Alumni
Social Media Grad is On Premise Trade Marketing Intern For Red Bull
Annie Smith's FIDM journey began with Fashion Club. Then she attended 3 Days of Fashion and fell in love with the San Diego Campus. She moved to San Diego to study Merchandise Product Development, then continued her college education and earned a B.A. degree in Social Media on the Los Angeles Campus. For the last two years she's been working for Santa Monica, California-based Red Bull, first as a Student Brand Manager, and now as the On Premise Trade Marketing Intern.
Where were you born and raised? I was born and raised in Temecula, California until I moved to San Diego for my first year at FIDM.
You started a FIDM Fashion Club at your high school. How did you enjoy the experience? It was a lot of work, but very rewarding, and one of the main reasons I was able to afford FIDM. I met a lot of amazing people I would have never met otherwise, and was able to be involved with FIDM before I even graduated high school.
Were you set on attending FIDM from a young age? I grew up constantly designing and creating, and I had a collection of clothing sketches in a tub that I would lug around to family events and show off. When I was eight, my older cousin asked if I had ever heard of FIDM. At that point, I realized I could go to school to do this. I was sold.
My freshman year of high school, I went to DEBUT. It was so inspiring, and marked my first of six years attending the show. As I got older, I realized it was less likely to become reality due to finances, so I applied to other schools. I later attended the 3 Days of Fashion in San Diego and my parents ended up meeting with financial aid to help my dream become a reality.
I really thank my mom for everything she did to help me get to FIDM. At 3 Days of Fashion I also fell in love with the campus and made tons of friends that I’m still in touch with today.
What made you want to study Merchandise Product Development? I knew I wanted something with structure and creativity, and MPD was the perfect mix. Even then, I knew where the industry was heading and I wanted a major that aligned with that direction.
Tell us about receiving a second degree in Social Media at FIDM. Since I knew it made me a better candidate in the workforce, my plan was always to get a bachelor’s degree. I was already doing social media at my job, and it’s one of the most booming industries right now, so it just made sense. My plan was never to work in social media, but now I can freelance on the side, because it’s a service everyone needs.
What were some highlights of your time at FIDM? I strongly believe that you get out what you put in. This applied heavily to my experience at FIDM and carries over now into my professional life. Another concept I really held onto is learning how to predict trends and how they translate across industries. You have to put your mind into a place where you can absorb everything around you, figure out what’s happening next, and be able to apply it to anything: fashion, music, or even energy drinks.
What do you enjoy most about your current position as the On Premise Trade Marketing Intern at Red Bull? I love that I get to be creative and work on a small team, but for a global company. I really feel like I fit in the environment. Everyone is extremely supportive, welcoming, and encouraging, and I’m excited to come to work every day.
What are your responsibilities and day-to-day activities there? I communicate with outsourced graphic designers and animators and give direction to create selling tools like digital posters. I’m also working on building out advanced ways of communication for field employees to request assets, so I’ve been asking for feedback on current processes from our designers and field employees.
My day-to-day changes dependent on whatever my current project is, but it keeps things fun. I always have a hard time explaining in detail what I do, but you may want to check out the takeover I did on FIDM's Instagram.
Red Bull has collaborated with FIDM in the past. Have you met other FIDM folks there? I believe most of work Red Bull has done with FIDM was a result of my time as an Student Brand Manager, acting as liaison between the two, which is very exciting. I executed two collaborations with FIDM: the Fashion Design Challenge and the Interior Design Challenge, both of which were super impactful.
What else did you enjoy about working as a Student Brand Manager? Something that is always encouraged at FIDM is having an active and updated LinkedIn account, which is 100 percent how I got my first job with Red Bull. I was contacted on LinkedIn about the position and if I was interested, and of course I was.
My role came with a lot of freedom to pitch my own ideas and work around my school schedule, which was perfect for me. A huge part of the role was making connections on campus, so it really pushed me out of my comfort zone and led me to meet some of my now best friends at FIDM.
What are your ultimate career goals? My career goals have changed tremendously over the past few years. I think I’ve learned that it’s better for me to take opportunities as they come and then decide from there instead of pigeonholing myself with a plan that could change so quickly.
At this time, my goal is to get hired full time with Red Bull at the end of my internship, and continue to build relationships and my network. Ultimately I’d love to pursue one of the many entrepreneurial ventures floating around in my head, but when the timing is right.
Categories: Digital Marketing Alumni
