July 2018 - buymedia

Diary of an Intern – Ben Rowland (Part 1)

July 24, 2018

Ben Rowland, Sales & Marketing Intern, Buymedia, NDRC, Dublin 8

My name is Ben Rowland, and I’m an American University student. This past summer, I’ve had the privilege of working with the Buymedia team in Dublin. Back home, I attend Arizona State University. I’m currently pursuing a degree in Communication (B.S.) and a minor in journalism/media analysis. I came to Dublin through a program called Sage Corps.

Sage Corps is a global entrepreneurship program that sends top college students and post-grads to study abroad and work with tech startups. They offer programs in Dublin, Amsterdam, Australia, Berlin, Singapore, and even Bangkok. At first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to Ireland or Australia. However, after doing some research, I quickly realised that Dublin was the right choice. Spending the summer walking down cobblestone streets and sipping Guinness seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up.

The program consisted of about 20 other students from all over the U.S. With majors spanding from communication, all the way to computer science and chemical engineering. Despite the vast differences in schools, majors, and hometowns, everyone was excited to become friends and motivated to spend the summer working hard.

Working at Buymedia is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Working for a startup company is both exciting and challenging. No matter how simple or difficult, there is always something that needs to be done. I spent my summer working as a content marketing intern. Some of my tasks included, researching and analysing SME businesses who could potentially become future clients, logging client base into our CRM database, reaching out to sales and marketing directors/managers, and reaching out to media companies to discuss rates and create specific media packages. Even though a lot of my tasks were difficult at times, I really enjoy working with the Buymedia team. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to see where Buymedia goes in the future.

Diary of a Buymedia Intern – Isabella Roll (Part 1)

July 24, 2018

Isabella Roll, Sales & Marketing Intern, Buymedia in NDRC, Dublin 8

I signed up for Sage Corps on a whim during spring break. I got accepted into the Dublin program, was given an interview with Fergal O’Connor, CEO of Buymedia, and was extended a spot as a Marketing and Sales intern for Buymedia.

When we arrived, we had 3 days of orientation before starting work. During those days, Sage Corps organised presentations about safety in the city, a trip to the Guinness Factory, and cohort meals at different restaurants in Dublin. We all became very close in a very short amount of time.

On Wednesday, we started at our different companies, and I found out that I would be working with someone from my cohort as a fellow intern. Fergal talked with us about what we would like to get out of our internships and showed us the software and business processes in full. He then had us walk through it on our own from both the media seller’s and the media buyer’s points of view to get an understanding of the pain and frustration that both advertisers and media companies have when buying and selling advertising.

That first week, when I was calling my mom and telling her about my first week and what I was doing at work, I described Buymedia’s software as “Amazon for advertising” and that comparison stuck with me. It’s how I describe to other’s about how we make money when it’s free for media buyer’s to use and how the software is kind of set up.

During this first half of my internship, I’ve been researching potential clients and trying to get in touch with them to set up a future working relationship, inputing current media sellers’ packages and information, and watching how Fergal deals with current clients by sitting in on meetings and conference calls.

I look forward to seeing where my Dublin adventures will take me in my last 3 weeks and hope that I can give back to the company that has already taught me so much about start-up culture and how to run a successful business.

Isabella Roll

Sales and Marketing Intern for Buymedia

Rising Junior at The Pennsylvania University- Main Campus

Quality students from GMIT, Castlebar

July 17, 2018

Intern: Patrick Calvey
Course: Bachelor of Business
Work Experience Coordinator: Celene Dunphy

Patrick Calvey, is a second year student studying for a Bachelor of Business (Hons) at GMIT. He is currently interning with Buymedia as a system administrator tasked with researching publication data and data entry into the Buymedia platform.

According to Patrick; “During my work experience I have learned what it is really like to work in a marketing start-up, which presents interesting challenges on a daily basis. I find working with Fergal and Norah Ellen fun and beneficial because they make me feel like one of the team and value my input. I have been able to see how the theory in my course is applied in the real world and got to experience a conference in Dublin showcasing start-ups which I found particularly interesting.”

Said Fergal O’Conor, CEO and Founder of the multi award winning Buymedia; “Our office in the iHubs has many advantages but a key advantage is the proximity and relationship with a third level institution, GMIT. Access to talent is always a challenge for start-ups but with the talent pool on your doorstep from GMIT, their high quality of students in terms of ability and work rate, has been a huge benefit to our business. Patrick is an intelligent and adaptable business student with a can do attitude. His ability to quickly fit into our business and contribute meaningfully from the start is a tribute to both himself as an individual and GMIT as an institute of learning.”

Work experience is invaluable to our students, allowing them to apply what they have learnt in the classroom to the real world. Students particularly appreciate the opportunity to work with innovative businesses in the GMIT Mayo iHub and we look forward to building on our close relationships with iHub businesses in the future. – Celene Dunphy, Lecturer, GMIT