Communications
Scroll through the blog posts and stories below to learn more about Hamilton student and alumni experiences in this industry. Finally, meet with your career advisor and explore the Career Center curriculum to learn how to network with alumni to discuss your interests and learn more about their work.
Communications Career Blog
Graham Nielsen '22 on the Music Industry and Creating His Own Major
By Graham Nielsen '22
October 31, 2022
Tags Communications
During your time at Hamilton, what activities and coursework did you explore?
When I first got to Hamilton, like many new students, I was certain that I was going to double major in economics and psychology. I quickly learned that if I wanted to graduate with any decent sort of GPA and enjoy my course load, I would have to make a few changes. I decided to take a step back and think about what I already knew I liked to do rather than what I thought I should do. I knew I was happiest listening to music, editing video, and discovering new artists and fashion brands. So, I tried to think of ways to make these interests slightly more academic. I looked through the list of majors at Hamilton and realized that my passions didn’t fit into one singular concentration but rather spanned between anthropology, music, philosophy, digital art, and sociology. After talking with some upperclassmen friends, I discovered that creating an interdisciplinary concentration was a possibility. I ended up creating my own major titled Theory and Practice: Digital Media and Society which focused on how various forms of art and communication can affect and change the societies that use them. In regard to extracurriculars, I was a member of the varsity squash team, a brother of Alpha Delta Phi, and a barista at Fojo Beans, the on-campus coffee shop.
Did you have any specific mentors who helped guide you on your specific path?
Creating my own major was not easy. I found myself filling out petition after petition and getting lost in all the paperwork that Hamilton requires to take your own path. Luckily, Ella Gant, my video professor from my second semester at Hamilton, saw what I was trying to do and decided to help me out. She laid out all the necessary requirements for creating your own course load and helped me plan for the years ahead.
What was your experience like finding a job post-graduation? How did you end up at Creed Media?
During the height of the pandemic, I decided to take my first Junior semester off and work rather than be cooped up on campus. I landed an internship at the fashion house Acne Studios in Stockholm, Sweden where I worked with the CRM department as well as their in-house video editing suite. The pandemic was not fun for anyone. I often got lonely with the office emptying out due to COVID and with the darkness of the Swedish winter getting longer and longer, I tried to spend as much time outside as possible. During one of my walks I came across Creed Media whose old office was on the first floor with massive windows. I could see a bunch of people who looked like me working together and hanging out and I thought it looked like an incredible place to work. As soon as I got home I researched the company and was even more excited when I saw that they did what I wanted to do after school, social media marketing. I applied for an internship for that coming summer but was unfortunately turned down since I wasn’t studying at a Swedish University.
As senior year came around I had one more summer internship under my belt from the Swedish brand Eytys. With confidence in my resume, I started to set up calls with connections through the career center, friends, and family, hoping to get a better understanding of what the marketing industry fully entailed. I wasn’t expecting to get job offers from these calls, but I learned a lot of valuable information and solidified my desire to be in marketing. After a few LinkedIn quick applications to try to make myself feel productive, I ended up reaching out to Creed again by submitting a full application and reactivating the email chain from a year prior. A few days later I got a response and the interview process began!
From the moment I clicked submit on the application to receiving an official offer over email, four interviews, a sample campaign, and over a month of time had come and gone. I felt incredibly confident after the first interview but as time went on and I was left in the dark for weeks at a time, my confidence began to shrink. I was hesitant to send follow-up emails and ask for the status of my application as I thought it would be perceived as too pushy, but in the end it helped me out. I applied to work with the brands team at Creed Media but after my interviews and talking about my passions, they believed that I’d be a better fit with the Music Operations team. I started in August and have been loving my work ever since.
How has your time at Hamilton helped you in your media/communications/marketing work? If you believe it didn’t, where did you learn the skills necessary for this position? Can you walk me through a day at work for you? What are your favorite parts of your work? What do you find the most challenging?
Hamilton pushed me to develop as a writer and learn how to organize and plan my work day. A massive part of my work is writing emails and updates to clients on how their current campaigns are going and Hamilton allowed me to be confident in my writing and sound professional in every update or report I make. The art history and digital arts courses at Hamilton also gave me a strong understanding of the history of visual studies and art/color theory and opened new interests in the arts that I didn’t know I had. The small class sizes also gave me the opportunity to form connections and find mentors with the faculty who have helped me get the absolute most out of my Hamilton experience. One of my most memorable experiences was working with my clothing brand as an independent study and getting a grade for doing and creating something that I truly love.
What advice would you give to Hamilton students currently interested in pursuing a career in communications and marketing?
Take chances, follow what you’re passionate about, and advocate for yourself and the work you want to do independently (i.e. blind eyes independent study, self-made concentration). Put yourself out there for internships, reach out to places even if you don’t have connections and also milk the connections you do have. Get professional experience in any way you can.
