Here at Fox & Co., we like to do something a little special. We have teamed up with the organization International Studies Abroad, and for the past few years we have been taking on international interns. The past couple of months, we have had two interns spending their summer (our winter) with us! We really applaud them for their courage on traveling here from America (especially that daunting 13+ hour flight)! But, down to business, here’s what it has been like being an intern at Fox & Co.
Why New Zealand?
Carlie: I don’t really know, perhaps it was all the beautiful photos I saw posted on instagram? I had never left the U.S. before until now, so there was a small need inside of me to go as far away as humanly possible.
Filip: Because Reddit said so. In all seriousness the sense of adventure is unbeatable, and from all my research I could tell that New Zealand was the place to do it. Between the environment, people, and food I was sold.
What brought you here?
Carlie: I have never been given the opportunity to travel before and it has been something I have always had that feeling of wanderlust inside me. I also believe that everyone should have at least one good adventure in life, and this is going to be mine.
Filip: Traveling is one of my greatest passions and I commonly feel more comfortable being dropped in a new place than I do sticking around the same spot long term. I also wanted to diversify my resume, and hone in on the career path I was most seriously considering.
Photo by Phyo Thu
Where are you from?
Carlie: I am from a small town in what feels like the middle of nowhere New Jersey.
Filip: I was born in a small Croatian town by the name of Karlovac, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.
What do you study at school?
Carlie: I am a Visual Communication Design major, I also have a minor in Visual Arts as well. I do everything from logos, packaging design, branding, web design, and physical illustrations.
Filip: I’m a Organizational Studies for Business major, with a minor in Technology Management at the University of California, Davis. This includes analysis of businesses, firms, corporations, and markets—nationally and globally—and their place in society.
What do you do at Fox & Co.?
Carlie: Since my time here I have been working on running the social media for the company, as well as assisting with various projects on assignments like sourcing music for animations, taking photos of the team, writing blogs and case studies, project proposals, and whatever else the day may throw at me.
Filip: Envision, build, and implement from the ground up a human resource structure. Develop content for a formal culture book and business guide. Compile resources for training, development, maximizing employee value, talent acquisition and management, employee experience/company culture. Aid the business with internal growth and strategically formulating policies around healthy company practices.
Photo Courtesy of Carlie Viemann (Instagram @cviemann)
What do you think has been the most valuable thing you have learned here?
Carlie: The most valuable thing that I have learned here has been to love what you’re doing and work hard, but make sure you have fun!
Filip: How to navigate and champion the agency life...I’ve got a retail background! Also how to run an end to end component of a business (HR).
What is your critter and why?
Carlie: My critter is a deer! I grew up in a state where they’re EVERYWHERE and I have always loved them. I also find them to be very clumsy animals (which I am very clumsy).
Filip: The wolf! They’re very pack and team oriented animals that support one another while being bold individually. I also relate to their cunning and strategic decision making.
What has been your most favorite experience here in New Zealand? (Show us some pics!)
Carlie: My favorite experience so far here in New Zealand has been picking the end-destination of a trip (Abel Tasman National Park) and kind of just...winging it. My friends and I bought ferry tickets and just figured things out along the way! We ended up doing about a 20 mile (32 kilometer) hike round trip. We camped under more stars than I have ever seen in my entire life, had some Wekas trick us into thinking they were Kiwi birds, and woke up at 4:30 am to hike back (while playing the different LOTR + Hobbit songs).
Filip: I went with a group to Milford Sound as part of a coach tour, which was incredible in itself. The highlight though was taking a helicopter on the way back. We cut straight over the alps and lakes in what was the most picturesque moment of my life. Got the chance to land and walk around twice, once on a glacier and again on a thawed out lake nestled atop a mountain.
Photo Courtesy of Filip Vrnoga. View from the helicopter on my way back from the Milford Sound.
Photo Courtesy of Carlie Viemann (Instagram @cviemann). Tramping down towards the entrance of Abel Tasman National Park.
Favorite Kiwi slang?
Carlie: I am a huge fan of ‘cheeky’, but, also definitely ‘sweet as’...I am very much looking forward to incorporating this back into my everyday usage at home!
Filip: Big fan of ‘keen’, it not the type of word you hear every day and its substitutes get repetitive. Also mandatory Cali shout out to ‘hella’s kiwi cousin, ‘heaps’.
What is your typical day like?
Carlie: My typical day is checking emails, liking as many motion design posts on Instagram as I can possibly find, and snuggling Harley.
Filip: Staying connected with the team is at the heart of what I do. There’s a lot of ideation, writing, feedback, and implementation. Things like surveys and one on one’s to help keep a pulse on the wonderful critters that keep us rolling.
How do you feel about your time here (at the company and New Zealand)?
Carlie: I couldn’t be any happier with my decision to come here. Fox & Co. is absolutely wonderful and I’m truly going to miss working with a group of such talented people. And New Zealand? It hurts a bit to leave knowing that I haven’t seen as much as I wish I could have, but that just means I’ll have to come back ;)!
Filip: Initially I was a little cautious about the idea of working with a motion design studio as someone who doesn’t have a creative bone in his body, and doesn’t have a design background. However the team here really supported my vision for what I wanted to do with HR and got behind what I had to offer. New Zealand is like no other place in the world, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. I know I’ll be back.
If a kid walked up to you and asked for your advice, what would be your best tip to give ‘em?
Carlie: My best advice would be “See the world, save all your pennies, quarters, dollars and see the world! Adventure and experience as much as you can! Pick up a camera, sketchbook, anything and bring it with you.”
Filip: I’m big on the idea that, “The extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes is a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.”
If you could be any animated character, what would it be?
Carlie: I would definitely be Kiki, from Kiki’s Delivery Service, an extremely touching Studio Ghibli film. It follows a young witch embarking on a year-long coming of age tradition, learning all about her powers in the beautiful animation of Hayao Miyazaki. It’s such a sweet film and it oh so reminds me of my very own trip here in New Zealand.
Filip: I’ve gotta go with Sebastian, from Black Butler; a top tier anime about criminal underworld investigations in London with a supernatural twist. Sebastian is a dark horse that keeps things close to the chest, while advising others and orchestrating events as they happen throughout the series.
