Internships at Matter!

So excited to announce that Matter is now  a community partner with Tulane's Center for Public Service & offering internships at our creative studio based here in New Orleans! We are looking for passionate, talented people to begin in 2012! Please read more below - it is still possible to participate this [spring] semester! Apply here. + Creative Assistant  + Position description:  Assist Matter's founder and director, Tippy Tippens, in developing new projects and expanding our current product line. Should be thoughtful in details and passionate about finding meaningful connections between social needs + creativity + community in order to create poetic, sustainable solutions. Position Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement designs for new product development
• Coordinate production with outside vendors
• Develop collaborations for regionally sourced & created products.

Final deliverable: In addition to day-to-day responsibilities, present new product idea or enhancement to a current product.  The final deliverable can be a combination of sketches, mock-up or prototype. Required: 

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program
• Passion for the arts, design or new product development
• Self Starter
• Problem solving skills
• Well organized

Preferred: 

• Enrolled in or completed coursework in the fields of fine arts, design, architecture or engineering
• Experience using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
• Some experience in sketching / technical drawing

+ PR & Outreach +   Position Description: Develop creative, thoughtful strategies for marketing, public relations and community outreach. Pop ups? Collaborations? Curated events? Competitions? Publications? The smartest markets & events? All of the above! Aid in targeting where Matter should be selling products and how should we intelligently build and broadcast our new company for social change. Position Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate superior ability to understand, analyze and assess a wide variety of marketing and communications issues; make recommendations on the analysis and formulate a go-to-market plan to implement ideas
• Make recommendations on analysis and create engaging go-to-market strategies on a startup budget using your ingenuity and creative abilities
• Demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Able to organize and present ideas in a convincing and compelling manner

Final Deliverable: An original strategy will be created with the ability to be implemented by the intern using Matter’s resources.  The presentation should be in PowerPoint or PDF format and include an objective, consumer or business insight, creative strategy, and key performance indicators. Required:

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program
• Passion for business or marketing
• Self Starter
• Problem solving skills
• Well organized

Preferred:

• Experience in marketing communications, public relations, advertising or related fields

+ Production and Ceramics Assistant + Position Description: Aid in development for both new editions and in creating the original ceramic birds for BirdProject via slipcasting. Also help in finding new methods for streamlining and efficiency. Position Responsibilities:

• Create the ceramic birdies using slipcasting approach and meet our weekly production quota
• Research and recommend new production methods to enhance efficiency in terms of volume, cost and time
• Create inventory list and manage levels appropriately with orders
• Create raw material list and manage stock appropriately

Final Deliverable: In addition to daily responsibilities, recommend a new production procedure that increases volume, cuts costs or saves us time.  Also, contribute to development & implementation of a new edition[s] for BirdProject. Required:

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program
• An interest in the arts, design, or business
• Attention to detail a must
• Self Starter
• Problem solving skills
• Well organized

Preferred:

• Experience in ceramics, sculpting or related creative field
• Experience in production and process improvement

+ Business Planning Intern + Position Description: Help to shape the business planning of Matter: Develop business plans with people, planet, and profits as the bottom line. Create innovative techniques to bolster new methods of business to grow sustainably and healthily. Position Responsibilities Work cross-functionally with the Matter team to incorporate learnings into a coherent and well written business plan.  Research and suggest new business models, benchmarks and best practices to incorporate in current operations. Final Deliverable You will create a business plan for Matter L3C.  This will be achieved by working cross functionally with the strategy, marketing, creative, production and finance interns to incorporate relevant research for this triple bottom line business plan. Required

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program
• An interest in the business or entrepreneurship
• Self Starter
• Problem solving skills
• Well organized

Preferred

• Experience in business plan development or social entrepreneurship
• Experience working with a growing social venture

+ Research, Forecast, & Strategy Intern + Position Description Help keep Matter on top of the most important and relevant topics. What should we be targeting and how can we help shape the outcomes of our social needs positively & intelligently? What collaborations and social initiatives are most needed? Help define what is essential now & what will be rising to the top in the future. Position Responsibilities Analyze happenings in our social, business, and environmental cultures and make recommendations on how Matter can create meaningful solutions/collaborations on these connective insights. Indentify partners and collaborators to help implement areas of opportunities identified. Forecast the benefits and possible costs associated (quantitatively and qualitatively) with each new area of opportunity identified. Final Deliverable As a project based internship, a report will be created that presents areas of opportunity to delve into.  The ideal format will include 3-5 ideas organized by need + benefit, cost, and an implementation timeline. Required

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program
• A passion for culture, research, our environment and how this relates to business, industry, & new green technologies.
• Self Starter
• Problem solving skills
• Well organized

Preferred

• Experience in information analysis and market research
• Proven ability to synthesize large amounts of data and make actionable recommendations