Westminster College Senior Spends Summer as MTV Intern

Westminster College senior Isaac Ludwig spent the summer as an intern at MTV in New York City.

The fast-paced music industry and metropolis New York lifestyle were radically different from Ludwig's Westminster College/New Wilmington (borough residents couldn't get MTV until a recent cable upgrade) experience, but he felt academically prepared.

"My background in my major (public relations) and minors (broadcast communications and visual arts technologies) helped prepare me in every asset of my internship," Ludwig said. "Believe it or not, I actually learned things in the classroom that could be applied to the "real" world."

He credited public relations professors Deborah Mitchell and Suzanne Prestien, along with political science professor Andrea Grove with inspiring him for future success.

Ludwig said a prior internship with Clear Channel Pittsburgh also helped prepare him for his MTV experience.

"My day started at 10 every morning. When I got to work, I would read a series of newspapers and produce news "clippings" for various people in the company," Ludwig said. "Then I would do anything from going to record companies to pick up tapes, escorting talent to website photo shoots, attending and giving my input at music meetings, developing copy for Video Music Award promotions, programming my online radio stations, or doing any number of other things that I was asked to do."

"One of the highlights of my summer was the MTV Summer Creative Retreat. I was one of six interns, out of about 350, selected based on supervisors' recommendations," Ludwig said. "The retreat was for six days in Montauk, which is on the easternmost point of Long Island. We did an unbelievable amount of work, but all in all, it was an amazing experience."

"We got to see the selection process for new shows, and how new ideas are born at a huge network," he added. "We also formed relationships with executives in a laid-back environment, and got to go to an awesome beach party with celebrities and great food."

The MTV experience combined some of Ludwig's passions: music and writing. His other passions include kayaking and political activism.

"I started doing band marketing through street teams while I was in high school," Ludwig said. "When it was time to go to college, I thought to myself & it would be great if I could do this thing I have fun with and really love for the rest of my life."

Ludwig's future plans include post-graduate work in journalism; traveling to Ecuador to teach kayaking while learning Spanish and the culture; and eventually moving up through the music public relations industry.

He is a son of the Rev. Ted Ludwig, pastor of the Bethel Presbyterian Church, and Debby Swearingin, Salineville, Ohio.

Contact Ludwig at ludwigih@westminster.edu for more information.