Brandon Pugh a Northern Illinois University student has interned with the Egyptian Theatre for the 2015-2016 school year as part of a special program through the NIU Center for Non-Governmental Organization Leadership and Development and the DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership. He is graduating the end of this semester with a B.A. in Community Leadership and Civic Engagement with a minor in Communications.
I am lucky enough to be interning for a second semester at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Downtown DeKalb. Much of my internship work has involved marketing and advertising. So far this semester I have been able to network with local radio stations as well as news stations to promote and advertise our upcoming events. More than I realized goes into marketing and advertising.
Before my internship, I never really understood what the best practices were in terms of finding the right demographic, but my internship has helped me in figuring out better marketing techniques and strategies. On top of the marketing experience I have gained while interning with the theatre, I have also had the pleasure in planning The Taste of Home Cooking School which the theatre hosts every other year. This has opened my eyes to event planning and the difficulties that come with.
My internship has gotten me more involved in the community through the Egyptian Theatre feasibility study that is being conducted by the City of DeKalb. This feasibility study will outline for the theatre how to operate at its maximum capacity, being that the theatre closes from June until August because of the lack of air-conditioning. The results of this study could very well affect more than just the theatre. I feel, and more than because I intern there, that the Egyptian Theatre plays a large role in the economic impact of the downtown area. The Egyptian Theatre is a staple in downtown DeKalb.
I am more than just a Northern Illinois Huskie; I am #ProudlyDeKalb because of the experiences and life lessons DeKalb has offered me.