Professional Writing senior Hannah Bullion is spending the summer in New York City gaining valuable experience as a social media intern for Refinery29 (R29), a digital media publication and creative agency for women that is especially known for its social media presence.
“I work alongside the social media and growth team and help with anything from weekend scheduling of their Facebook pages to writing headlines for stories on the site,” said Bullion, who is majoring in Professional Writing with a concentration in both Editing and Publishing and Digital and Technical Writing. “My daily tasks range from writing headlines for high-performing stories, scheduling out weekend content for our different Facebook pages, and working on various projects.”
Bullion also has helped pull videos and clips for traffic-driving video assets, interacted with celebrities/talent to create Snapchat/Instagram stories, and created Snapchat stories for the brand surrounding events, trending stories, and other editorial components.
Working for R29 has always been a dream for Bullion.
“I’m happy to say that it has been everything I expected and even more,” she said. “I’ve learned so much and have been able to work with such an intelligent and creative team. R29 empowers women and drives our platform on content that is inspiring and inclusive for all women, which is something that is so important to me and it’s even more special to be a part of it.”
When Bullion first came to Michigan State University, she didn’t know what she wanted to do for a future career. The experiences she has had since then has helped her see her future more clearly.
“I came to MSU really unsure of what I wanted to do with my future. I knew I wanted to be creative, but I also knew I wasn’t an artist. I wanted to write, but I didn’t want to write books or be a journalist. I really wanted to go behind the scenes of the things I loved, which at the time were (and still are) social media, digital publications, and fashion,” Bullion said.
Here at MSU, we’re very lucky to have professors and courses that really prepare us.
This past year, Bullion worked as an intern for MSU’s College of Arts & Letters’ marketing office and will return to that position in the fall. She also has worked for VIM, MSU’s fashion, beauty, and lifestyle publication, for three years. This coming year, she will serve as VIM’s Editor-in-Chief.
Bullion credits both those experiences, as well as her MSU classes and professors, with preparing her for her R29 internship.
“I’ve learned so much from the College of Arts & Letter and the Professional Writing program,” she said. “From technical skills to critical thinking skills, a lot of what I do at R29 is write social copy in the tone and voice of the R29 brand. Being a professional writer has given me the capabilities to do this for a variety of different outlets.
“Here at MSU, we’re very lucky to have professors and courses that really prepare us. As silly as it seems, not everyone really learns how to create a good resume and write really good cover letters. Thankfully, that was something I learned here at CAL and it helped tremendously.”
Listen to the Liberal Arts Endeavor to learn more about Hannah’s internship experience.