By Ella Herring
For graduating student Shoshana Medved, storytelling isn’t just her passion but also her superpower in the competitive world of entertainment marketing. From brainstorming branding strategies at audio products company Beats by Dre to crafting App Store copy for Paramount’s Pluto TV, Medved has already had a chance to develop her creative expertise in the professional arena.
Shoshana Medved, a fourth-year Communication major at UCSB with minors in English and business communication, has started her professional career working for Paramount and more.
Medved, a fourth-year Communication major at UCSB who is minoring in both English and Business Communication, has leveraged her academic training to gain a foothold in marketing and branding.
Through her experience with Paramount, NBCUniversal and Beats by Dre — an audio brand known for its innovative products and cultural impact — she is connecting brands with their Gen Z audiences.
In a recent interview, Medved stressed the importance starting early, of joining clubs you are passionate about, and believing in oneself.
Q: How have your studies in English and Communication influenced your approach to marketing and branding?
A: Both these fields have been instrumental in helping me figure out what I want to do as a career and as a future brand marketer. When it comes to English, knowing how to write and what to write has been really important. It's helpful to not only look at how to compose an essay but what current and past literature say about topics of storytelling. That's what I want to be, a storyteller. When it comes to communication, it's been really helpful in elevating my public speaking skills by being able to converse with all sorts of individuals but also understanding the theories behind media marketing as well.
Q: What campaigns or projects did you work on at Paramount and what was your role in their success?
A: One of the things I really loved doing was being able to help with copy for the App Store [for Pluto TV]. They have more of a startup vibe, which I really adore, and they focus on all of these amazing movies and TV shows that you can stream for free with ads. Every month Pluto TV has something new to talk about, so in the App Store I wrote the text enticing people to join and talked about some of the new offerings.
Another thing I got to work on was the brand marketing of it all. I got to figure out how we were talking about our brand to Gen Z audiences, especially for a brand that tends to lean towards a little bit of an older demographic. As a Gen Z myself, I got to figure out what shows and movies speak to this audience and did research on how we could get them to download the app.
How did you collaborate with the team to refine or execute branding strategies at Beats by Dre?
A: It was something called an externship, which means it is focused on a short period of time as opposed to a longer internship which is 8 to 10 weeks. I focused on trying to build a deck and once again talked about Gen Z audiences by figuring out how people relate to music and what kind of preferences they had when it came to their speakers. Collaboration was great because I got to work with some of the other externs during our weekly meetings where we all had different presentations based on our own ideas that we wanted for Gen Z.
Q: What did a typical day as a Campus Marketing Intern at Universal Pictures look like?
A: It's been really fun because my job is to talk about great movies and shows all day and I Realized how much of a passion I have for talking about them. I got to host screenings for Kung Fu Panda 4, The Fall Guy, and Monkey Man.
Q: Looking back, what advice would you give to someone starting or looking for an internship in marketing?
A: It is never too early to start. A lot of people think that there's an invisible wall that they have to somewhat run at as hard as they can. I think the right approach is to know that there's not this huge barrier stopping you from your dream role, you just have to remember that there are these tiny little hurdles and eventually you’re going to be able to get over that wall. If you are beginning your time at UCSB, start looking for small opportunities and don't be afraid even if it isn't exactly what you want to do in the future. Start small. Get that good experience in. Join clubs that relate to marketing even if they are not explicitly marketing clubs, just anywhere where you can flex your talents is great.
But what I would say to everyone is that you do have what it takes, you just have to believe in yourself. The most important thing in marketing is to be passionate about whatever product you are going for and whatever internship you are going after because if you don't believe in the product, no one else will.
During her internship with Paramount, UCSB Communication and English student Shoshana Medved gained experience in entertainment marketing.
Q: As you approach graduation this spring, what are your hopes and aspirations for the future?
A: It’s been the best four years that anyone could ever hope for. One of the things I really hope to do when I graduate is to continue working within the world of brand marketing, particularly within the entertainment industry. What's really important to me is being able to work for a company that I feel that passion for, and to continue doing storytelling in a professional setting.
Ella Herring is a third-year Communication student. She wrote this article for her Digital Journalism course.