By Alex Tarnowski - PR & Marketing Analyst
Over the past three weeks, I have had the pleasure of interning with Brackendale Consulting - a private equity advisory firm specialising in PR, investor marketing, graphic design and investor pitching. I would like to start by thanking the whole team for being so welcoming and supportive, and for taking the time to immerse me in meaningful and impactful work right from day one.
Week 1
I was thrown right into the deep end in the wake of an urgent client press release. My first task involved sending targeted follow-up emails to journalists, to shed more light on the acquisition and secure media coverage for the deal.
With articles published and the pressbook sealed, I then moved on to work on a pitch deck. Having to navigate conflicting feedback from the client and his team of advisors, as well as the incorporation of Brackendale’s own recommendations, I was grateful for the opportunity to sit in on the follow-up call, to help guide the client through our work on the deck.
Alongside these tasks, I did some heavy lifting within Excel - merging and updating spreadsheets to reflect updated media contacts and potential new clients. The week ended with proofreading an ESG report, drafting an awards submission for a client and writing a client LinkedIn post announcing an award shortlisting.
Week 2
My second week saw me take on greater responsibility on an even wider range of tasks. Pitch deck work remained my primary focus as I worked on both design and content - incorporating ongoing rounds of feedback until it was client-ready. In parallel, I embarked upon outreach emails to potential client leads I’d identified in my research the week before. I continued to populate spreadsheets with new contacts sourced from a recent awards evening attended by Brackendale.
I also had the chance to get involved with the media side of Brackendale’s operations – dedicating time to researching publications to target for client interviews and brainstorming unique angles for pitching. I drafted another awards submission (for Brackendale itself this time), and wrote two LinkedIn posts for a client, one of which centred on how private equity can materially improve the healthcare industry in the UK.
Week 3
My final week was perhaps the most varied - opening with a discussion with Alice Murray from The Line, where I was able to hear her insights into how AI is being deployed across PE firms, and what tasks and roles it is beginning to impact. Turning my attention to business and media strategy, I helped launch a LinkedIn presence for a new client - working on their very first post with the rest of the team.
The highlight of this week was co-presenting a detailed plan for a website redesign to a client, following thorough market research I had conducted alongside my colleague Lily. I even had the chance to put my French to work penning an outreach email and reviewing other translated documents for French clients. The week wrapped up with drinks with the team - a great end to what has been three brilliant weeks!
My key takeaways
Spending three weeks at Brackendale has given me an incredible insight into private equity. From pitch decks and press releases to client calls and strategy planning, I am thankful that I was able to work on such a wide range of projects. This experience has given me a much clearer sense of the intersection between private equity, media and marketing, and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone at Brackendale for making it such a meaningful experience.
