Building experience with the MGA team

Upon my arrival, I was not only introduced to everyone and shown around the office, but was also made to feel part of the team immediately. From research tasks regarding clients to being part of group meetings, it became evident from my perspective, and crucially the company’s, that I was involved straight away. From an early stage, it was especially interesting to recognise the developments made in meetings, the process of how ideas were communicated between the client and MGA and how the company responded to immediate client feedback. Furthermore, the clear transition from client brief to creative concepts and then final designs was also a notable factor.

From day one, a specific role was established for me in relation to social media – primarily this involved sourcing articles online to post on MGA’s Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. This presented the opportunity to provide a fresh set of eyes and perspective on the industry and what was being discussed digitally, as well as helping to boost MGA’s online profile. This continued throughout my two months at the company.

One element that surprised me as an intern at MGA was how the company initially sat down with me in order to discover my most suitable qualities, along with asking what I wanted to gain from my experience. I learnt that this personal interaction is one of the advantages of working at a smaller company. As a result, this led to a more creative role, specifically within animation and graphics. This role became a significant part of my time as an intern at MGA.

Simultaneously though, I was also involved in a number of client projects. This included being heavily involved in the development of visual and copy work for several client campaigns, where attention to detail was crucial.

Exposure to further aspects of the industry was also provided during my time at MGA. This presented the opportunity to witness the stages after design, such as print production, and the methods used during this phase. It also allowed for an insight into the processes executed at a digital agency, specifically the importance of consistent blogging. As a consequence, these external field trips were immensely helpful in understanding the wider scope of the industry.

Apart from my time with MGA, I was also fortunate enough to spend time with its sister company, SGA Productions by assisting in a roadshow tour. This provided an understanding of live event management and organisation. During my week with SGA, I travelled across the UK, including to London, Leeds, Wolverhampton and Dublin. The logistics of reaching each location, including timings and the communication between staff was fascinating to overlook. Despite the tiring nature of this experience, it opened my mind to travelling when working in the industry, an aspect I was hesitant about before.

As I come to the end of my time at MGA, I can say overall my internship has provided an invaluable experience of all the elements that take place in a creative agency. Both professionally and creatively, I feel I have improved as an individual and with confidence I believe that my time here will generate further working opportunities in the future for me.

Harrison Sommerville