Meet Your Pierce PR Pros: Intern Evan Dorian

Since the fall of 2022, we’ve had the privilege of working with Belmont University senior Evan Dorian as an intern on the Pierce PR team. Evan is working towards a degree in public relations at Belmont University and interning with us through the spring. Although he grew up in Memphis, Tenn., he frequented Nashville often to visit his two sisters at school in the area while growing up.

Evan loves football, science fiction and collecting model trains. When it comes to academic and professional endeavors, he is drawn to anything that involves creativity or communication. This interest led him to study public relations and join our team!

Keep reading to learn more about Evan’s internship experience thus far, his favorite place to travel and advice for other college students pursuing internships.

What interested you in PR/marketing?

When I arrived at Belmont, I had only heard of PR and associated it with image management and crisis communication. Once I got involved with student organizations in the PR department, I realized I had unintentionally been practicing public relations for a long time. One PR experience came when I was the editor of my high school’s newsmagazine, and my responsibilities were mostly skewed 70%-30% toward handling PR for our magazine while my staff advanced our journalistic priorities.

What skills have you developed during your internship?

Much of my experience practicing PR as a student leader at Belmont has been centered around big-picture, organizational ideation. This left me worried I’d come up short in my skills to handle the day-to-day tasks that define a company’s ability to meet its clients’ needs once I entered the professional world. I was lucky to join a supportive workplace at Pierce PR with a team of truly smart people who are excellent at teaching their methods and best practices for everyday tasks, like crafting social media content, writing a promotional email or creating high-quality graphic designs. However, in my view, the key to being an effective public relations practitioner is combining the spirit of creativity and big-picture ideation with a commitment to those day-to-day tasks. Becoming proficient in both of those categories has shaped the professional confidence I will carry with me for my entire career.

Which Pierce PR core value resonates with you most?

When I was researching Pierce PR during my application process, I read about the firm’s aspiration to embrace a sense of gratitude in all its work. That core value resonated with me because I had never come across a PR organization that prioritized such a meaningful and altruistic value. The simple practice of saying thank you to one’s coworkers is easy for any professional, but truly meaning it in each instance is what defines the relationships I’ve experienced as a member of the Pierce PR team.

What advice do you have for other college students seeking PR/marketing internships?

Going above and beyond on the front end of an internship is the best way to set the stage for the rest of your internship experience. By setting a high standard for yourself, you show your employer that you can bring your best to work each day. However, going above and beyond doesn’t have to mean bending over backwards to overwork yourself or giving an unrealistic expectation about what you know and don’t. It can be as simple as writing a unique cover letter (or creating a short video) that explains why you and the company are a perfect fit, asking questions during an interview to show you’re genuinely interested in how a company operates or making an effort to introduce yourself to each of your coworkers and express your excitement to work with them.

What have you enjoyed most about your internship so far at Pierce PR?

I have most appreciated the way I have been treated as an equal by the rest of the team! As an intern, I bring a different, and sometimes less experienced, perspective to the table, but my coworkers make me feel as capable and confident as if I’d been hired on to a full-time position. As the team holds me to its own standard of hard work and high quality, I feel as though I am achieving the best possible outcome for any internship: learning about my field of practice while also contributing to the work of the organization.

What’s your favorite place you’ve traveled to and why?

San Antonio, Texas. I love a big city packed to the brim with cultural and historical significance, and the signature riverwalk is one of the most beautiful urban landmarks I’ve ever seen.