12-week internship · Start: Mon, May 18 · End: Fri, Aug 7 · Reports to Janvier · Updated May 13
01 · Start here
Day One Checklist
Bookmark this page. It's your home base for the summer. Work through these on Monday — none take more than 30 minutes.
1.Read this dashboard top to bottom. The five-minute version of everything you need.
2.Slack Janvier. Get added to the Marketing channel and the EC team workspace.
3.Confirm gear, shot list, and run-of-show with Janvier before Nashville Entrepreneur Day on Wed, May 21 (Geodis Park, 1–6pm). That's your first shoot.
4.Skim section 04 (How EC Sounds). Save the ChatGPT prompt to your notes app.
5.Open every Drive folder in section 07. Star them in your sidebar.
6.Block Thu, May 28 at 1pm CT for the LaunchTN Welcome Call (virtual, paid hours).
7.Block Fri, June 26 for the LaunchTN Summer Summit (in person at EC, paid hours).
02 · Your role
How the Summer Breaks Down
Four jobs. Roughly 45 / 25 / 20 / 10 of your time. Event coverage drives the calendar; everything else fits around it.
45%
Event coverage
25%
Stock library
20%
Content + captions
10%
Performance docs
Event coverage (45%)
Shoot photo + vertical video at 1–3 EC events per week. Capture candids, founder portraits, behind-the-scenes, crowd moments. Deliver organized assets within 48 hours. Act as second shooter when Janvier leads.
Stock library (25%)
EC has never had a structured photo library. You build it. Audit what exists, set folder structure and tagging, shoot the gaps (diverse founders networking, workshop moments, clean shots of EC spaces, mentor interactions). Final deliverable: a documented, tagged library any EC staffer can pull from.
Content + captions (20%)
Draft social copy for the photos you shot. You took it, you write it. Work with Janvier on the content calendar and help publish approved posts.
Performance docs (10%)
Track which content types drive engagement. Report weekly — what landed, what didn't, what to try next. End-of-summer: present library status + content performance findings.
03 · Dates that matter
12-Week Calendar
Confirmed events through June 26. July and August fill in as programming locks. Two LaunchTN dates flagged — you are required to attend during paid hours.
Date
Event
Where
Wed, May 21 1–6pm
Nashville Entrepreneur DayFirst shoot Spring cohort pitch competition, $40K in grants on the line.
McWhorter Circle Legacy CelebrationMajor Donor event at Governor's Mansion. Editorial, polished.
Conservation Hall
Tue, Jun 17 10am–3pm
NAHREP (Hispanic Real Estate Pros)
Learning Ctr / Ingram
Tue, Jun 17 5–7pm
Veteran Entrepreneurship Meet-Up · Paul Whitten
Learning Center
Wed, Jun 18 3–5pm
NEC Happy Hour
TBD
Fri, Jun 26
LaunchTN Summer SummitLaunch TN Professional development, headshots, panels. All 52 interns at EC.
EC
Jul–Aug
Additional events fill in monthly. Watch Slack and the shared Google calendar.
—
04 · How EC sounds
Brand Voice in One Screen
EC's voice is direct, evidence-based, no-nonsense. We let founder outcomes do the talking. The one rule under every other rule: show, don't tell.
We are
DirectEvidence-basedNo-nonsenseFounder-focused
We are not
InspirationalCorporateGenericCliché
Forbidden words
If you catch yourself reaching for any of these, rewrite. The full list is in the brand guide — these are the worst offenders.
trailblazing, innovative, disruptive
Meaningless. Everyone claims this.
ecosystem, synergistic, paradigm
Corporate jargon. Says nothing.
embark on a journey
We're not a cruise line.
immersive experience
Vague. What actually happens?
tailored programming
Show what makes it tailored.
designed to empower / accelerate
Throat-clearing. Get to results.
leverage, utilize
Just say "use."
passionate, thrilled, excited
Show through actions, not adjectives.
Caption formula
Every social caption you draft should hit these four beats in order.
Hook. Grab attention in one sentence. "Nashville founders showed up big last night."
Context. What happened and why it matters.
Value or momentum. Outcome, energy, learning, community.
CTA. One specific action. "Tickets in bio."
Self-edit checklist
Run every caption through this before you send it to Janvier.
Read aloud. Would you actually say this out loud? If not, rewrite.
Specificity test. Could this describe any other accelerator? Add numbers until it can't.
12-year-old test. Would a smart 12-year-old understand it?
Fluff test. Delete every adjective. Does the sentence still work?
ChatGPT prompt — tone fixer
Rewrite this social media caption in the voice of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center marketing team.
Tone requirements:
- conversational but professional
- community-driven
- founder-focused
- concise and engaging
- optimistic and energetic without sounding cheesy
- suitable for Instagram and LinkedIn
- avoid corporate buzzwords
- prioritize storytelling and momentum
Make the first sentence a strong hook.
End with a clear CTA.
Here is the draft: [PASTE COPY HERE]
05 · Receipts
EC Stats to Use
These are our numbers. Drop them into captions when you need to make a point land. When in doubt, add a number.
$198.5M
Lifetime alumni revenue
1,535
Jobs created
85%
Alumni survival (vs. 50% industry)
184
Founders in 2025 programs
06 · Where your work goes
Content Initiatives You'll Fuel
Eight active threads need the assets and captions you produce. Know what each one is and where you plug in.
Nashville Entrepreneur Day
EC's flagship pitch event. Spring edition is May 21 at Geodis Park (your first shoot). Fall edition kicks off the cohort recruiting cycle.
Your role: Primary photo + vertical video coverage
Fall application push
Recruiting campaign for the next cohort. Lives or dies on the visual proof — founder portraits, program-in-action shots, classroom energy.
Your role: Supply the visual case for "apply here"
NEXT Awards
Oct 19 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. EC's biggest fundraiser — 700+ guests, eight categories, the Hall of Fame inductions. Ramp-up content runs all summer.
Your role: Sizzle clips, sponsor moments, founder asset capture
Hall of Fame
The legends track inside NEXT Awards. Each inductee gets a story treatment — portrait, quote, archival pull, video.
Your role: Portrait sessions + B-roll for video
Inductee announcements
Reveal-style social rollout over weeks leading to October. Each post needs a clean portrait, a real quote, and a punchy caption.
Your role: Portrait + quote pull + caption draft
Member profiles
Recurring founder-spotlight series. Trenton shoots, drafts caption, Janvier publishes. The series is how new founders meet the EC community.
Your role: Shoot + first-draft caption
Advisor profiles
Same format as member profiles, focused on the 155-advisor network. Advisors are the EC's quiet superpower — surface them.
Your role: Shoot + first-draft caption
University table activation
Janvier's concept: a pop-up table on local campuses where an EC advisor fields "what is the EC?" conversations. The social content is the goal.
Your role: Capture the table — candids, reactions, vertical clips
07 · Tools & folders
Where Things Live
Eight Drive folders to bookmark. File raw and edited content here within 24 hours of every shoot.
HowSlack first. Catch in person at the Learning Center most days.
Rob Williams
Director of Marketing · Janvier's manager, yours by extension
Bringstrategy questions, project-level escalations, anything Janvier flags for him.
HowSlack or in the weekly marketing sync. Email for anything formal.
LaunchTN Cohort Coordinator
Your external program contact
Bringcohort logistics, professional development sign-ups, Summer Summit details, exit survey.
HowDirect from LaunchTN. They'll email you and copy Rob.
09 · Second shooter rules
Helpful vs. In the Way
When Janvier leads a shoot, here's the difference between making her job easier and making it harder. Read this before every shoot until it's automatic.
Helpful looks like
Anticipating moments instead of waiting for direction
Capturing alternate angles while Janvier hits priority shots
Prioritizing candid interactions and emotional moments
Moving independently and confidently in event spaces
Monitoring lighting and crowd flow
Staying alert to branding and signage opportunities
Grabbing quick vertical clips for Reels and TikTok
In the way looks like
Shadowing Janvier too closely
Duplicating the exact same shots she's getting
Interrupting conversations or staged moments
Over-directing guests at networking events
10 · How you'll be measured
What Good Looks Like in August
The summer is successful if these five things are true on your last day.
You consistently captured high-quality event content. Every major EC event has usable assets within 48 hours.
Social engagement and responsiveness climbed with your content in the mix.
You brought fresh, trend-forward ideas to the team — not just executed Janvier's.
The stock library is organized, tagged, and pullable by any EC staffer.
You contributed to the EC brand presence online and in person.