The New York Intern Project 2012

Peter Shankman, Vice President and Small Business Evangelist at Vocus

Peter Shankman is best known for founding Help A Reporter Out, (HARO) which in under a year became the de-facto standard for thousands of journalists looking for sources on deadline, offering them more than 200,000 sources around the world looking to be quoted in the media. HARO is currently the largest free source repository in the world, sending out over 1,500 queries from worldwide media each week. In June of 2010, less than two years after Peter started HARO in his apartment, it was acquired by Vocus, Inc. Peter is now Vice President and Small Business Evangelist for Vocus, working out of New York City.

Peter is also the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc, a boutique Social Media, Marketing and PR Strategy firm located in New York City, with clients worldwide. His blog, which he launched in 1995 at http://shankman.com, both comments on and generates news and conversation.

Born and raised in New York City, Peter still lives there with NASA the Wonder Cat, who consistently denies his repeated requests to relinquish the couch. In the few hours of spare time Peter has per month, he’s a frequent runner, with 13 completed marathons and seven Olympic distance triathlons to his credit, and a “B” licensed skydiver, specializing in free-flying.

From Peter: "Show me adaptability, creativity and most importantly the ability to smile under ever changing pressure. I want someone who knows that work and fun don't have to be mutually exclusive."

Twitter: @petershankman

Julia Hood, Executive Vice President at Haymarket Media

Julia Hood is EVP at Haymarket Media, with responsibility for the marketing publications, including PRWeek and Direct Marketing News. She rejoined Haymarket Media after an 18-month stint as President of the esteemed Arthur W. Page Society. Hood was previously the Editor-in-Chief of PRWeek, and publisher of PRWeek and Direct Marketing News. She is a noted authority on public relations and participates in numerous forums as a speaker, covering such topics as reputation, development of the PR profession, and the agency business.

From Julia: "I’m looking for passion, courage and the nimble thinking. Be bold by being yourself."

Twitter: @julia_hood

Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO at Pure Performance Communications

Deirdre Breakenridge is an author, entrepreneur and CEO of Pure Performance Communications. A 20 + year veteran in PR and marketing, she is the author of five Financial Times Press books including her latest titles, Social Media and Public Relations: Eight New Practices for the PR Professional,” “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations,” and “PR 2.0, New Media, New Tools, New Audiences.”

Deirdre speaks both nationally and internationally on the topics of PR, social media and marketing. She is a recognized PR blogger at PR 2.0 strategies, and also the co-founder of #PRStudChat, a dynamic twitter chat with PR professionals, educators and students.

From Deirdre: "You can't teach passion. I look more closely at intern candidates who have energy and enthusiasm. They clearly show the desire to learn and grow. There are so many skills we can teach in PR, and young professionals will perfect them throughout their careers. However, passion comes from within and for me it's a determining factor."

Twitter: @dbreakenridge

Sandra Fathi, President and Founder of Affect

Sandra Fathi is founder and president of Affect. An entrepreneur at heart, Sandra has been helping companies achieve their business goals for the past 15 years. Her love of technology was sparked during her first summer working at her father’s company soldering parts onto a circuit board. From that humble beginning, she went on to become a technology journalist, corporate communications professional at Nokia, Radvision and VCON, and a PR agency executive working with brands such as Ericsson, EDS and Microsoft.

Sandra is the past president of PRSA NY and past chair of PRSA's Technology Section. A celebrated speaker and active contributor to PR and business publications, Sandra’s commentary has appeared in Bloomberg, Bulldog Reporter, CNNMoney, DM News, Marketing Profs, PR News and PR Week.

From Sandra: “I’m looking for an intern whose passion for the position is undeniably clear in their entry. Communications, creativity and curiosity are also essential elements for success at Affect.”

Twitter: @sandrafathi

Katie Creaser, Account Director at Affect

Katie Creaser is an account director at Affect. At Affect, Katie provides counsel to clients looking to bring social media into their communications program as part of a thoughtful, holistic public relations strategy. Katie believes in metrics and measurement, and in social media's ability to impact an organization's bottom line when executed properly. She works closely with Affect's technology and business-to-business clients to help make their value proposition resonate with customers by creating compelling content for every medium. Katie's integrated social media programs for Regus and Omni Hotels & Resortshave earned accolades from PRSA, the SABRE awards, and, most recently, a 2011 BtoB Magazine Social Media Marketing Award.

From Katie: “At Affect interns are important, contributing members of our team. I'm looking for a fearless intern who isn't afraid to roll up their sleeves and dive right in. The ideal candidate will embrace the opportunity to learn, won't shy away from challenges and will bring even more optimism and excitement to our agency culture.”

Twitter: @ksafrey