What’s a nice Strategic Communication major like Julie Kamp doing in the high tech world of coders and apps? Answer: communicating, of course.
Kamp (Sr., Frankfort, IL) spent the summer of 2014 interning at Bluebridge Digital, an Indianapolis startup company founded in 2012 by IWU alumnus Santiago Jamarillo. Bluebridge builds mobile smartphone apps for colleges, churches, tourism companies and other businesses throughout the U.S. Since starting in 2012, the company has grown to more then 22 full-time employees, with over 100 clients and customized apps created and serviced.
Kamp, also IWU’s PRSSA president for 2014-15, joined Bluebridge early in the summer and was soon supervising a team of interns through research projects, presentations and various PR strategies at special events and product announcements.
“I knew about her background, leading PRSSA, jumping headfirst into everything,” Jamarillo said. “I knew she’d make a responsible sort of go to person…and knew once something gets assigned to her she’d get it done and done well.”
Kamp’s “go to” reputation also helped in a field that was new territory for her, just like her previous internship at an advertising firm servicing automotive dealers.
“I know nothing about cars and nothing about technology and these have been my two internships,” Kamp said. “It’s fun getting thrown into a new world of jargon and lingo….I did a lot of research on the company before I got here..it helps not being afraid to talk to others.”
She said it also helped learning where her communication skills fit into this different world. Sometimes it came through writing news releases in a new, conversational style. Other times it was exhaustive research or giving multiple group presentations for company leaders.
Kamp said her communication skills from the classroom paid off in the workplace, even doing many things, such as group projects, students think they will never have to do again in the professional world.
Jamarillo praised Kamp’s leadership ability and even offered to extend her internship through the fall, which she declined because of on-campus responsibilities. He said despite all the technology at a software company, good communication is “baked in” to how they do business as they try to help clients use the apps effectively.
“We’re helping our clients communicate to their audiences…we’re trying to learn what their goals are. What message do you want to send?…then let us help you give you the technology that you need, Jamarillo said.
“If we’ve done a good job with our communication, PR, and marketing, then (potential clients) have been sort of already converted to wanting a mobile app…it’s just a matter of them wanting us,” he said.
Kamp said the learning curve came easier with the open team atmosphere at Bluebridge and she was able to see the potential value of communication specialists in a startup company.
“(I saw) how communication fits into this big world of marketing and business and all the things I can use communication skills for that might not all fit under the communication position but still fit into this broad role of communicating to our audiences, ” Kamp said.
