Are you interested in what it’s like to be a Marketing and Media professional? Wanna know what it’s like to be in the industry first hand? Well, we’ve got your back! We have scoped the brightest young minds who have studied MECO399 to give you an inside look at the industry and how Advanced Issues in Marketing and Media helped them in their working life.
Our very first Marketing and Media alum is Sophie Tilley.

Sophie graduated from Macquarie University in 2015 and has since completed her Master’s degree in Marketing Communications, and has gained some enriching professional experiences in companies such as; Madman Entertainment, NRMA, Deloitte and Cinema Nova.
When we asked her why she chose Marketing and Media as her degree, Sophie told us a career in film was something that started off her dreams in media.
“With this degree, I would be able to gain a solid knowledge of Marketing and other skills needed for a career in business, but could also take classes in film making in state of the art facilities and explore my passion through classes.
Throughout my degree, my intrigue in Marketing grew to become a strong interest of mine – I loved seeing how my passion for creativity and interest in business could come together in such a fluid way.”
Within her degree, Sophie also created many memories, having gone on exchange for a semester at Oxford Brookes University. But, she told us how much she genuinely enjoyed taking one of kind media subjects.
“The highlight of my degree was definitely the subjects in which my fellow classmates and I would work together to create a complete marketing campaign for a real-life client and present our work to the whole class.
I can’t imagine having studied any other degree – it was as if it was created just for me and my interests (except maybe for accounting and statistics classes…..)”
With her knowledge from Macquarie University, Sophie undertook several internships during her studies and she’s told us exactly how she was able to land these cool work experiences and how you can also take on internships during your time at MQ.
“All of these I was able to get by simply asking professionals that I met – a number of these through university… I was able to gain an internship at the media agency OMD as we presented our mock campaign to them during a class. Following the presentation, I approached the OMD representative and asked if they would be able to accommodate me for a couple of weeks. Another time I participated in the Lucy Mentoring Program that Macquarie organises for women interested in working in business…
All of my internships have started with me simply asking politely if they would be possible – so don’t be afraid to ask if you know someone in an industry you’re interested in working in!”
With all this mind, it isn’t hard to see how Sophie has already started to take over the world with her Marketing and Media knowledge acquired from MQ. With her final words of wisdom, Sophie has given us advice for recent and future graduates who wish to break into the marketing and media industries.
- “Have the confidence to ask the big questions – especially if it means that you can get a foot in the door at a company you’d love to work with.
- Remember that you can combine your passions. Marketing is great because all companies need to marketing themselves in one way – I have always had a passion for film, so when I approached film companies for internships and jobs, my passion set me apart from other candidates(…).
- Gain a knowledge of digital platforms like Facebook Ads and Google AdWords & Analytics – These platforms are always touched on in class, however you will need to go the extra mile and read and watch online tutorials to learn how to use these platforms. Digital is the future, so having an understanding of them will set you apart from other graduates.”
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