Ah, summer. In the good old days summer meant tanning by the pool, shopping with friends, and watching endless hours of television. But now, at the ripe age of 20, summer is the time to start pursuing my *gulp* career. Now, by career, I don’t mean babysitting neighbors’ toddlers or greeting customers outside some trendy boutique. I’ve tried those career paths and quickly found that neither would be my road to success. (Side note: don’t be fooled by the job title “store model” – this is not a glamorous job; especially not in a store where they spray cologne every two and a half hours to create “ambiance”). No, I mean it’s time to pursue my full-fledged-full-time-pantsuit-wearing career.
But before I divulge my plans for corporate-world domination, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Eva (yes, like Longoria). I was born in San Francisco but moved to Los Angeles when I was three because my parents recognized that their little diva in diapers was destined for greatness in the Hollywood Hills…or because my dad got a new job that required our family to move – I like to think of it as a combination of the two.
LA was an amazing place to grow up. It’s like 12 different cities all combined in one; the people, the architecture, the fashion, food, and entertainment represent cultures from around the world. Not to mention the near perfect weather year-round. Still, when it came time to apply for college, I felt I had to break out of the LA bubble and experience life elsewhere. I chose a medium-sized university on the east coast where I just finished my second year.
As a creative writing major and business minor, I haven’t been sure what my career path would ultimately be. While some teens are fortunate enough to have pushy parents to dictate their every move, I just had to be raised by easygoing free spirits. My mother and father have always supported me unconditionally – even when they probably shouldn’t have. For example: as a baby I enjoyed teething on people’s chins. Rather than scold me (like normal parents) my mother made a hat for me that read “WARNING: I BITE.”
At least they warned people...
My free spirit parents, ironically both attorneys, have always told me that I can do anything I want in the world – except becoming a lawyer. So that only left about…several hundred potential careers. Luckily in my sophomore year of college, I found some inspiration. I enrolled in a class called “Principles of Marketing” and everything just clicked. Marketing allowed me to combine my creativity with my interest in business. When my marketing professor recommended I apply for internships over the summer, I knew exactly where I wanted to work.
I am, what some would call, a CWaholic. I’m an avid GOSSIP GIRL fan and, since going to college, have probably spent as much time on my computer streaming 90210 and NIKITA episodes from cwtv.com as I’ve spent writing papers. Besides being a devoted CW viewer, I’m also a major fan of their marketing campaigns. Remember those giant billboards showing the cast of GOSSIP GIRL engaging in obviously devious behavior with quotes like “Mind-blowingly Inappropriate”? Of course you remember because they were – to put it lightly – marketing genius.
'A nasty piece of work' you say? I'm in.
So I applied and interviewed and waited and then, as you’ve probably figured out from the title of this blog…I GOT THE INTERNSHIP!
Although I’ll admit I’m a tad nostalgic for the summers of sun block and store-wide sales, I know this internship will be an experience I’ll never forget. And the icing on the cake is that now when I’m watching all that television, I can call it “research”.
I’ll be updating this blog all summer long, chronicling my adventures in The CW office. You can get behind the scenes scoop on your favorite CW shows and see how I fare in the working world.
Check in later this week as I prepare for my first day on the job. First things first – I need to figure out what to wear.
Remember when I said I was ready for a pantsuit-wearing career? I take that back.
- Eva Gurfein