The Milwaukee Bucks had a slow start to the season, but the team came roaring back to clinch the NBA Cup in December. But great playing is only part of the equation when it comes to making games a memorable experience for the fans, and that’s where Lauren Harkness gets to shine.
Harkness, a UWM student who just graduated with a double-major in Journalism, Advertising, & Media Studies and Music (Voice), joined the Bucks’ marketing team as an intern this season. It’s a demanding job, but she’s got experience; Harkness spent her spring semester as an intern at the Marcus Performing Arts Center.
With two internships in some of the biggest names in Milwaukee’s entertainment industry, Harkness sat down to talk about what she’s learned, her memorable experiences, and why internships are so important.
Two internships in one year is a lot. What made you decide to take on this challenge?
I met Jackie Bradway (senior teaching faculty and JAMS director) and she changed my whole perspective in such an amazing way. She got me fired up to go get internships and see what was out there. She was like, “You guys need to have multiple internships before you graduate.” And I was like, oh – I don’t have one. I need to do that.
I started looking. Being in a performance (major) and with an advertising concentration, I thought maybe I should start with arts administration and see where that might take me. Then I found a posting for the Marcus Center. They had a marketing internship, and I was like, that is the job I want.
What sort of work did you do at the Marcus Center?
I worked on our social media platforms, including writing copy and picking the assets that we would push out. We worked with a lot of different companies, dance groups and jazz groups, and we got to collaborate with Broadway Across America, which puts on the Broadway series at the Marcus Center. In addition, I learned a lot about Meta ads and Google ads. I designed a lot graphics and created content – like, building signage and social media graphics, as well as for our playbills. I also designed a wedding ad for Milwaukee Magazine.
It was nice to be able to work on skills that I had gained in class. InDesign and Premier Pro and Photoshop are things that I learned through school. Then I got to expand my skill set at the Marcus Center.
How was it working at such a big name in Milwaukee’s arts scene?
I was an intern at the Marcus Center for about six months, and then I was promoted to part-time marketing associate. I did that over the summer and it was a lot of fun. We got to do a lot with the (Milwaukee) community. That’s what I like – besides performing arts and entertainment, industry aside – I want to work with companies that have an influence on the community and work within our community. I want to help make a difference somehow. That’s why I enjoyed working there.
How did you come to work with the Milwaukee Bucks?
When I got back to school this fall semester, I was like, do I have enough internships? Have I hade enough opportunities? I saw the Bucks internship on their website and thought, I’ll just apply. (When they offered the internship), oh my gosh, that was so exciting. I played basketball for six years while I was growing up, and I’ve always loved basketball. I was so excited, and now I’m very invested in the season. It’s been a lot of fun.
What does a marketing intern for the Milwaukee Bucks do for work?
I feel (this job) is a little more old-fashioned marketing. We do a lot of in-person stuff, rather than the digital side. (For example), we have an Impact Night series. There’s a Martin Luther King game. There was Hoops for Troops, Noche Latina, Pride, and all of those nights, we helped do all of the research and planning from stage one all the way through execution. We also did that with the All-Star campaign.
We coordinate our assets within Bucks game, but we also do the billboards and parking structure billboards. It’s a lot of brand management and brand strategy across the board. It’s all been a lot of fun. It’s definitely different than working at the Marcus Center. It’s very go-go-go. In November, we had four home games in one week. We had to get graphics all coordinated, we coordinate the broadcast and radio copies and reads as well, and that’s back-to-back, all week. Sports is definitely intense. I’m here through the end of the season, through May or June
You’ve worked two very different jobs in the entertainment industry. What have you learned from your experiences in this sector?
If you want to work in entertainment, it’s not a typical nine-to-five. It’s not for everyone; I have to work weekends and nights. You have to be willing to sacrifice some of your personal life for work if you want to work in entertainment, and especially in sports.
I’ve met some amazing and talented people. At the Marcus Center, I met some people that I’m now close to in my personal life and gained professional skills from them. The people that I’ve met at the Bucks too are very high-achieving people and I feel lucky to get to learn from them. The professional connections and experience that these people have is crazy to me.
Why are internships important?
Internships are so important for connections, but also the experience that you’re going to get. It helps you get another internship or get a job in the future. You don’t know what it’s going to turn into. At the Marcus Center, I got a job offer, and had I stayed, they probably would have offered me full time.
It can be hard to find something you’re interested in right off the bat when you’re new to the workforce, so it gives me hope that I don’t necessarily have to settle. … Sometimes you’re going to have to do a job that you don’t want to do, but I feel more hopeful because I’ve been able to find things that I enjoy.
By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science