VV Interns: A Week in the Life of Jennifer Pinto

Last month Jennifer Pinto spent a week interning with VV, here’s how Jennifer found her time with us: 

“I recently spent a week interning at VV in the PR department. Having come from Antibes in the south of France, my experience with the PR team has aided my career aspirations and future journey in becoming a journalist.

As I stepped into the office, I received a very warm welcome from everyone. It was fascinating to discover how the company was formed and how it has developed on its own and keeps growing every single day. My week at VV made me see to what extent the people make the company, and how they are all like an extended family. Every time a sale was made a bell was rang the in the office. It was lovely to have been a part of that moment and made me feel like I was included in the VV family. Throughout the week, I met truly genuine people in an office filled with determination and laughter at the same time.

Claudia Norrgren (Associate Director) and Imogen Findlay (Communications Manager) kindly guided me along the way. They gave me lots of interesting information and tasks, and their enthusiasm made the week very exciting.

On the first day, I discovered how the company functions and learned about what it offers, and all that occurs behind the screens. I am fascinated about how the company has grown from only five people into a successful, growing, and ever developing enterprise that it is today.

I learned about VV’s relationship with the media and sat in on some calls with E24, one of Norway’s leading financial publications. I also researched information about the French press and was impressed about the number of contacts that the company has.

I was taught so much about how the company works with the market and the various sectors within it, as well as the range and scope of data that the company offers. I was shown the mapping functionality and was impressed by how you can instantly see all the vessels currently at sea with all their information and movement.

Sam Tucker (Head of Superyachts) gave me the opportunity to attend a lecture by Martin Redmayne in the Royal Yacht Club, the oldest and most prestigious yacht club in the UK. Martin gave a passionate talk on his path to becoming a superyacht journalist. It was great to see how he has become so successful and I loved how positive his message was.

He combined humour and positivity and said that he had “33 years of experience being 22 years old”. He pressed on why there is a need for change in the way we perceive the media and why people really need journalism. Instead of zigging like everyone else, you should zag, be different, and I was pleasantly surprised by his way of seeing things. To be informed is simply crucial and essential. To be awake and to evolve, we firstly need to be aware.

I was able to speak with him and ask him a question crucial to me, regarding my desire to become a journalist: what recommendations he has in order to become a successful journalist. He answered looking at me with conviction and enthusiasm: “believe in yourself and in what you write”.

This exchange left me hopeful and with a positive view on what the future holds. Too many people do not do what they love. That’s why I really enjoyed my time at VV, as everyone working here is so passionate and invested in their work. A life without passion is not a life worth living for, as Van Gogh states, “I’d rather die of passion than of boredom”.”