I present to you a post by our interns, Jessica Seagraves and Heather Green, who you can meet here. They are absolutely talented and wanted to share a recent SSG experience with you. Hope you enjoy!

A couple weeks ago, we traveled to Macon, Ga., with Lauren Locher to spend the day with Mutual of Omaha’s Aha Moment Tour, a client we have been working on since the first day of our summer internship.  We were excited to see first-hand the story we have been learning so much about.  Plus, we got to spend the 3-hour car ride getting to know each other better and swapping stories!

We quickly found the site upon spotting the large, 34-foot silver Airstream trailer that is the Aha Moment Tour “mobile television studio.” We were able to meet all of the team members and experience the early morning frenzy of setting up a new tour stop.  While tour producer Jessica Henry was running around preparing for the first guests to arrive, we helped another crewmember, Natalie Webb, set up the registration area.  It was only 11 a.m. and already, it felt like it was 100 degrees outside—fans were a must.

The crew driver, Gary, told us that the truck they drive to pull the trailer has over a million miles under its belt. Holy cow! It’s literally a legend.

We also got the chance to meet and get to know six guests who came to record their “aha” moments, and personally hear their stories. It was interesting to see some guests prepared with a story to share and others racking their brains for the right words to say. Before we left we were lucky enough to tour the trailer and sit in on a guest recording her very own “aha” moment.

We later grabbed lunch at none other than Chick-fil-A, a See.Spark.Go hot spot, but our final stop on the trip was Lane Peach Orchard where they pack and distribute the most delicious peaches we had ever tasted. We could not leave without indulging in their homemade peach ice cream. What can we say? We are weak! So, with full tummies, we headed back to Athens. Of course, all that talk of ‘what will we do when we grow up’, accompanied by lots of laughter and some philosophical discussions made one of us (Heather) a little sleepy on the way home.

All in all, we were so excited to meet an SSG client face-to-face and we can’t wait to see what other adventures the summer holds for us here at See.Spark.Go!

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You can follow Jessica Seagraves and Heather Green on Twitter for more updates on their internship at SSG. Be on the lookout for future posts by these girls!

This is a special guest post by our friend and colleague, Jessica Henry.

As the Tour Producer of Mutual of Omaha’s Aha Moment Tour, Jessica has been working out of our Athens office as she prepares for the nationwide tour to capture and share America’s aha moments this summer. She has also helped us spread the word about Matchstic’s incredible new space and lives to blog about it. Check out this story in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, too.

I love telling Matchstic’s story. For years, the East Atlanta branding company operated out of a blue house that contributed to their company culture just as much as the team within. There were things about the culture of a home that seeped into the way Matchstic went about their business. Things like having a full kitchen and dining room.

The Matchstic team, who regularly has meetings over a home-cooked breakfast, is slowly becoming known for their trademark process which includes “Brands ‘N Eggs.” As Matchstic moved into a new office space recently in a very open, industrial building, they brought with them the very team member who made them who they are today: the kitchen.

Not just any kitchen (or a makeshift break room for that matter). The industrial kitchen has been fleshed out to host a mega office party, like the Brands ‘N Eggs Open House Matchstic had Friday, April 8. More than half of our See.Spark.Go team spent the morning enjoying a conglomerate of breakfast foods, some Octane coffee, and the company of more than 50 local business leaders.

A kitchen in the entrance of a brand identity house seems a bit odd, but it’s totally them. Matchstic has built a company culture and reputation around the meal table (literally and figuratively). In helping brands establish their identities, I love how these guys and gals have stayed true to their own.

How is your company culture defined? Is there a structural or relational component that you couldn’t live without?

Come on in! (Photo courtesy of Matchstic)

For the past 3 years, See.Spark.Go has had an incredible internship program that’s attracted some amazing talent (from whom I learn something new every day!). This post belongs to the one and only Mary Catherine Kinney (MCK as we call her, or just plain “Rockstar”). Take it away, MCK!

Mary Catherine the Intern here!  It’s a sunny day in the Classic City, but a busy day around the office. We are all a-buzz preparing for Mutual of Omaha’s 2010 Aha Moment Tour in May and busy brainstorming for all of our clients. Brittany just asked me what I’ve learned about PR from See.Spark.Go and I just had to share with you my life as a member of the SSG family!

My experience at See.Spark.Go has given me great insight and experience in the wide and ever-changing field of PR. From pitching client events to crafting press releases, my intern days have been far from the water cooler and copy machine tasks.

As a senior in the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia, I’ve had several years of PR teaching, instruction and knowledge. However, the classroom can never teach what you learn from being in the PR “trenches”. My internship at SSG has given me tangible real-world experience in Public Relations. I recall my first week working for Brittany. We had an event happening in Pismo Beach. There were media alerts to be written, lists to be made and reporters to call.

And I was clueless.

Brittany, however, saw a diamond in the rough. She equipped me with a quick lesson in Cision, Mapquest (Where exactly is Pismo Beach anyway?), and an expertly crafted press release and said those fateful words that led to great growth “Go for it.”

Through my internship, I’ve discovered the basics of writing press releases, developing media lists and building relationships with reporters while gaining clear insight into the real-world of PR that I wouldn’t have learned this anywhere else but at See.Spark.Go. This incredible experience equipped me for any PR job that may come in the future.

I just hope that wherever I land after my internship with See.Spark.Go also celebrates all accomplishments with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

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Read more from Mary Catherine on her blog and follow her on Twitter!