Right place, right time: Wayne State student receives internship with Detroit-based company Fathead

Caitlin Genord is still reveling in the afterglow of the 2015 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.

The junior broadcast journalism major was part of the team of 18 Wayne State students that helped create a record number of social media connections for the May three-day event. But racing fans on Facebook and Twitter weren't the only ones Genord made an impression on that weekend.

Genord walked away from the Grand Prix with an internship at Detroit-based graphics company Fathead, LLC.

"I came across the Fathead booth on Saturday and ended up talking to their vice president of communications before having to run off to do some more work," Genord said. "I ran into him again on Sunday, and a few days later he reached out to me with the offer, saying he really liked my energy and my attitude. You just never know who you're going to run in to."

Genord was a late addition to the social media team for the race, joining after another student had to drop out.

"Someone got injured last minute, so I volunteered," Genord said. "The whole thing was such a whirlwind."

As a public relations intern for Fathead, Genord will assist in promoting the company's products at various sporting events, especially Detroit Tigers games, and she will even be attending the MLB All-Star Game on July 14 as a part of her internship.

"We sell life-sized cutouts of players from all sports that people can put on their walls, and basically we go to these events to promote the products, finding different ways to connect fans with their favorite team or athlete," Genord said. "At the All-Star game, we will be in this giant convention hall with a lot of other vendors. I'm really excited about this opportunity."

Genord says the thing she looks forward to most is learning the basics of communicating with other people in professional media and taking in anything and everything the Fathead team can teach her.

"I'm only a few days in, and I'm already in love with P.R.," Genord said. "I'm a broadcast major right now, but there's a legitimate possibility I may change my major. This is such an underrated field. I really want to see where this takes me."

Fathead is a well-known brand that is part of the Dan Gilbert family of businesses. The company sells life-size wall decals of athletes, superheroes, and cartoon characters, and was named one of the top places to work by the Detroit Free Press for four consecutive years.