New UT advertising and public relations firm will give students professional agency experience
University of Texas at Austin students will soon have an opportunity to work with real-world clients as part of a new student-run advertising and public relations agency.
Tower & Bridge Communications, which will begin working with clients this fall, is a collaboration between Texas Student Media and Moody College of Communication’s Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations. It will offer students a chance to work in a number of industry-related areas, including account management, public relations, social media, content creation and analytics, as well as other leadership roles.
As it expands, the agency will likely offer additional positions, including creative director, business manager, events manager, advertising manager, media buyer, talent manager and more.
Students from all majors are invited to apply to work for the agency by submitting an inquiry on its website. The vision is for students in top leadership roles to receive stipends for their work and for account teams to be compensated as clients pay for services, which will be available at competitive rates.
“We want to deliver impactful, professional level work in a learning environment,” said Emily Cohen, director for marketing, agency and advertising operations for Texas Student Media. “This is about the student experience. We want them to leave here with real work experience they can use in their next job.”
Tower & Bridge Communications joins a portfolio of outlets under the Texas Student Media umbrella, including The Daily Texan newspaper, the humor magazine Texas Travesty, the Cactus Yearbook, KVRX 91.7 FM, Burnt X, Texas Student Television, The Drag Audio Production House and Bevo Video Productions. Agency participants will benefit from collaboration with other Texas Student Media students, the organization’s accounting and administrative services, and the pre-existing marketing and advertising teams.
"Texas Student Media aims to reduce our students’ on-ramp to their first professional jobs to zero,” said Will Parchman, director for Texas Student Media. “Tower & Bridge is another example of ways we’re helping ensure our students are prepared to enter the workforce as soon as they graduate.”
Because of the agency’s collaboration with the School of Advertising & Public Relations, students will have access to expertise from a range of faculty members who are at the top of their fields.
“Student-powered agencies have been a hallmark of the learning experience for PR students here at UT since the 1960s,” said Natalie Tindall, director of the Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations. “This high-impact practice gives our students leadership, project management and creative capabilities as well as the opportunity to build portfolio-ready campaigns. This is the living model of our school's theory-times-practice philosophy, and this partnership with Texas Student Media will allow this agency to expand its footprint and develop more student talent."
Tower & Bridge Communications replaces the University’s previous student-run firm, Texas Tower PR, which has worked with clients such as Salsa Limón, The Good Hippie, The Moody Foundation, The Rise School of Austin, Katie Kismet Jewelry and Austin Speech Labs. Many of these clients will stay on with the new agency. Students will help identify new clients they want to work with as their services expand beyond public relations and social media to include creative services, media buying, events and more.
“Tower & Bridge Communications allows students to get their hands dirty with real campaign work while simultaneously expanding their professional network,” said Ellie Greer, a senior public relations major who serves as co-director of the new agency alongside senior public relations and government major Candace Yuan. “I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to pursue a career in communications as it offers an opportunity to gain significant work experience they can leverage for years to come.”
