A Day in the Life of a State Fair Media Intern

We are the only people we know who got paid to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace this summer. We ran the updates, uploaded the pictures and wrote the blogs. We also wrote press releases, media advisories and aided in the creation of the brochure and Daily Schedule, all to get you excited about coming to the Kentucky State Fair!

We are the Kentucky State Fair media interns. Since May we have been working inside Freedom Hall to get the word out about the rides, the food, the exhibits, the shows and the concerts. It’s hard for us to believe the Fair is almost over! But it’s also nice to think that maybe we helped get some of the crowds out here to experience the Kentucky State Fair, who might have otherwise stayed at home.

Even though most of the people on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter only know us under the moniker ‘KY State Fair,’ we have gotten to know Fair fans pretty well over the summer. We know what your favorite Fair foods and concert memories are. We know what you like best about the Fair and what you would like to improve. That’s what our social networking duties were – to make sure that this was YOUR Kentucky State Fair.
While we know about all of you, it’s only right that you learn who we are.

I’m Ali Sumner, an incoming senior at Western Kentucky University. Originally from Lexington, Ky., I had only been to the Kentucky State Fair once or twice for concerts. So, needless to say the onslaught of livestock, deep-fried fair food, outstanding entertainment and ribbon-winning entries were enough to make this city girl a fan of the Fair for years to come. Pursuing my degree in News/Editorial Journalism led me to a media internship with the State Fair Board this summer. My interest in photojournalism also made me one of the many Fair photographers for the Facebook page and Kentucky State Fair Web site.

I am Tabitha Hodges, and I am an incoming senior at Bellarmine University where I am earning a degree in Political Science. I am from Louisville and grew up coming to the Fair. It was always the last thing my family and I did before going back to school. When I began looking into marketing internships for the summer, I knew that working with the State Fair Board would be a perfect fit. I worked with Ali on many of the writing projects that would get other people as excited about the Fair as I am every year.

You may have seen our work online and in the papers, but you could have also heard us at the Fair doing the daily announcements or seen us taking notes and snapping pictures at the exhibits. We have certainly had a blast this summer, so we hope that you had just as much fun at the Kentucky State Fair as we did.

Like the way our job description sounds? If you’re a college student looking to pursue a career in public relations, marketing, advertising or journalism, this is the place you want to be next summer! Apply with the media department early next year and hopefully you’ll be writing these and other awesome blogs as your job with the Kentucky State Fair!