Katie Martinson spent her summer interning at Regal Cinemas, one of the largest theatre circuits in the United States.
Martinson is a senior at the College of Communication and Information majoring in advertising with a minor in business administration.
The San Diego native chose the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, because she wanted to attend school out of state and experience a fun game-day environment. After applying and taking a campus tour, she knew Rocky Top was a place she could call home sweet home.
“Initially, I came in undecided during freshman year. I spoke with my advisor about my interest in creativity and my desire to make an impact. She suggested advertising, so I enrolled in ADVT250, an introductory course. It just felt right. I was excited to attend class and found the material engaging and fun. It felt more like a hobby than school,” she said.
Martinson has been actively involved in student organizations on campus, including being a part of the spring 2024 National Advertising Competition (NSAC) Team, and has also been a member of the Ad Club. She will serve on the executive board for Ad Club in the upcoming year as the director of media. Martinson had the opportunity to attend the 2024 MasquerAD ADDY Awards Ceremony, where she saw the work that Regal accomplished that year.
“I was impressed by their creativity and innovative thinking in their advertising. I looked into it to see if they were taking summer internships and, lucky enough, they were. So I went ahead and applied,” she stated.
Martinson said her heart skipped a beat when she got the call saying she got the internship. She has been interning at Regal as a digital advertising intern for the summer.
“I work with the paid media team on studio campaigns. My role involves helping studios advertise their films coming to Regal theaters through Google ads. I build Google Demand Gen campaigns using display posts and trailers across YouTube, Search, and Gmail. Once these campaigns conclude, I create delivery reports for the studios, analyzing the performance of the ads based on impressions and clicks,” she explained.
Martinson says working at Regal has its perks. One of her favorites is the in-building theater where marketing team members get to choose a movie for an early screening each quarter.
“I chose to see Twisters and also got to see You Gotta Believe and It Ends With Us before they hit theaters,” she said.
Martinson mentioned her classes have been instrumental in preparing her for this internship. She has applied her acquired skills to measure campaign performance using metrics such as impressions, click-through rates, and Cost Per Thousand (CPMs) to monitor the progress and success of campaigns at Regal.
“I’ve gained hands-on experience with campaign management, navigated digital advertising platforms, and developed a deeper understanding of measuring and analyzing campaign performance. These practical skills not only enhance my grasp of theoretical concepts but also prepare me for future roles in the industry, enriching my contributions to both academic projects and professional endeavors,” she said.
Martinson said she has thoroughly enjoyed the collaborative environment and participating in brainstorming meetings with representatives from various teams, including food and beverage, graphic/motion design, social media, experiential marketing, and the loyalty team.
She has one more year left in her undergraduate program but plans to continue her education at UT through the four-plus-one program to earn a master’s degree. After grad school, her goal is to move to New York City and find a position as a copywriter at an advertising agency.
You can click here to watch the Tombras School’s Instagram Reel where Martinson shares a day in the life of her internship experience.