A Day in the Life of an ICONIC Intern

Monday

It’s 10 am and the weekend already seems like a distant memory as I chase a bus down Poultry, right in the heart of the City of London, carrying a 4ft tall bin that I’ve been sent to collect for the office. Underqualified and overheating, my bin and I squeeze on the crowded bus.

To be honest, this is not exactly what I thought a glamorous career in advertising would look like. But my ego went out the door weeks ago, and as the intern at startup agency ICONIC, I’m now up for any task, highbrow or low.

And sure enough, 30 minutes after bin-gate, I find myself on a pitch call with agency founder James Kirkham introducing me to the potential client as “Evie the intern” – almost as if it’s an official job title. Once again underqualified, but this time less overheated thanks to the miracle of properly functioning air conditioning in our new office, I’m delighted to see I’m one of five women on the call.

Tuesday

Office decor? A domain of my very own. Need a printer, a set of highlighters, a broom – you name it, I can order it. The Amazon man and I are essentially colleagues at this point.

On this particular afternoon, it’s plants I’m waiting for, and all six turn up exactly as expected, along with… zero pots – classic intern error.

Wednesday

It’s lunchtime and I’ve left the office to get an overpriced sandwich when I’m interrupted by a call from a different delivery driver, who wants to let me know he’s driving away with the gazebo I ordered for an event because no one is there to sign for it. Naturally, two minutes later, I’m in an Uber trying to catch up with a man, with a gazebo, in his van. As car chases go, it’s central London so a bit more Palace Pier bumper cars than The Fast and the Furious, but eventually I make it.

Two months ago, this incident would have fazed me, but now, sitting under the gazebo, I just laugh. I tell myself it’s all part of fulfilling my side hustle as the office entertainment officer.

Thursday 

It’s not all collecting packages and logistics. Today I’m tasked with designing posters and logos, and I get involved in some research into a potential client to create an overview of their current positioning and some competitor analysis.

In fact, I’m constantly being challenged in this role. I create pitches and coordinate logistics for events both for ICONIC, and for our cool, rather cleverly named drinks brand NAUGHTEA – an alcoholic iced tea. My brain is stretched and I’m learning so much in a day that sometimes I don’t even realise it until I’m home. I feel really lucky that amid the menial stuff, being part of a startup means I get to be involved in many different areas of the business that someone at my level usually wouldn’t be exposed to. Every day is a mixed bag, and I love it.

Friday

There’s one area where my expertise level is superior to the rest of the ICONIC team – I’m the youngest member of staff. So today, as happens most days, I’m asked to give my view on some client work from the perspective of my people, i.e. Gen Z.

While I’m unsure I want to be associated with TikTok dances and other such trends, I wear the badge of ICONIC’S Official Gen Z Representative with pride. As much as I don’t like to admit it, I grew up in a time when we tweeted, DMed, and poked each other — essentially doing anything but speaking to each other in person. If advertising is about finding new and innovative ways to communicate ideas with people, I’m more than qualified.

To many I interact with, my generation is seen as the doom of time. A generation we can’t possibly trust to look after the world because it will burn to a crisp while we all look at our phones. An irony I can never quite get my head around, given that it wasn’t, in fact, us who burned the planet, or the NHS, elected the Tories, or endorsed austerity.

But I digress. Because as I sit here in ICONIC HQ, being in this industry, my youth seems to be greatly valued. It is, in fact, my golden ticket, and it’s refreshing. It’s an industry where having something to say isn’t shunned but valued. An industry where being creative is a commodity, and it’s one I’m very happy to buy into.

It’s still early days for Evie the ICONIC intern, but I hope it’s just the beginning…