8THIRTYFOUR Interns: Where are They Now?

At 8THIRTYFOUR, we want anyone that walks through our doors to succeed long term, while doing it with a healthy dose of sarcasm. We love all of our former associates (some people call them interns), but their success speaks for itself. We like to think we knew them ‘before.’
Over the years, we have taken immense pride in watching them flourish outside our walls. Whether they started with us at our first office (a closet), hung with us on the West side or took Creston by storm, one thing is for sure: they are all badasses and we are better for knowing them.

Alexa Shouneyia

How long ago did you work for 8THIRTYFOUR? I worked at 834 from January-April 2015.
What were your main responsibilities at 8THIRTYFOUR? I mostly managed Hootsuite accounts for a variety of clients, researched content that could be used for their blogs and assisted in writing a few as well.
How did your role at 8THIRTYFOUR assist you in your career? The empowering environment gave me so much confidence – getting to watch Adri and Kim in their roles was invaluable. It was my first experience working with clients and since then, my careers have all been client-facing, so it set me up with a pretty amazing toolkit. It also made me a much stronger writer.
Where are you now? I’m the digital marketing manager at Columbia Records. I manage creative digital campaigns front to back for artists like HAIM, King Princess, Vampire Weekend, Hozier, Noah Cyrus and more. I also maintain relationships with partners like YouTube, Genius, Vevo, Instagram/Facebook and Twitter.
Favorite 8THIRTYFOUR Memory: Kim’s dog, Jimmy, brightened up my day every time he was in the office. I like to think I was his favorite intern. 🙂 He was the best. I’ll never forget him!

Hillary Ascroft

How long ago did you work for 8THIRTYFOUR? I was an intern in 2012, so 7 years ago, which is absolutely crazy to think about. I’m getting old.
What were your main responsibilities at 8THIRTYFOUR? Major responsibilities were helping to manage a few different accounts that we had like a jewelry store, non-profits, etc.
The big one I was a part of would be The Red Project. That one is still very near and dear to my heart. I connected with a lot of great people through that and am still friends with them to this day.
I also had a hand in the Miss Novi Pinup Contest which Kim forced me and another intern to be a part of. She was our stage mom that day – we made her very proud. I also made a lot of connections through that event and am still in contact and good friends with them to this day.
How did your role at 8THIRTYFOUR assist you in your career? My role at 834 assisted me in my career now by teaching me that women can really, truly run shit. We are not to be messed with and we will handle it. I’ve been in a male dominated industry for almost 10 years now (even before 834) and being around Kim and other strong female leaders showed me that I don’t have to rely on anyone else but me. It showed me that I can truly run with the boys.
It also taught me a lot about social media engagement before it was as big as it is today. It’s truly incredible to see how it’s all changed over the last 7 years.
Where are you now? Now I am the Midwest Events Manager for Hagerty. We’ve turned an insurance company into a lifestyle brand within the past year. I came on board 7 months ago (can’t believe it’s been 7 months already), and I was one of the first to come on board in the regionalized events department. We have a signature events team that runs our larger, more nationalized events, but we recently regionalized all of North America so everyone needed their own events person…that’s me! All of my Territory Managers field events through me, whether those are member discounts or exclusive member events. I also put on my own events and sponsor some projects myself. One of them is actually in Grand Rapids – Cars and Coffee Grand Rapids (if you haven’t checked it out yet, you should!).
Favorite 8THIRTYFOUR Memory: My favorite memory would have to be our Red Project kick off. We hosted a really cool event at the Haworth Space with cupcake sushi and all. Plus, I loved just getting to work with Kim and Adrienne and to learn so much from both of them. I’ve carried a lot of what I learned from them over into what I do now.

Drue Thornton

How long ago did you work for 8THIRTYFOUR? Over a year ago! From January 2018-May 2018.
What were your main responsibilities at 8THIRTYFOUR? I was a PR intern with the PR Project Assistant title. I supported almost every account, executing tasks from writing blog posts and scheduling social media to drafting press releases.
How did your role at 8THIRTYFOUR assist you in your career? Having previous agency experience on my resume was one of my biggest selling points when I moved to Chicago and began applying for medium-large sized firms.
Where are you at now? I’m an Assistant Account Executive at ICF Next in Chicago. I support a variety of accounts within the Corporate Affairs practice, including Beam Suntory, Kraft Heinz and Reynolds to name a few. My work varies from writing CSR reports to crisis management, but my favorite part of my job is media relations and earning my client’s top placements in national business outlets like Forbes and U.S. News & World Report.
Favorite 8THIRTYFOUR Memory: I loved celebrating 834’s many wins at the WMPRSA 2018 Proof Awards and having an afterparty at O’Toole’s with cheap tacos and beers!

Kristin Jones

How long ago did you work for 8THIRTYFOUR? I worked with the 834 team in 2012 for about 8 months.
What were your main responsibilities at 8THIRTYFOUR? I hounded Kim until she let me join the team. I was finishing my hospitality degree at GVSU⁠—my path was a bit different than the other interns who were mostly marketing⁠—and design. I took care of the event side of things, attempted to help with social media and hand wrote a TON of thank you notes! I was great at furniture building (in their first office), and dog/house sitting.
How did your role at 8THIRTYFOUR assist you in your career? I learned a ton while I was at 834! Handwritten thank you cards are not dead. I learned to stand up for what is right even though doing the right thing sometimes makes things more difficult. Nothing is not worth your personal or company reputation. I try to use what I learned from Kim and Adrienne to pay it forward to the people I train and the interns that come through the hotel. I attribute my unrelenting work ethic in a large part to my time spent at 834!
Where are you now? I am a Floor Manager at Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. My official title is Conference Coordinator. I work with my team to execute conventions, conferences, meetings and large events with anywhere from 10 to 45,000 attendees once the clients get onsite.
Favorite 8THIRTYFOUR Memory: I loved ArtPrize and being a part of Lights in the Night GR. We had no idea that so many people were going to show up! I remember talking about what we were going to do with all of the leftover lanterns! Also, I could never forget the Christmas party at Broadway Bar.
Since our beginning in 2008, interns have always been an integral part of our culture and success. Stay tuned for more blasts from the past. Do you have any memories of 8THIRTYFOUR you would like to share? Hit us up in the comments below.