(Editor’s Note: This is the seventh in a series of stories about College of Communications students completing summer internships.)
For his summer internship, one Penn State student works to make people happy.
OK, that’s not the actual job description, but that’s what happens when Joey Niedziejko does his job well. A junior advertising/public relations major from Nottingham, Pennsylvania, he’s completing an internship with Allied Integrated Marketing in Philadelphia.
Niedziejko works three days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the organization’s office, located at 21st and Market streets. He started May 11 and will work until mid-August as one of about a dozen interns for the company. He assists at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts as part of his internship, and works the rest of the week at a country club near his home.
He’s busy. He’s also happy.
“I would say entertainment is my passion. I love movies and music, maybe music a little more, but this internship is great and an opportunity to learn more and develop my skills,” Niedziejko said.
He focuses mostly on marketing movies — finding ways to drive people to theaters and generate buzz about films.
Earlier this summer he activated a plan around “Finding Dory” and more recently it was an effort to promote “Swiss Army Man,” starring Daniel Radcliffe, by building a promotion with beach towels and other giveaway items in Wildwood, New Jersey.
“It all depends on the distributor’s goals,” Niedziejko said. “Things differ a bit from case to case and movie to movie but it’s all good experience for me. I’m learning a lot.” That includes everything from honing his skills on the phone with strangers to implementation and research — combing reviews, trailers and whatever useful information he can find to inform himself about a film he’s helping promote.
“The first couple of phone calls I didn’t know how it was going to go, but I got used to it after a few,” he said. “Once you do that a few times, you get a sense of what works, how to get right to the point, and how to listen.
“It’s pretty easy to get a sense of when people are excited about whatever promotional things we’re offering. Obviously, there might be things that do not connect, but people are usually pretty excited to be getting free tickets or T-shirts.”
So, if he does his job well, people are happy.
Niedziejko leveraged something he already knew — more appropriately, someone he knew — to secure the internship. He asked another student who had previously completed the internship for advice, and she helped connect him with her supervisor. That happened in mid-March, which led to an interview and, not long after, the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the field where he hopes to craft his career.
His dream job is to work in public relations for a band or record company. After that, he can even envision owning his own record label.
He has a plan to reach those goals, too. That includes this summer’s internship, complemented by an internship at the Bryce Jordan Center’s marketing office when he returns to campus this fall. He also works for the Student Programming Association on campus, helping secure artists to perform for events like the Noontime Concert Series in the HUB-Robeson Center and HUB LateNight.
Niedziejko’s musical tastes are eclectic — a variety of that includes Twenty One Pilots, Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen — and his passion is consistent. He said the music matters most.
“I definitely need to hear the music first. I always look at their music video, too. You can tell a lot about the band’s creative approach with that,” he said. “I also consider if there’s anything special about the band and what fans can’t see. It’s good to try some different things.”
He practiced that approach for the noontime series last year by booking a couple of bands featuring violins. The response was overwhelmingly positive.
Niedziejko, 20, is the oldest of Betsy and Joe Niedziejko’s two children. His sister, Samantha, is 18.
As he has built his experience, he has regularly worked on grassroots and social media marketing efforts. Niedziejko said coursework at Penn State has complemented his internships, too.
“COMM 370 really helped me, and participating in SPA was really important,” he said. “All of my experience so far at Penn State has been good preparation for what I want to do.”