Golin announces winner of ‘unternship’ placement

Art student, Chloe Abrahams, is the winner of Golin’s unconventional internship programme, which includes a two-month adventure.

In an effort to encourage diversity among its applicants, Golin launched an ‘unternship’ that would reward successful candidates with a two-month trip, as well as a three-month office-based internship in one of its creative teams.

Neil Kleiner, Golin’s head of content & social, said: “The communications industry relies on diverse and unlikely candidates to bring fresh thinking. The Unternship is about finding those candidates with an adventurous spirit, a different perspective to life and a willingness to go all in and seek out new experiences.”

Abrahams has been selected as the candidate to bring that new perspective to the agency. For her two-month trip, she has elected to travel to remote communities in the Amazon rainforest, Peru, Europe and the Galapagos without her smart phone, or any kind of digital technology.

Kleiner added: “Chloe ticks every box as an Untern. Her two months of travel and adventure without her smartphone will help her discover the core of what captures people’s attention.”

The 22-year-old will experience what it is like to communicate without the technology that many westerners take for granted.

Abrahams said: “I decided upon the most unconventional thing a 20-something, social media-obsessed person could do. To leave my smartphone and social media accounts behind.”

The unternship was opened up to people of all ages and backgrounds, so as to attract talent from beyond the conventional pool of Russell Group candidates. The application included a challenge to have a two-hour adventure in London for just £25. Abrahams will receive the London living wage (£18,500) as well as £1,500 upfront to help plan her journey.