The Shark Group was founded by FUBU CEO and Shark Tank investor Daymond John to take emerging and established brands to the next level through connection, innovation, and elevation.
Working one-on-one with clients like Johnson & Johnson, Hasbro, and Forbes (in addition to many other cross-industry juggernauts), this NYC-based agency has defined itself as a marketing powerhouse committed to the success of its clients and staff. But don’t just take our word for it — check out what Daymond’s interns have to say about the experience of working with The Shark Group for yourself:
We recently connected with Grisel Felix, Internship Coordinator for The Shark Group, to learn more about the agency’s internship experience and all that it has to offer current Emerson students.
How would you describe The Shark Group?
Grisel: “Well first, because I know everyone always thinks that because it’s The Shark Group, it’s the same as Shark Tank, but it’s not. The Shark Group is one company and Shark Tank is a totally different thing. Our boss Daymond John is on the Shark Tank, but it’s separate.
[The Shark Group] is a branding and marketing company. They help rebrand companies and public figures, depending on what exactly it is that you’re looking for. We also do graphic design and creative branding…
We offer one on one branding, rebranding, consulting, marketing. If you have a company, we work directly with you.”
How large is the company and what does the workplace look like?
Grisel: “Day-to-day, from 20 to 30 people, are in the office. In total, we have about 60 people either working remotely, virtual assistants, or on different sites outside of the main office.
We left where we were right before the pandemic happened, so now we’re temporarily in Staten Island. But everybody is currently working remotely. When we are together, everybody works in an open space. So all the interns work with us as well in an open space. Nobody works in separate rooms and stuff like that. We all work together.
It’s a really fun environment. Sometimes it’s super quiet, sometimes it’s super loud. But every day you get like a different mix. It’s either music or people or nothing at all since like silence, people are working. You’ll see that sometimes the graphic design team is working open space, all their stuff is out. So you get to see that.
And then the interns can walk around and talk to people, whoever they want to talk to. If they want to shadow somebody, they can also do that as well.”
What kind of divisions/teams are there on the creative side?
Grisel: “The main team is Graphic Design and then there’s Graphic Design and Branding. There’s also Social Media, but that’s the group that mostly works with Graphic Design and Creatives.
There’s also Video and Editing, but that’s more like recording, editing, and being on site. If they’re doing anything with Daymond or any other special project that might be happening.”
How would you describe the company culture?
Grisel: “It’s like a family. It’s a great vibe and everybody’s like — I can’t put it into exact words, but it’s just like when you’re with your family and everybody’s getting along and you’re just catching up. You haven’t seen each other or you see each other every single day. It’s good, it’s diverse, it’s different age groups, all of that.
There’s always an opportunity to talk. And you can always set up a time. That’s where I come in. Like, if you really want to talk to someone or meet with someone or shadow them, I’ll be the person that will set that up for you.”
How has your work been affected by COVID-19?
Grisel: “A lot of the shifts that we’ve made is just being able to connect with people because now everybody’s working remotely. When we were in the office, you could just walk up and say ‘Hey’. Or, if you send an email, I’m the type of person that will send an email and still walk to you and say ‘Hey, did you see my email? Can we talk?’
I think that a lot of interns struggled when we had to change from being in-person where they enjoyed that, to everything going virtual. I think the biggest challenge would be trying to figure out how to make everything work remotely as it’s worked when we were in the office.”
What kind of opportunities or programs do you offer to support interns?
Grisel: “When we have Orientation we always tell the interns, make sure to say hello, introduce yourself, talk to people. Don’t be afraid…
When we’re in the office, we set up talks and chats for the interns to either meet staff or meet each other. One of the things we’re trying to really work on now is having the interns get to know each other because that’s something that a lot of interns have pointed out to us as not having the opportunity to meet other interns or work with them or be more involved in whatever they’re [the other interns are] working on.”
How can students prepare for positions with The Shark Group?
Grisel: “I think they just have to be open and willing to learn. I think being able to receive constructive criticism is also a big thing. A lot of the students that come in, they’re not ready for that. And a lot of times it comes off as an attack and it’s not really that. It’s just constructive criticism…
I think being open to learning and being open to knowing that you’re going to come across all types of people and different age groups. Everybody thinks differently. So just being able to know that you’re going to have to adjust to different people and different mindsets, as well as also being able to be professional, which is very important.
Be able to communicate effectively and respectfully. You always want to be yourself. But just make sure that you know that you’re also a professional in a professional environment, working with people. So just keep that in mind.”
