy that I chose to come back to school and pursue mass communications.”
Open gallery
I certainly am happy that I chose to come back to school and pursue mass communications.
-Justin Hartsell