The tale of Ruby and the Butserfest internship

As previously reported, Mzuri are working with East Hants District Council  on the marketing and promotion of their youth Music festival Butserfest to their target audience. This festival is aimed largely at 14-19 year olds and is the UK’s largest alcohol free youth festival. It covers three stages with over 30 bands and includes free activities, and festival goers can also enjoy a wide range of community stalls, traders and food.

Headliners are Don Broco, Funeral for a Friend, and Heck (formerly known as Baby Godzilla)

As part of that project we were pleased to welcome Ruby Kelly to our offices to work on the Butserfest website and social media with us. Ruby is a student at Southampton Solent University and is currently on internship with East Hants District Council working with the Butserfest team.

Below is a blog that Ruby has written about her internship so far (prior to her time with us) for her university website. The blog was prepared by Megan Maddex, Social Media Co-ordinator for the Media Culture and Production department at Southampton Solent University.

Ruby Kelly – SSU Intern.

What is your name age and hometown?

Hi, I am Ruby Kelly, I am 21 and I am from Guildford. I am a second year Media Culture and Production student at Southampton Solent University.

What placement are you currently doing?

This summer I am doing a placement from June to mid September working on Butserfest which is the UK’s biggest alcohol free music festival targeting predominantly an age group from 12-18 but it is open to all ages. My placement is in Petersfield in Hampshire at the east Hampshire district council offices. 

How did you get it?

I got this placement through Steve Hogg. He knows I have gone to the festival every year since it has been running and am interested in the genre of music which it has playing and an understanding of how this genre of music works both on the business side and fanwise.

What have you been up to?

So far I have done loads of really interesting stuff in my first week. I went to an event with some of the Butserfest team and we promoted the event to the people by running competitions and talking to potential festival goers. I have control over all of the social media sites for the festival, so I am posting tweets and interacting with the followers to create hype and excitement for the festival and to talk to people who might be attending the festival this year. I have also taken control of the Tumblr page which was previously inactive; I have been posting photos and videos of the bands playing/ whom have previously played and posting links to other social media sites and to tickets. 

I have been working on the Instagram as well, as it was not active when I started the placement and been posting photos leading up to the event such as us getting goody bags ready, flyers arriving at the office and photos of the bands which had previously played. I have also been contacting potential clients about merchandising and other exciting things for the festival including various attractions. I have also managed to get a 4 day placement with the marketing company that the festival has out sourced for this year which I am looking forward to as I am going to be learning more about how they approach the marketing side as well as them teaching me more about website design and Photoshop. I am looking forward to this extra placement as I have been working with this team but am yet to meet them. 

What have you learnt?

So far I have learnt loads, but one thing that I have found really useful is that you need to keep records of everything that you do and keep everyone in the loop of what you have done as a group project. Something else I have also learnt is how to use Excel to a higher standard which is important when working in business. I have also improved my social media skills on a business level rather than a personal level in a way that I would not have known or thought about previously.

How has this helped your future career prospects?

I feel like this placement has massively helped my future career prospects as I have always wanted to work in the music industry, especially the alternative music scene, as it is something I feel really passionate about and have been since a young age. So far I’ve learnt loads about the background of working in the music industry like contracts and advances. I have also learnt about working in an office and how everyone needs to work well as a group to get a larger project done and communication is key. 

What advice would you give other students?

One piece of advice that I would give any person who is looking for work experience is that it’s important to be positive and take any opportunity you get. Even if you do not know how to do something just tell the person and say that you are willing to learn and improve your skills on how to do something as they will respect you for this and it will help improve your skills. Another key thing I think is to just be friendly and open minded as you will be put in a working situation which university will not be able to teach you. 

What has been the highlight of your experience so far?

One of my main highlights so far is that I have got to work behind the scenes on a festival that I have been attending since I was younger and has influenced what sort of music I listen to. It has been nice to work on something that I know I have enjoyed so that other people can enjoy it the same way that I have.