Julia Prevost, a senior media studies and production major and a Temple University honors student, recently completed an extended summer and fall internship with the home shopping network QVC. Though the experience helped her determine in what direction to take her future media career, Klein College of Media and Communication gave her the preparation she needed to make the most of the position.
Prevost’s interest in media stems back to her childhood. The West Chester native grew up close to QVC’s headquarters and used to make videos for YouTube as a creative outlet. She decided that Temple University was a great fit for studying media, especially because she wanted to experiment with her artistic side. When she rounded out her studies with minors in psychology and business, she realized that media marketing was her principal interest.
For Prevost, QVC was an obvious choice for taking her curiosity about interdisciplinary media to the next level. She started working for the company during its summer internship program, where she says she joined over 100 interns who were assigned to various departments throughout the company. The program allowed the interns to explore the inner workings of QVC and even gave them the chance to work on a group project that required them to create a marketing strategy and a 12-month business plan. Prevost found that the experience not only served as an introduction to intensive marketing, but also helped her foster close friendships with the other interns.
Beyond the requirements of the summer program, Prevost spent most of her time in the category production department and observed the ins and outs of behind-the-scenes responsibilities. She described it as “strategy for the live broadcast,” and was more than ready for the challenge.
“Klein I think just does a really good job of preparing you for [internships] and giving you opportunities,” she says. “I know a lot of people when they talk about communication and production, they kind of worry about getting a job after college and things like that. But Klein just does such a good job of putting that as the first focus.”
Sherri Hope Culver, associate professor of instruction in the Media Studies and Production Department, first met Prevost in her Media and Children course. She also supervised Prevost during Klein College’s Los Angeles program, The Children's Media Industry: Trends and Career Opportunities, and the summer study away program in Rome. In all of those settings, Culver could recognize that Prevost is an ambitious student who cares about her career, and who is interested in the many ways media can intersect with other industries and academic fields.
“She’s one of those students who you meet and you think ‘She’s gonna do great,’” Culver says. “She applies herself. She’s not just thinking ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to work in this area?’ She’s actually trying to create experiences while she’s in college.”
Prevost continues to learn about marketing at her current internship with a marketing agency, but believes her time at QVC opened her eyes to the many ways she can navigate the industry. She hopes that her last semester at Klein College will give her even more guidance while following her unique path to success.