People Are Culture Interns Share Their Experiences

Intern Testimonials

PAC Intern Success Stories

People Are Culture (PAC) and its sister YouTube channel Flip the Lens offer an internship program called the Digital Catalyst Corps (DCC). Created to help emerging tourism and cultural heritage professionals and content creators succeed, the Digital Catalyst Corps offers university students the opportunity to build their digital portfolios by creating pieces about culture, destinations and humanity.

Since 2016, People Are Culture has hosted interns from institutions such as Boston University, Endicott College and Hult International Business School in the U.S.; Richmond University in London; and USI in Switzerland. Check out their take-aways on their experiences!

Mahima Gopal

Mahima Gopal

Content creator and marketing intern at PeopleAreCulture
USI Università della Svizzera Italiana - Master in International Tourism

"My internship at PAC is giving me a chance to create my own content. To show the place and culture I love in a way that is dear to me. This is special because I am working both individually as well as with a team. I'm part of a very enthusiastic team which under the supervision of Meg has been really productive. There are always new ideas to work on and all thoughts are welcomed. Its certainly a healthy environment that is absolutely perfect for encouraging creativity. Apart from content creation, Marketing is an area that I am acquiring industry knowledge on. The best part is that Meg is open to experimentation and in this way we are always trying new things. Until now, I've gained my grip on social media posting on all platforms, video editing and interviewing. In addition to this, understanding the analytics of YouTube and measuring social media performance is another skill that I developed. I am curious to learn more in other areas".


Aida Gonzalez Fraga

Aida Gonzalez Fraga

Content creator and marketing intern at PeopleAreCulture
USI Università della Svizzera Italiana - Master in International Tourism

"PAC internship gave me the opportunity to cover three different fields at once: content creation, public relations, and marketing. Moreover, I am experiencing how it is to work autonomously through a destination marketing project, as well as to work on a team for different tasks. The experience you acquire from this internship is very varied, which will definitely help me in the future when looking for a job!"


Michele Francesco Tagliabue

Michele Francesco Tagliabue

Content creator and marketing intern at People Are Culture
USI Università della Svizzera Italiana - Master in International Tourism

"My experience at "People Are Culture" was just great. Being part of a team really allows you to learn what cooperation is. Individually, I had the opportunity to gain experience in the field of content creation by interviewing people, creating a digital marketing campaign, and fine-tuning my video editing skills. Also, I've acquired a broad knowledge on YouTube platform's analytics as well as WordPress and SEO. As a team, my colleagues and I created a social media campaign and I've learned how to analyze social media performance. All of this was possible because of Meg: a great supervisor always ready to help you and open to a lot of new ideas and experimentation"


Andela Sormaz

Andela Sormaz

Product design consultant at PeopleAreCulture
USI Università della Svizzera Italiana - Master in International Tourism

"Meg is wonderful to work with. We collaborated on a project during which I had an opportunity to develop my digital storytelling skills and to get experience creating destination marketing videos. Meg shared her expertise in this field which I am truly grateful for! I was impressed by her enthusiasm, dedication and kindness. Simply, it was my pleasure to have Meg as a senior".


Hannah Haslam

Hannah Haslam

Communications intern at PeopleAreCulture
Endicott College - Bachelor's degree, Communications

"Few people have the opportunity to work with a supervisor so supportive yet determined to teach them valuable skills. I am so fortunate that I have been able to work with Meg these past few months through a semester-long internship and now as a freelancer. Through my work with her, I have been able to add multiple new skills to my resume and content for my portfolio, which will help me in the future. I truly feel prepared to take on the professional workforce after this experience! My editorial writing skills have greatly improved, and I am now knowledgeable about Search Engine Optimization! Meg is an amazing supervisor; she is always understanding yet motivating and only wants the best for the people she works with".


Francesca Lamantea

Francesca Lamantea

Product Design Consultant at PeopleAreCulture
University of Bergamo - Master in Planning and Management of Tourism Systems

"Working for Meg was a pleasure for me. She is very creative, communicative and energetic, so it was easy for me to feel at ease when discussing my tasks and I felt completely involved in the projects and goals she set for "People Are Culture". What I loved about working for Meg, was the continuous flowing of ideas coming up and the support she showed me all the time. Working with her was a great opportunity for me as a tourism student and a passionate storyteller and traveller because I learned a lot about community-based tourism and how to create inspiring and engaging online content. Meg has a lot to teach to younger generations like mine thanks to her experience, her kindness and her ability to always keep a positive mind."


Ela Wang

Ela Wang

Public Relations intern at PeopleAreCulture
Boston University - Master's degree in Public Relations

"I really appreciate the journey with Meg this summer. Meg was so supportive with every idea I came up, and helped me navigate social media, guided me through the collaboration with other accounts or org. She had so many creative ideas in her mind and it motivated me to do more and learn more. It was an amazing time for me in those a few months, that I not only gained skills and experience, but also learned so much about cultures. I saw Meg’s passion for culture and people around the world, and admire her beautiful writing".


Abigail Haskell

Abigail Haskell

Content Creation & Marketing Intern at PeopleAreCulture
Richmond University in London

"As one of the first PAC interns, I’ve had the privilege of seeing how much PAC has grown over the years. In that time, I’ve developed skills in web design, video editing, and graphic design. Media production is my area of interest so these skills prepared me for my career by exposing me to various software. I’ve also had the opportunity to liaise with cultural agencies and important people in the industry which has vastly improved my communication skills."


Anthony Speciale

Anthony Speciale

Digital Marketing Intern at People Are Culture
Quinnipiac University - B.A. Degree, Advertising and Integrated Communication

"Being an intern for People Are Culture, I gained valuable experience and knowledge that can't be replicated in a classroom. Meg Pier helped lead me down a road to get a better understanding of the field of work that I'm in and the interests that I might want to pursue. Meg always made me feel whatever I was working on was important. Anything I did I felt like I was really contributing a lot to PAC.

I learned the ins and out of SEO which I previously had no familiarity with. I contributed to optimizing multiple articles to rank higher in Google searches through copywriting, inter-linking and affiliate marketing,

I developed two case studies based on my learnings and am very proud to share my knowledge with the world. I'm grateful for the opportunities that PAC has given me over this short time period and helped lead me down the right direction for the future."


Olivia O'Neil

Olivia O'Neil

Digital Marketing Intern at People Are Culture
Quinnipiac University - Bachelor's degree, Communication and Media Studies

"Interning at People Are Culture has been a highly rewarding experience. I was able to gain valuable knowledge that I will need for my future career. From day one, I was welcomed into a supportive environment where all thoughts and questions were welcomed. This environment allowed me to contribute my ideas and learn from Meg, who is a very experienced professional. I was given meaningful tasks that allowed me to use the skills that I have learned inside the classroom, in the real world. These assignments challenged me to go outside my comfort zone and gain real-world knowledge. I am grateful for the opportunity to have interned at People Are Culture. These skills that I have attained at People Are Culture have undoubtedly helped shape my future career."