BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott College is a pioneer in requiring comprehensive internship experiences for undergraduate students in every program of study. Grady Hudson (Hudson, N.H.), who is a marketing communication/advertising major and a member of the football program, is currently interning at Hasbro. Here's a look into his internship experience.
1) Why Hasbro?
Honestly, it was more of a why not. Even having the opportunity to work for a company that fueled so much of my childhood memories is a dream come true. It also helped that my past internships have either been purely marketing-focused or communications-focused, so I really wanted something that would round out my skills academically – an opportunity at Hasbro doing brand publicity felt like the perfect opportunity to gain experience.
2) What was the process like to obtain your internship?
The process was made much easier than expected due to the great help I got from my internship coordinator, Cherie Lynch. I felt like I was late in the process, and kept mass applying to different places on LinkedIn, but Cherie helped me prioritize sites to seek out. After meeting with her, she connected me with EC alum Caleigh Crocker at Hasbro. After several great conversations with Caleigh, I was offered the opportunity and pretty much immediately said yes.
3) Describe your overall internship experience.
My experience has been great so far. I love seeing behind-the-scenes info for big brands like Transformers, Monopoly, and Peppa Pig. Caleigh and the team have enabled me to really take on a greater-than-expected amount of responsibility, and I'm fortunate to have great team members who make me feel comfortable enough to ask questions when I'm confused or uncertain about a task. I've loved being able to work for such a huge company with iconic brands and products. It all feels very high profile and I've felt the importance of the details around each brand initiative and product launch.
4) What have you learned from your internship?
I've learned that timing and communication are the most important aspects of moving forward with business initiatives, especially for major brands like Hasbro. I've learned how to balance time more effectively, oftentimes having multiple projects at a time and additional requests from team members. Most importantly, I've learned that the more reliable and diversely skilled I am, the more value I can bring to the team and my future.
5) How will this internship help you in your career moving forward?
This internship has allowed me to learn how to work around big, consumer product companies that have a premium on efficiency and reliability. Learning how to operate within a team that is actively managing multiple brands, projects, and responsibilities will really help me going forward. This internship will also serve me well as a potential marketing/PR professional in the future because of the benefits that come from working with outside agencies and cross-functional teams that work together to create coherent marketing campaigns and messaging. I've also had the opportunity to work closely with Licensed Consumer Products, which I think has a ton of potential going forward.
6) What skills were you able to apply from your academic background at Endicott directly to this internship?
Most of what I apply to my internship has been copywriting and research-based. Classes like Research Methods and Writing for The Media have prepared me for the research-based projects I do. Things like vetting celebrities, idea generation for special releases, and researching potential opportunities are all tasks that I've done that have been very similar to the coursework I've completed in my four years.
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(Photo Credit - Mazzie Hinsdale '26)
