Beyond the Yellow Border

By Dean’s Intern Jana Kleemeier at National Geographic

Hi! My name is Jana Kleemeier and I’m a senior majoring in PR & Strategic Communications and minoring in Marketing. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to share my experiences adventuring with the National Geographic Channels.

First, let me give you a quick intro about myself. I was born in Chicago, moved from the US to Saudi Arabia when I was 6-years-old. I grew up on an American compound on the Eastern Provence of Saudi with my family. The friends I grew up with are from every continent of the world. Because Saudi is so centrally located, traveling to exotic countries (unlike the US) is not taboo. It was growing up in Saudi where I realized I wanted to end up working for a company that stood for something bigger than itself… what better place to intern for than National Geographic?

When you hear “National Geographic,” you probably think of the beautiful magazine, photography and epic animals, right? Wrong. I’ve learned that it’s so much more than that.

I’ve been in the Ad Sales Creative (marketing) department since June and absolutely love it. I don’t know what exactly about interning for Nat Geo that makes me look forward to it so much. I can’t tell if it’s the motivating and cool work environment or getting to hear presentations from heads of different departments. Everyone is so friendly and genuinely wants the best for one another.

Each intern at Nat Geo has their own part of a pod for the semester. Mine is shown in this photo here. As you can see, this means you have your own desktop computer, landline, awesome swivel chair, etc. The computer is where I do most of my work—watching History, Discovery or Travel Channel looking for competitive promos, stringing together/pulling gorgeous footage to put into upcoming promos or finding air checks to show sponsors that their ad ran. Besides my desk, you could find me in a team meeting, held in the “Fishbowl” (the most popular conference room) or eating lunch in the delicious dining hall!

My experience at Nat Geo has been quite memorable so far. No photocopies here! My department has me editing, writing, and viewing real-life stuff. Promos that air the following month. Scripts that hired voice actors record. Actual footage that viewers watch on the National Geographic Channel. I can’t wait to share more about the pieces we’re working on this semester. Stay tuned!