Meet Our Summer Intern - Taylor

EA’s internship program provides great opportunities for students to start and grow their careers while cultivating their passions along the way. This summer, we welcomed our first-ever remote #intEArn class. Learn how Taylor was able to get a full internship experience at her dream company to work for!

Fast Facts:

• Name: Taylor Crain
• Title: Brand Transformation Intern
• Field of Study: English Major, Business Minor, African and African American Studies Minor
• School: Rice University

Describe yourself and your background. 

I’m a senior at Rice University. I am a Texas native with two sisters and three dogs (Yorkie, Chihuahua, and Goldendoodle). Coming from a family of athletes, my sisters and I have competed on the Nike/Adidas select, varsity, and youth Olympic tryouts level for basketball. I have an eclectic range of interests as a big foodie, dancer, writer, gamer, and activist. At Rice, I founded my own club, Rice Creative Society. It is a pre-professional organization for students interested in creative careers in media, art, and tech. I also hold various leadership positions across campus addressing Black experiences with Rice Black Women’s Association, the Humanities Student Advisory Committee, Center for African and African American Studies Steering Committee, Rice 4 Black Life, and others. My favorite EA games growing up were Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour, My Sims, and SimCity. EA has been on my “dream company to work for” list for a long time. 

What are you studying and why?

I am studying English, Business, and African/African-American studies at Rice. I supplement my major with sociology, film, art, politics, and philosophy classes for a more holistic background. I like to say that there are two sides to me: the creative and the strategist. Growing up, I’ve always had my nose in books. Reading A Wrinkle in Time around the age of nine inspired me to start writing novels, while reading Maya Angelou inspired me to write poetry. Now, I perform spoken word and am working on a speculative fiction trilogy with research guidance from my professors. I strongly believe in the power of words to reflect, empower, and uplift underrepresented narratives. 

I have also always had an entrepreneurial streak thinking up big creative ideas to address social issues with different business ventures. I think studying in these two areas gives me the unique ability to expand upon my natural storytelling abilities, build an awareness of a wide variety of perspectives and experiences, and have the foundational understanding of business to turn my vision into reality.

What drew you to EA?

I love games! My sister, dad, and I are huge gamers. I grew up playing Command and Conquer and other strategy games like Age of Empires and Civilization along with Princess Peach, NintenDog, and Rollercoaster Tycoon. When I saw the internship posted on LinkedIn and its area of focus (Brand Transformation) I knew I had to shove down any feelings of imposter syndrome and apply. It was a struggle to find internships in my area of interest. Much less, at a company like EA. I went the route of cold messaging EA employees on LinkedIn to learn more about EA and submitted my resume with a referral. What I learned about the company culture, the intern program, and EA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion through those informational meetings sealed my interest. I had a wonderful interview experience and am really enjoying the work I am doing as an intern with my team.

How do you think this internship will help you on your career path?

I can definitely say that my EA experience has been transformative. I took a Marketing class in the spring semester before my internship. The real-world experience I have received so far at EA builds exponentially off of it. I am working on real, impactful projects that consolidate awareness of EA as a company, the market, our consumers, and an intuitive understanding of how to get to the right message. I have developed and honed so many skills. I am supporting my team members on presentations, sitting in, and engaging in meetings, and I am leading my own intern projects. I have a big support system within the intern cohort and with the Next-Gen team, mentors, and connections across EA. This internship has solidified my interest in a career in branding and is a huge stepping stone for my career overall.

Tell us about your work at EA.

I work on the Brand Transformation team. This means I contribute to campaign concepts and execution across Masterbrand and EA Play initiatives. I also conduct media audits for brand and community health initiatives. Lastly, I assist my team in analyzing, organizing, and integrating information to form presentations and plans. My favorite part is how I am tasked to identify ownable and compelling brand moments for EA to activate against.

What team are you working with? What projects are you working on for us? 

I am on the Brand Transformation team, so our work has an impact across the company as we build brand equity for EA and studios and further align EA with our slogan, “Inspire the World to Play.” We are very interconnected. So, I have had the opportunity to work with Corporate Communications, D&I, Healthy Communities, Creative, UX, and with other teams within Marcom. I am working on a lot of amazing projects (some that are top-secret). I can say that I contribute to the Positive Play Project by conducting globalization research, offering insights on brand strategy, and feedback on the copywriting. I also played a role in developing the language for our anti-racism stance and provided feedback on copywriting, animation, and internal initiatives. EA has a strong, holistic commitment to diversity and inclusion, and I am working directly on projects that will help push this commitment forward. With a background in critical race theory and African/African-American studies, I have been able to provide a unique, insightful, and relevant perspective on these projects.

What makes EA a unique place to intern?

I think it’s encapsulated in the EA slogan, “Our work is play.” EA is unique because everyone is so passionate about the work we do and are eager to collaborate to do the best work we can. There is an obvious love for the job and the art. I also really appreciate how incorporated interns are into the company and how we take on real projects with support from the Next-Gen (intern) program.

What was your reaction to EA’s call for a virtual internship following safety protocols for COVID-19? 

Relief mainly. I also felt grateful because a lot of people I know had their internship offers rescinded. 

How have you leveraged some perks or benefits from this remote internship?

As I mentioned, my sister and dad are big gamers. So, they are really happy I am able to get them some new games for free (laughs)! I have also really appreciated how holistically EA takes care of their interns in terms of providing resources for self-improvement, career development, and physical/mental health. The intEArn events and other Next-Gen events are invaluable. I have taken so many notes.

We acknowledge that you are interning during an international conversation on the systemic injustice, racism, and violence here in the United States. With that, it can be hard to bring yourself to work. What communities or conversations have you joined at EA to share your experiences or learn from others? Have you attended any events to further the conversation?

I’d first like to say that my team is extremely understanding and supportive. They have given me the space and time I needed to process these world events. While this violence has always existed, it is now more publicly visible and blatant to many who did not understand or see it before. I am happy that I have been able to transfer my own frustration and grief during this time into a call for action and change. On my own time, I created a document called the “Do’s and Don’ts for Talking About Racial Injustice” and supported BEAT! (Black ERG) internal initiatives with my team. At the beginning of my internship, I created a Black Girl Magic intern group and a Black intern group. Many have appreciated this space for us to talk about our experiences. I also participated in the Juneteenth BEAT! Events that offered a space for Black people and allies to deepen their understanding of this history and find ways to move forward with a more informed, socially-aware commitment against systemic injustice. 

Tell us something we don’t know about you.

I am creating a clothing brand with my sister called Sohiti! I am starting a fashion mentorship for it in January. And I was invited to try out for the Youth Olympic u18 3x3 basketball team at 15 after catching the attention of an Olympic scout when I won an u18 men’s basketball tournament with my sister. Side-note: I hit the game-winning three-pointer.

Learn more about our Next-Gen Talent program and apply to be a part of our next intern class.

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