The event kicked off with opening remarks from Donna Speciale (pictured below left), President of Ad Sales and Client Partnerships at Turner, who spoke about the importance of building meaningful relationships during and after your internship. “Everyone in this room will be someone in this business either now or in the future,” she told the crowd, advising them to network with their peers and not to shy away from the senior executives in attendance.
Jack Myers (below left), Chairman of MyersBizNet, Publisher of MediaVillage and author of the books Hooked Up: A New Generation's Surprising Take on Sex, Politics and Saving the World and The Future of Men: Masculinity in the Twenty-First Century, then took the stage for the keynote, emphasizing the value of young talent and the importance of capitalizing on every opportunity that comes your way. He also noted that the crowd is part of a generation that cares less about money and more about experiences -- a fact that older generations and corporations are slow to accept and why so many young employees are prone to job hop. “If you aren’t getting the opportunities you want from your employer, then leave,” he advised.