Kim Karalekas

So, I haven’t said much about what I’m doing here in Austin…at all really.  Partly because my internship does not begin until tomorrow and partly because I’ve been trying to figure…well, everything out.  You know…answer all of life’s questions. No big deal.

I came to Austin for a handful of reasons reasons:

1. (I think) I want to end up in the NW / Portland.  This means I want to go somewhere else first, to experience life a bit and see what else is out there!

2.  I did not want to work 927 hours each week.  I did that in college, which is fine. But I am not ok working my life away – on a personal level, I don’t think it’s healthy for anyone to have an unbalanced work/home life for an extended period of time.  Especially for a planner / strategist, it’s a huge huge huge thing to have time to experience life/culture/society/people/events/etc. outside of work – I’m all about first-hand experiences and ethnography…the Internet is amazing, but will never replace the real-life experiences.

3. MUSIC.  I’ve put music on hold, especially for the last few years of college, but it really is something I want to keep at the forefront of what I do – Austin has a huge music scene…so whether this means I can be a patron of other great musician, or perhaps participate as a musician myself…love it!

4.  Especially as this past year has progressed, I’ve become disillusioned with the advertising industry…thinking alot about why I’m in it, what the industry is all about, what it SHOULD be about, etc.

I think I might have said this before – but if you haven’t already, check out Paul Isakson – one of the smartest planners I’ve come across.  I read one of his blog posts the other day…had an AHA! moment. Check out this snippet:

“Do we have to tell people that our product is X% than the competition, or can we create content that simply puts a smile on people’s faces and reminds them how much they enjoy the product?

Do we need to cram more features into a product, or can we instead develop applications and tools that help people accomplish tasks easier or get more out of using the product?

Do we need to create yet another line extension, or can we figure out a way to extend the use of existing products so we can stop creating more waste?

As an industry, we have to stop just looking for ways to “build brands” through messaging and start looking for ways to actually help people have better days and build better lives.”

So…to bring this full circle…with all this spinning in my head, to make a long story short, I was offered an internship with a study abroad company called API, located here in Austin.  I never put much thought into a job outside the ad industry, but once I thought about it – it really sounded like a good idea!  A. I would steer clear of New York and San Fran. for at least a bit of time and to an amazing city that is full of life, culture, creativity, etc. and  B. I could work for a company that not only has a service that I whole-heartedly believed in….and could work with a team with the same common interest, rather than for an agency where I might be put on an account I don’t necessarily believe in.  Plus, I had the opportunity to briefly work with API this past year on a strategy project – I was quite impressed with the company, people, ideas, success, etc.  10 points API!

I’m one of those kids who was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study abroad – I know we all say this, but it truly was the experience of a lifetime and I would love to be able to help more students get out there and experience other societies/cultures.  Spending extended time abroad not only allows us to see what else is out there in the world, but helps us understand out out society+culture from a completely difference inside-out, upsidown perspective – pretty freaking sweet if you ask me…

Internship begins tomorrow, we’ll see how it goes!