COMM 368 - (Pt. 1) Internship archive and reflection

A reflection on my marketing and social media internship with Waters Edge Winery.

Networking at Mermaid City Beer and Wine Festival

The Experience

Promotional social media post, made by yours truly!

Throughout the entirety of the spring 2025 semester, I've had the pleasure of being a marketing and social media intern for Waters Edge Winery. During this time, I've found the experience to be incredibly rewarding. I was given various responsibilities, such as monitoring social media engagement, filming and editing promotional content, and representing the winery at festivals and events, including Virginia Winefest. Beyond learning the ins and outs of marketing strategies, social media analytics, and video editing software (such as Adobe Premiere Pro and CapCut), I also experienced the individual effort and time that goes into maintaining and networking a local business, down to the manufacturing of the products themselves.

Working in the tank room to package our newly-added canned wines!

The high level of involvement was something this internship did very well. I was given plenty of hands-on experience in various facets of the marketing process -- from production to distribution -- that helped me improve and expand my current skill set. The only thing this internship can improve is the consistency of scheduling, but that should not discredit the value of the experience.

Promoting Christina Kimbrough and FreeLife LLC on the Discover Virginia Podcast!

Beyond the Internship

My time with Waters Edge has given me a lot of valuable experience in marketing, even giving me the opportunity to grow my professional portfolio beyond my internship. Through professional connections made during my internship, I've had the chance to join Virginia Video and the Discover Virginia podcast as an editor, camera tech, and part-time host. Being a direct affiliate of Waters Edge, Discover Virginia and Virginia Video gave me opportunities to learn and apply marketing strategies by providing me with new mediums of promotion. I had the pleasure of interviewing and making content with various local brands and social media personalities to promote their products, teaching me how to build professional relationships and network myself within various communities. This also allowed me to further practice with editing software and various kinds of video hardware, which I could later apply to my work for the winery. Through the podcast, I've made a plethora of valuable professional connections and gained vital experience for a career in marketing.

Looking to the Future

Waters Edge Winery's latest video, edited by yours truly!

I believe many of the things I've learned through this internship could be valuable for my future career. However, I believe the ability to network and effectively promote products, brands, or people (including myself) is the most valuable skill I've learned during my internship. Being able to connect and communicate with people professionally is an incredibly useful, if not necessary skill for any career in communication. Considering that I hope to pursue a career in marketing or public relations, I believe that having sound networking skills is essential for my professional development going forward. Additionally, learning how to read and react to audience feedback is another important skill that I can use in my future career, as being able to properly analyze and respond audience engagement allows for higher effectiveness in future endeavors.This internship provided me with plenty of the necessary skills to succeed in a career and has given me confidence in my ability to navigate the professional world.

What's next?

Using what I've learned from this internship, I plan to continue marketing for Waters Edge and Discover Virginia to further build my professional portfolio in marketing and media management. While a communication position within the government may be my end goal, I believe there is still much to be learned about professional communication and networking -- knowledge which can help me build and sustain a long-term career. My primary focus as a professional going forward is to expand and hone my skills so that I can be a valuable asset to businesses in the future, as well as have the relevant experience to maintain a sustainable career path.

How can I prepare and take the next step?

I hope to continue studying lifespan communication at the graduate level next semester while working these positions, as I can apply the expertise acquired through a master's program in a professional setting. I believe that being able to take what I learn in a classroom and utilizing it in my field of work will be incredibly useful for maximizing my professional growth and expanding my skill set. I also plan to explore and practice with new technologies that are used in communication careers, as I want to be efficient with various types of technology in order to have a versatile skill set and produce more professional opportunities for myself in the long-term.

My advice for future Waters Edge interns

If I could tell myself one thing before starting my internship, it would be to expect to be heavy involved at every level of the business. Because Waters Edge is a relatively young local business and maintains a small staff, the experience differs greatly from internships with bigger businesses or corporations. This internship is very hands-on and will bear a variety of responsibilities, from marketing and distributing the wine to wholesale representatives to bottling and labeling the wine yourself. Future interns should also know that this internship is also a great time to get to know people and make professional connections. You will be meeting a lot of people throughout this internship that are well-connected within local and professional communities, so there will be plenty of opportunities to get your name out there and show what you can do. Lastly, the staff is incredibly welcoming and make your job much more enjoyable once you get to know them. Just keep in mind that they enjoy pulling pranks on each other and you will inevitably fall for a few of them.

Final Reflection

My time working at Waters Edge has been a wonderful experience that has provided me with an environment to learn professional marketing and communication skills while applying them first-hand on the job. I've enjoyed getting to know the staff and having the opportunity to build so many professional relationships while honing my crafts. This internship has given me a very solid look into who I am professionally, helping me identify what I'm good at and what I still need to improve upon. Though I've gained a considerable amount of professional experience and made numerous connections through this position, I plan to continue developing my expertise in a more permanent position with the winery while studying communication at the graduate level. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to learn and prepare myself for a career and highly recommend this position to communication majors in the future.