Adventurous MavJourney

maverick pr agency | featured image

I have never thought that my life would change so fast, flew from one episode to another one. Guess it was like yesterday I joined in Weber Shandwick Indonesia as an intern, doing media monitoring, working on PR activation, attending Indonesian PR Practitioners workshop for the very first time, and sharing the laughter with all the great people of the firm in spite of our entire deadline.

Maverick 9th Anniversary | foto

Weber Shandwick – Outing to Lido Lakes in early 2010

But yesterday was in 2009. Oh, time flies! It’s been 2 years ago. I said goodbye to them since I decided to continue my bachelor degree in Journalism.

But now, here I am, waving another goodbye to Maverick, a communication consultant located on Jalan Balitung III No. 8. My journey was started on June 13, 2011 when Jonathan Tenggara (@jtenggara) welcomed me to join in Raconteur team (used to be called as New Media Division) as an intern. Thank you for Mas Dody (@dody_rochadi) for giving me this internship info.

maverick pr agency | Maverick 9th Anniversary 2

Maverick 9th Anniversary

My first day of internship was embarrassing when I sat on a chair facing a laptop, and suddenly asked the team, “Hey, how do you spell Youtube?” Everybody was surprised. Their laugh and “Oh-My-God” screaming filled the air. It became a joke in Maverick until the last day of my internship but I never consider it seriously.

My Storytellers (a name given to call the members of Raconteur team) introduced me many things. As an appetizer, they brought me of what-tweet-report-is, social media monitoring, and content matrix. Days passed, they put main course on the table. There I had brand affiliation, writing the newsletter about credit card, researching on stock exchange (oh God! This was really challenging), working on website codes, preparing editorial plan, and writing articles about social business. Just like you had a very nice dinner, your tummy was full – my brain was full also with that knowledge.

My every morning was always challenging. I needed to wake up early in the morning since I had to work at 8.30. It took 1 – 1.5 hours for me to get Maverick by train. But it took about 2 hours for me to get there by car. My unforgettable moment reaching office was when I got locked in Jalan Antasari for 4 hours in the morning. I went at 5.30 AM and reached Maverick at 9.30 AM. It was totally not my cup of tea!

In spite of the unpredictable and exhausting traffic, I have never felt like I was working. I considered Maverick as my second home where I spent my time with warm smiles and stories with the family members. I sometimes considered Maverick as my own university. I went there, learned things, and got fun moments with friends. I have never felt burdened even when I had homework.

maverick pr agency | maverick 9th anniversary

Raconteur team on Maverick 9th Anniversary

Let’s look back for a while! In 2009, I kept buying Mix Magazine to support my final project on my Diploma degree. I read some articles about PR, marketing, and social media. Most of the time, I saw Ong Hock Chuan (@unspun) picture on the article. I thought, “Jesus! This person is an expert!” when I viewed Ong’s picture. Still in the same year, I met him on Indonesian PR Practitioners workshop at Jakarta Post. I was doing my internship at Weber Shandwick at the moment. Guess Ong never remembered that I was a part of the crowd.

To my surprise, Ong became my boss at Maverick during this internship. Instead of being a bossy leader who keeps asking such-and-such, Ong is a very friendly friend to be with without losing his leadership personality. He gave us a chance to discuss about PR industry in one warm evening. He humbly answered our curious questions while drinking his tea. Sometimes he threw some jokes and we laughed out loud. I’m really happy to know Ong!

But overall, people in Maverick will gladly share their experience and knowledge. They are opened with my desire to learn this-and-that. They provided me numerous opportunities to write. I will never forget the chit-chat time during our lunch (Ouch! I miss Wadabuko of @referika) and the galau jokes thrown up to cheer up our days.  Also, I thank you to Mba Dita (@afdita) for lending me book called Cerita di Balik Berita. It really broadened up my horizon about journalism. I am blessed to have this chance!

But my internship at Maverick has come to an end. They gave a wonderful farewell party on September 14, 2011 and prepared me a gift. They showered me with laughter, joy, and jokes. Again, I didn’t feel like I was in an office. It was more like a warm home.

I thank my God for making my life so precious. Its every part was like a slide show, fading in and out quickly from one slide to the other ones. I’m glad to have two enchanting families: Weber Shandwick and Maverick – well, both are ended with –ick.

Thank you so much for everything!

No matter how good the teacher is, if the student doesn’t want to learn, then nothing achieved.

(Jonathan Tenggara)

6 Comments

  • unspun September 26, 2011 at 8:34 pm

    Glad you enjoyed your stay at Maverick. Let us know when you’ve finished school and don’t forget to get your 3Gs

    Reply
  • Septa Mellina September 27, 2011 at 6:49 pm

    I will. Muchas gracias, Ong 🙂

    Reply
  • Riri September 28, 2011 at 12:29 pm

    Glad to have met you, Septa. Don’t be a stranger and stop by anytime if you’re ‘homesick’!!!

    Reply
    • Septa Mellina September 28, 2011 at 6:37 pm

      Hi Mba Riri. Glad to meet you too. Sayang, cuma sebentar ya kita ketemunya. Aku main2 ke Balitung nanti 🙂

      Reply
  • shillach September 28, 2011 at 5:12 pm

    Great to know you enjoyed your time here, Septa. We will miss you! Come over anytime, and good luck with your studies.

    Reply
    • Septa Mellina October 11, 2011 at 10:28 pm

      Hi Mba Shilla! I’m glad to meet you at Maverick. Thanks for sharing your education journey, really inspiring! Gonna miss the whole Maverick!!

      Reply

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