Research, Donuts & Wu Tang: My time as a Wired Sussex intern.

Having just got my degree result on the Friday, it was exciting that on the Monday I had the interview for my internship at Wired Sussex and I started as a Research Assistant the following day! I applied for the role as my degree was in Sociology and I enjoyed doing my final year research project so I wanted to carry on with something that enabled me to use the skills I had gained from doing my degree.The opportunity to gain some great work experience in a well known company and to get paid for it which seems so rare for interns made it even more appealing.

The research is looking at the history and growth of the digital media sector in Brighton & Hove, and what role, if any, the Universities in Brighton have played in developing this growth. So being a University of Sussex graduate myself, and with an interest in research and digital media this seemed like the perfect role for me.

My tasks began with doing some preliminary research into any previous reports related to the topic, writing notes and formulating ideas around these. The next stage was to create a questionnaire and conduct telephone interviews with some of the most important people in the digital media sector in Brighton! I had to record the interviews which involved a quick trip to Maplins to find out what I would need to do this, resulting in some strange looks from the staff and being told ‘Oh, you mean you want to buy a spy kit...’
Sadly, spy kit made it sound more James Bond like than it is and a small microphone device and lots of sellotape later I was ready to go! It was really interesting to talk to these key players in the industry and hear how their businesses and the digital sector in Brighton have grown over the years.

The staff here have all been friendly and helpful and made me feel part of the team and it’s been interesting to see the day to day running of a company and what everybody does...and the supply of donuts and playing of Wu Tang Clan in the office was a nice surprise! Also, as Wired Sussex run the Internship Programme and because I sit next to Nick who recruits and does the telephone interviews with the interns, I have picked up on some key things to say (and not to say!) in interviews.

Another benefit has been the 2 days of training, where I got to meet the other interns and take part in workshops on areas such networking and how to do the perfect pitch. Now nearing the end of my time here I have been busy writing up the notes from the interviews, organising the data I have found and then writing the final report of my findings. I've really enjoyed doing my internship here so thanks Wired Sussex!

Elliot Whitehead