Build something you'll be proud to show off.
Your capstone is the one project you'll own from start to finish this summer. By the end of the program, you'll walk away with a real, polished piece of work — something you can put in a portfolio, talk through in a job interview, or share at school as proof of what you can do.
Here's how it works: everyone does the same core project — running PR for one of our real client events from beginning to end. On top of that, you'll pick a secondary focus from the menu below based on what you're most curious about. Want to flex your design eye? Build a media kit. Like working with numbers? Try a coverage report. Into social and creators? Run an influencer activation.
You don't need prior PR experience. We'll scope your specific project with you during your first two weeks, and your manager will guide you the whole way.
New to PR? Start here
- Earned media — coverage you get because a journalist or creator chose to feature you, not because you paid for an ad.
- Pitch — a short, personalized email to a journalist or creator proposing a story or collaboration.
- Placement — when your pitch lands and the outlet actually publishes something.
- Media list — your researched list of the right journalists/outlets to contact for a given story.
- More terms are defined in the glossary at the end.
CORE Run PR for a real event, end to end
You'll be assigned one of our live client events this summer — for example, one of Palace's Miami Swim Week activations — and support the full public-relations arc around it: building the outreach list, pitching media and creators, tracking who covers it, and capturing the results. At the end, you package it all into a case study.
You'll do
Research the right contacts, draft and send pitches, coordinate coverage, track placements, and document what worked.
Deliverable
A case-study deck: objective → strategy → execution → results → learnings.
Talk about it
"I ran PR for a Miami Swim Week event" is a concrete, memorable interview story — and the case study is the single most useful artifact you can show.
Maps to JD
Media & influencer list development
Influencer activations, events & PR placements
Tracking press coverage & compiling reports
On-the-ground event execution
Internal briefs, recaps & post-mortems
The core project naturally pulls in pieces of the focus options below — so whichever focus you choose, it builds on the same foundation.
01 Media List + Pitch Campaign
Build a targeted list of journalists and outlets from scratch, write the pitches, send them, and log every response and placement.
Deliverable
The media list, your pitch templates, and a placements tracker.
Best if you
Like writing, research, and the thrill of landing a "yes."
Maps to JD
Media & influencer list development
Research & outreach support
Press, vendor & partner list research
02 Earned-Media Coverage Report
Track every press mention a client earns over the summer and quantify the impact — reach, estimated media value, and how on-message the coverage was.
Deliverable
A coverage report or simple dashboard with metrics and takeaways.
Best if you
Enjoy numbers, patterns, and making data tell a story.
Why it stands out
PR measurement is a skill most new grads can't do yet — it sets you apart.
Maps to JD
Tracking press coverage
Compiling reports
Client-facing documents
03 Influencer Activation
Identify the right creators, manage outreach and gifting, coordinate their deliverables around a real event, then compile what landed.
Deliverable
An influencer recap deck: creators involved, content produced, total reach and engagement.
Best if you
Live on social and love working with creators and content.
Maps to JD
Influencer activations
Media & influencer list development
Content & campaign support
04 Digital Media Kit
Design a polished, reusable media kit for a client — the brand story, key facts, imagery, and contacts that journalists and partners need in one place. (Palace is a natural fit: 38-year legacy, drag programming, new culinary story.)
Deliverable
The media kit itself — a clean PDF, Canva doc, or one-page site.
Best if you
Have a design eye and like making things look sharp.
Maps to JD
Content creation & brand strategy
Client-facing documents
05 Brand & Competitive Landscape Audit
Study how comparable venues or brands earn press and social traction, then recommend a strategy our client could use.
Deliverable
An audit + recommendations deck.
Best if you
Like strategy, big-picture thinking, and connecting dots.
Why it stands out
Shows strategic thinking — the thing that grows a coordinator into a manager.
Maps to JD
Brand strategy initiatives
Research & outreach support
Campaign planning
Once you've picked your focus, fill out this short brief — ideally together with your manager during onboarding. It keeps your project scoped, realistic, and pointed at a clear finish line. Think of it as the one page that answers: what am I making, why, and how will we know it worked? Submit it below and we'll review it with you at your scoping check-in.
Weeks 1–2
Onboarding
Get set up, meet the team, learn our tools, and scope your capstone — including filling out your one-page brief.
Weeks 3–10
Core
Do the work. Contribute to live projects, hit your milestones, and check in weekly with your manager. A mid-program review keeps you on track.
Weeks 11–12
Wrap
Deliver your capstone, present it at your exit review, and — for strong performance — receive a letter of recommendation.
How to choose your focus
- Pick the one that sounds fun — you'll do better work on something you're curious about.
- Not sure? Tell your manager what you're drawn to and we'll help you land on the right fit.
- You can shape the details. These are starting points, not rigid assignments.
Summer Capstone