New York, Durham, Los Angeles

At McKinney, we believe in creating unfair attention for brands. Great strategy turns cultural tension into creative opportunity and business growth. We’re looking for curious, analytical, culture-obsessed thinkers to join us for Summer 2026.

If you’re the kind of person who asks “why?” before “what,” who studies how brands show up in culture, social, comms, and influencer spaces — and who loves connecting human insight to business impact — we want to meet you.

This isn’t a coffee-run internship. You’ll work on real briefs with real teams for real clients.

What You’ll Do

Partner with creatives, account teams, media, and production to shape smart, inspiring briefs

Conduct research across culture, social trends, brand landscapes, and influencer ecosystems

Help uncover human insights that inform brand positioning and communications strategy

Support the development of brand, social, content, and integrated comms strategies

Analyze campaign performance and social/influencer metrics to identify opportunities

Contribute to thought starters, white space analyses, audience profiles, and trend reports

Participate in brainstorms and strategic discussions (yes, your voice matters)

Help craft decks and presentations that clearly connect insight to idea

Bring fresh cultural observations and platform-native thinking to the table

Who You Are

A rising junior, senior, recent grad, or graduate student pursuing strategy, marketing, communications, sociology, psychology, business, or a related field

Naturally curious and always asking questions about behavior, culture, and brands

Analytical but imaginative — you can interpret data and spark ideas

Interested in how brands build meaning across social platforms, brand ecosystems, comms, and influencer partnerships

A strong writer and storyteller who can turn complexity into clarity

Comfortable synthesizing research into sharp, actionable insights

Collaborative, open to feedback, and energized by creative environments

What You’ll Gain

Hands-on experience shaping brand, social, comms, and influencer strategies for national and global brands

Exposure to the full creative process — from insight to execution

Mentorship from experienced strategists

A deeper understanding of how strategy drives creativity and business results

Experience working with cross-functional teams in a fast-paced agency environment

A network of teammates who will champion your growth

Our Point of View

We’re committed to building a culture that reflects the world we’re speaking to. We strongly encourage applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to apply. Different perspectives unlock better insights — and stronger strategies.

Salary

We offer a competitive salary of $18/hour for up to 40 hours/week.

Right to Work in the US

You must be authorized to work in the US for any employer. At this time, we are not providing or sponsoring assistance with obtaining work authorization.

We are in the office Tuesday – Thursday. We look forward to meeting you!

Ready to shape something iconic?

Submit your video, resume, and a brief note telling us what cultural trend, brand, or social moment has captured your attention recently — and why.

Dates:

The Summer 2026 program runs from June 3 – August 12.
We start all employees on Wednesdays.