Big Dreams In The Big Apple 

by Charlotte Madden 

The following interview is with Katie Barber, the PRSSA President, as she discusses her summer internship & the ideas of “Big Dreams in the Big Apple”. 

This past summer Barber studied in New York City with UGA through the Exploration: Study Away ADPR program. She took one in-person class through UGA during her time there as well as held an internship with NBC Universal. She resided in the New York Univeristy dorms with the Vice President of PRSSA, Jillian Botch. Below is information Barber shared about her time in NYC and her hopes to be back in the future.

Katie Barber, 2024-25 PRSSA President

What work did you do with NBC? 

This summer Barber worked on brand marketing at Bravo. Barber was working on two different teams, the brand team and the show promotion team. The work she did on the brand team included brand growth and innovation. Her time was split between show promotion and overall Bravo brand marketing. An exciting client she worked for was the Real Housewives series, where she helped with campaign planning. Barber thought that it was fun and exciting to work for a brand that she has always watched like Real Housewives and Below Deck.

How were you able to find your internship in NYC? 

Barber started applying around early fall last year to internships. During the process, she remembered a past PRSSA speaker, Kevin Schatell. He is now a producer for the TODAY show and a Grady alum. He was the first person Barber heard from about the Page Program, which is a program working with NBC. Schatell informed Barber about NBC opportunities and their welcoming atmosphere. She then connected with a friend from her hometown who worked at NBC Sports and had an informational interview. The friend referred her to connections at NBC and she ended up getting an interview with the Bravo team. She, of course, accepted Bravo’s offer!

Was it hard balancing school and an internship? 

Barber said that she was definitely busy. She had to commute from NYC to midtown, which took an additional 20 minutes to ride the subway. She worked 3 days in person and 2 days remotely, which she thought was a nice balance even while taking a class in person on Tuesdays through UGA. Barber said that while living in NYC you want to do everything but sometimes on the weekends, you have to stay in and rest.

Are there any other opportunities in NYC you would want to explore? 

A: Barber said she wants to see more of the city. There is so much she didn’t get the chance to see just because she was so busy with both an internship and class. Barber said she would want to go see more of Brooklyn or the Upper East Side and explore in general. Sometimes the weekends were so busy for Barber that she didn’t do as much learning about the city as she had hoped. Barber would love to go and learn more about the history or see the museums New York has to offer.

What’s your dream job in New York?

Barber has always wanted to work in beauty and wellness. Michelle Asleta, the PRSSA speaker from the October 1st meeting, spoke about experiences that resonated with Barber and what she would want to pursue in the future. Barber’s dream job would be to become a chief marketing officer of a beauty company. Then from that experience take skills to run her own company.