21 summer ad interns you should know about

It’s officially summer, and ad agencies have brought on promising new talent in summer interns. Although agencies have been undergoing layoffs, there are still pockets of job opportunities, and internships offer a way for shops to bring on new talent and watch them in action. Ad Age Salary Guide The hottest ad industry jobs and what they’re paying Read more here Finding bright young minds has become even more important as advertising faces mass disruption, from the rise in the creator economy to new technologies such as generative AI—areas in which Gen Z has the opportunity to shine and help provide critical expertise. Ad Age asked agencies and industry organizations to put forth some of their most promising interns for us to spotlight. These interns range from Cannes Lions-winning creatives and masters of AI to eager students proactively trying to learn new disciplines and gain experience in any business area they can. Below are 21 aspiring talents interning at ad agencies this summer who should be on the industry’s radar. They are listed alphabetically by last name. Also read: 23 Gen Zers to know in advertising and marketing Queena Bergen Yard NYC Queena Bergen, a self-described “creative Swiss army knife,” is interning at independent agency Yard NYC as a creative strategist. The Building Leaders and Creators (BLAC) intern is an award-winning poet, creative writer, performer, arts educator and advertising copywriter, and is now looking to pursue a career in the discipline. Among her accolades, Bergen was named a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State, a TEDx Camden speaker and an AT&T Black Future Maker. “Queena is motivated by turning ‘thoughts into things’ and considers her ability to translate ideas to realities one of her superpowers,” a BLAC spokesperson said. (BLAC is an internship program that aims to bring more Black people into advertising.) Rag Brahmbhatt and Nidhi Shah Serviceplan You’ve likely already heard the names Rag Brahmbhatt and Nidhi Shah, the Indian creative intern duo for agency Serviceplan in Hamburg, Germany, who recently won a Gold Lion in Audio & Radio at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Their winning work was a radio spot called “Otter,” involving a series of poop jokes on behalf of client Macrogol Hexal. The students at Miami Ad School are already taking the industry by storm, having earned one of the most coveted ad awards, and will be graduating in September. Read more: Meet the interns who won Cannes gold The pair told Ad Age that although they don’t have any concrete job offers yet, they are having discussions with potential employers. The two would like to stick together and their dream agencies include Mischief, Uncommon, Rethink and Mother. Before Serviceplan, the duo also interned for Publicis Groupe agency LePub in Milan and Omnicom’s BBDO in Berlin. Quinton Campbell Doe-Anderson Quinton Campbell, a native of China and student at Western Kentucky University and National Taiwan University, is interning at independent agency Doe-Anderson, which is based in Louisville, Kentucky and Columbus, Ohio. Campbell is a multilingual designer with a specialty in user experience. Campbell is praised for her proactive nature, having joined the nationally recognized student-run agency Imagewest in Bowling Green, Kentucky. “Quinn’s work is a beautiful testament to who she is and how she observes the world,” a Doe-Anderson spokesperson said. “While at Doe-Anderson, Quinn will apply her talents across client accounts including an intern-led project for Tresco Lighting, a professional lighting brand from Rev-A-Shelf. Quinn is finishing her studies in the fall by traveling to Taiwan for the capstone of her Chinese Flagship Program and continuing to pursue her design career.” Quintin Coby Hanson Dodge Quintin Coby is a creative intern for independent Milwaukee agency Hanson Dodge. He is part of the BLAC internship program and has been “setting up meetings with everyone in the office, and not just creatives, and has been thoughtful, curious and hard-working, keeping us all on our toes to keep up with him,” Hanson Dodge Associate Creative Director Mike Betette said. Coby attends the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and his work includes an “I Am A Voter Wisconsin” project aimed at encouraging young people in the state to vote. Henry Coffey and Rachel Williams Fallon Henry Coffey, copywriter, and Rachel Williams, art director, are a creative intern duo at Minneapolis, Minnesota-based agency Fallon. Even as interns, they’re pitching in on projects, big and small, Fallon Chief Marketing Officer Niki Dobratz said. “They’re talented, enthusiastic, thoughtful, humble, with an unmistakably genuine excitement for all things creative. And they’re not just go-getters—they know how to go-get. In a short time at Fallon, they’ve mastered vastly different tones of voice and visual identities, and they’ve juggled work across a handful of fast-paced and creatively challenging brands with ease and curiosity, concepting like they’re industry creatives with years under their belts.” Coffey will graduate from VCU Brandcenter in 2025. Williams graduated from the University of Texas at Austin this year. Among their accolades, Coffey helped create a D&AD New Blood Pencil-winning campaign for Adobe, “Stand to Revolt,” intended to fight against “sameness” in design. Williams won two Gold ADDYs for an out-of-home campaign for the brand AdBlock at the 2024 AAF Austin American Advertising Awards. Celina Glenn GSD&M Celina Glenn, a student at Howard University, not only contributes to various projects for Austin, Texas-based GSD&M, where she is a communications intern, but she’s also active in her community. Glenn is part of the Howard University Chapter of Precious Pearls Youth Outreach Organization, a volunteer arm for emerging scholars. “She joined our team and hit the ground running on projects that have her performing competitive messaging reviews, developing content ideas, brainstorming with the team and acting as our intern program social media wrangler,” said Melissa Severin, senior VP of communications for GSD&M. “She is eager to learn and truly wants to grow in as many areas as possible. Her willingness to ask questions, the critical thinking she brings to projects and the efficiency with which she works, will serve her—and any future employer—well.” Elsa Gordon Publicis Media Elsa Gordon is a corporate communications intern for Publicis Media and a senior at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. She is actually a psychology major but is interested in a career in advertising. Her pursuit of psychology, in addition to her interest in traveling the world, give her a “fresh perspective,” one “unburdened by traditional thinking,” an agency spokesperson said. Gordon is a quick learner and has been able to adapt well “to new trends and technologies,” the spokesperson said. Chris Highsmith Archer Chris Highsmith, a BLAC intern placed at digital marketing shop Archer, is a photographer, videographer, music producer, cartoonist, designer and content creator. Archer described Highsmith’s work as “impeccable and stylish.” As a content creator, he goes by June Jissle and has 359,000 followers on TikTok as of writing. On TikTok, Highsmith is best known for his “Different Hoods” series in which he compares different pop culture phenomena including video games and TV shows. He has been featured on networks including Adult Swim, ESPN and Revolt. Also read: Creator takeaways from Cannes @junejissle Imagine The Legend Of Zelda being based in different hoods 😂 what’s your fav of the 3 ? #thelegendofzelda #zelda #zeldaocarinaoftime #hiphopproducer ♬ original sound - junejissle Christopher Howard PXP Studios Christopher Howard is a graduate of Pepperdine University and an editorial intern for Publicis Groupe creative production shop PXP Studios. While he came to the agency focused on editorial, Howard “taught himself motion design, 3D (Blender, Unreal) and is often incorporating AI into any of the internal projects both creative and for workflow purposes,” said Jennie Fischer, head of West Coast studios, PXP. “He has a deep understanding of wanting to incorporate AI into the post-production process while placing value on the process that has come before. On top of all that, he is just a neat person, curious and grounded.” Jordie Inoa Link9 Jordie Inoa is a first-generation graduate of Kean University from the Dominican Republic. Inoa is pursuing a career as an art director and also is a content and music creator. He is interning for production agency Link9, placed through the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP). He was originally rejected from MAIP in 2023, but successfully applied again in 2024, thanks in part to making a video about how the initial rejection pushed him to work harder to get in the next time. “This determination and creativity are impressive and inspiring and something to watch within the industry as Jordie embarks on his career journey,” a 4A’s spokesperson said. Tree Kim Cartwright Tree Kim is a copywriting intern for Keith Cartwright’s agency in Los Angeles. Kim is a top-five Young Ones Student Competition Award Recipient from The One Club and has a go-getter attitude: Although he’s not formally a college student, Kim snuck into ArtCenter College of Design classes in Pasadena, California to build his portfolio. “If hustle were a person, it would be Tree Kim,” a Cartwright spokesperson said. “After a sea of copywriter intern interviews, Tree was our clear standout and we can’t wait to see how he shakes up the industry.” Aislan Lennon Dentsu Creative Aislan Lennon is a recent graduate of St. Mary’s University and a MAIP intern placed at Dentsu Creative. This is her second year in the MAIP program, which the organization said is no small feat. “It takes a lot of drive and ambition to return to the program for a second year, and she can call upon both experiences as she moves forward in the industry,” a 4A’s spokesperson said, noting that “what stands out about Aislan is her drive to make a real difference.” Through MAIP, Lennon had earlier interned at financial firm SWBC in corporate relations and she’s also been involved in various university organizations to meet people with different backgrounds and stories. She “is eager to help create a stronger representation of Hispanic females in the marketing industry,” the spokesperson added. Dalton “Reid” Lorenz Luquire Dalton “Reid” Lorenz is a communications intern for Charlotte, North Carolina-based agency Luquire and a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He’s praised for his entrepreneurial spirit, having co-founded the Communications Studies Student Association (CSSA) at UNC Charlotte to encourage and educate incoming and existing students about communication studies. He brings critical expertise in content and behavioral research to the agency, “but also strong instincts and that insatiable curiosity we look for,” a spokesperson said. “He has participated in a full-day quarterly content planning meeting for a major client, authored an email newsletter incorporating key strategic considerations (for distribution to nearly 200,000), helped source and produce photo and video content for social media accounts reaching hundreds of thousands of followers, and took on content strategy and management for a client website.” Dominic Lugones Cartwright Dominic Lugones, a 2023 graduate of the University of Oregon, is also interning at Cartwright, in the strategy department. An agency spokesperson described him as “cool as a cucumber and sharp as a tack; Dom is a strategy intern with a lot to bring to the world of advertising.” After asking himself why academic writing is “so damn cryptic,” Lugones wrote his own brief guidebook to strategy called the “Stratbook.” The book includes “the ins and outs of strategy” but is written in “the way we all actually talk,” according to the Cartwright spokesperson. Lugones also makes music under the pseudonym Yungdoms and designs his own album covers. Etosha N. Manning Majority Etosha N. Manning is a BLAC intern placed at Majority, where she has “developed a beautifully clean aesthetic identity for her work” and “become a contributing member of their creative team,” a BLAC spokesperson said. She’s a graduate of Atlanta’s Creative Circus, which was revived last year by Virginia Commonwealth University after shutting down earlier in 2023, where she studied graphic design. Manning has also participated in The One Club’s Creative Bootcamp; the G.R.O.W.T.H. Initiative to further develop her art direction and copywriting skills; and briefly co-hosted and produced a podcast, “Just Getting Started,” to help other emerging creatives navigate the industry through learnings from ad veterans. Taylor Ruthazer PXP Studios Taylor Ruthazer is a Boston University student and a line producer intern, live action, at Publicis shop PXP Studios. Mike Bucchino, director of live action for PXP, said Ruthazer is “the definition of the next-gen producer” and she is “hungry to learn every facet of production, proven by spending her weekends on set as a PA to gain hands-on experience. With her ability to shoot, edit, animate and write, she brings a unique perspective to production workflows, making them more efficient and innovative,” Bucchino said. He added that she “always reports back on ways to make sets more sustainable.” Jaden Stewart Hanson Dodge Jaden Stewart is also a BLAC intern with Hanson Dodge in the client leadership and account management department. Molly Venturini, Hanson Dodge senior account executive, said Stewart is one to watch in this department for his “impressive communication skills,” showcasing these skills “right off the bat … He asks insightful questions and engages effectively with the greater team. He's proactive and shows an eagerness to touch as many projects as possible, while continuing to learn and contribute in any way he can,” Venturini said. Alec Zbornak and Yul Han The Martin Agency Alec Zbornak and Yul Han are a creative duo interning for The Martin Agency in New York. Zbornak originally pursued a career in theater writing and is a 2021 graduate of Yale University. He studied Chinese at National Taiwan University, did narrative design for the video game startup near8, wrote for an immersive theater show (Brooklyn’s The Drunken Laboratory), worked crew on an off-off-Broadway show, and was a writer and producer for experiential marketing through Bravo media. “In his short time here, Alec has shown a rare blend of tenacity and creativity, tackling real client problems with creative solutions,” said Julian Cohen, associate creative director for The Martin Agency. “His nuanced background in entertainment adds a unique conceptual flair to projects, making him one of the best young copywriters I’ve seen in a long time.” Han earned a degree in photography from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and her accolades include a long list of industry awards including Gold ANDYs for a campaign on behalf of Patagonia, a D&AD New Blood Pencil for a campaign aimed at breaking down stereotypes around sex among senior adults, and several Clio Awards for client work including Airbnb and Nike. Although she’s already leading a successful ad career, she originally wanted to be a professional ice hockey player and fashion photographer. “Yul is one of the best art directors I’ve seen in a while, making the world feel more relatable through her visual craft,” said Rushil Nadkarni, associate creative director for The Martin Agency. “Not even a month in, she’s already greatly impacted our team with her contagious creative energy and skillful art direction chops. There’s no stopping Yul from being one of the top creatives to watch.”

21 summer ad interns you should know about

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