Meet our Winter Intern, Anne Riley

We’re making a few organizational changes for 2020, but one thing we’re not changing is our intern program, which has been so important to our success in recent years. Our first intern of this new decade is Anne Riley, who recently graduated from the University of Iowa and joined us towards the end of January. Get to know Anne via the Q&A below!

What excites you about PR?

I unintentionally fell into a PR role my freshman year of college by asking for a shot at “any open position in the athletic department.” That request has since led me to practice PR for people and organizations ranging from college athletes and NFL coaches to a small family-owned company, and I am excited to now start working with fintech and tech startups! PR gives you the ability to work within many different fields, allowing you to continually learn in depth about varying industries. I enjoy building relationships with people and finding new approaches to help them reach their goals, so I am pumped to bring this trait into my work and put it into practice with clients. I am glad that I stumbled into this field and look forward to pursuing it the rest of my career!

What are you most interested in learning during your internship at 3Points?

I am excited to learn different client relations practices by sitting in on meetings and observing the relationships between 3Points and its clients. In my first week, I have already seen the onboarding of a client, so I am looking forward to seeing that relationship progress. Since 3Points is continually growing, I look forward to seeing how the firm operates and how new services are developed. Personally, I hope to advance my writing by learning new techniques and styles from the 3Points team, as well as soak up all the PR knowledge!

What was your favorite class you took at Iowa?

International Business Consulting. This purely experiential course was my first experience working with a fintech startup, creating a project from start to finish, and executing deliverables for a client. I led a group of four students in advising a businessman in Africa on how to best represent and promote his brand to his local community. I was able to give my client real deliverables that led to real results, which was extremely fulfilling. I have stayed in touch with my client and I think it is intriguing to see how his ideas have unfolded. This class not only ignited career interests, but also led me to a mentor!

You’ve worked in a few marketing and communication roles within the sports industry. Can you tell us a bit about these roles, and what interesting things you learned about the sports world?

I worked for the University of Iowa athletics department, where I facilitated media relations between athletes and coaches and media members, as well as wrote articles to promote the teams and their accomplishments. My role in the athletic department allowed me to head communications for the Men’s Gymnastics Big Ten Championships, cover social media for NCAA Wrestling Championships and Women’s Basketball Sweet 16 appearances, and work alongside international media members at the Wrestling World Cup.

I also worked for a sports agency in Chicago that represents NFL coaches. In that role, I created owned media and prepared documents for the coaches prior to interviews, and also prepared talking points for press conferences. Something interesting about the sports industry is how many moving parts it takes to put together an event on television. The chaos of the media truck would have to be my favorite part, but there are so many different departments and organizations working together to broadcast a game that fans tend to not think about. After four years of working in sports media, I have a greater appreciation for the live stats, facts, and graphics that pop up on the screen while you’re watching a sporting event!

You recently took a trip to Europe — what was your favorite part of your trip?

I had so many amazing experiences, but my favorite part would have to be the week I spent in Prague. Three reasons Prague stands out from the other cities I visited are:

• When staying in hostels, you meet so many people from all over the world. The hostel I stayed at in Prague was so welcoming — they made me feel like family from the second I walked in. I met so many amazing people there and I can see myself staying connected with at least a couple of them in the long term.
• I took a “Dumplings and Goulash” cooking class, and the host was more than welcoming. She not only let me cook alongside her, but also taught me about the traditions and culture of the city.
• Shoutout to 3Points’ Sam Svoboda for the recommendations — I was able to jump right into the city and almost feel like a local! There weren’t too many other tourists in January, so while I did do extremely touristy activities, I also was able to spend some time off the beaten path, which made my time in Prague feel very authentic.