As a California native, born a quick jaunt up the 101 from Oracle, Facebook and Cisco, I thought that I would have a grasp of what Silicon Valley’s influence means by now. Turns out, it took leaving my homeland and coming back for an internship at Eastwick to fully understand what kind of impact this region has on the world.

My role here was multi-faceted – one day I’d work on Eastwick’s rebranding, and the next I’d work on social media strategy for an up-and-coming startup. Although my title was Marketing Communications Intern, I made a concerted effort to delve deep into what it means to be a part of a Silicon Valley PR agency – this is what I’ve learned:

Silicon Valley is not to be underestimated

An estimated one third of the world’s venture capital firms are based here. Companies like Apple, Google and HP got their start in garages and dorms minutes away from each other. Our unique technology landscape is fueled by a ubiquitous entrepreneurial spirit.  Companies from around the world come here for guidance, finance, and inspiration from some of the world’s most brilliant minds.

Influence is to startups as thread is to the seamstress

It’s a wordy analogy – but an important one. There are thousands of startups who are looking for their big break in the Valley, but how will they stand out from the crowd of equally innovative entrepreneurs? That is where I learned of the value of influence in the Valley. The right PR and influence strategies can make the difference between getting a second round of funding or running out of resources before your product goes to market. At Eastwick, the client teams make it a priority to fine-tune the unique influence that helps clients achieve business goals. For some of our clients, a spotlight article in an industry publication created a measurable difference as they brought a product to market.

Eastwick puts the “e” in Team

The Eastwick Effect, as it’s affectionately known in-house, is the way that our teams come together to collaborate with our clients and create the success we envision for them. Being a part of an organization that prides itself on its dedication to clients was an honor. I worked with creative geniuses. Whether it was crafting a way to correlate a client product to help those affected by a natural disaster to arranging interviews with the one and only Robert Scoble, I was constantly impressed by the Eastwick team. I never walked into the office unmotivated to do my best.

I learned that PR is only one piece of the business puzzle, and that it takes more than a few Tweets to get people excited about your product. When I came up with an idea for a social media campaign, I was always challenged to find “the story” in what I was posting and tweeting. I learned to ask myself, how can I create content that changes behaviors and influences my audience to take action? How can we interact on the customer’s level? I began asking myself these things before any project I took on.

Eastwick inspired me to work harder, think critically, and get creative in even the most stifling of circumstances. With my summer now coming to a close, I look forward to channeling my experiences here in my next professional role.

On July 13, the Eastwick gang met for a day of feasts and fun at this year’s annual Summer Kick-off event. Held against the backdrop of San Francisco, the highlight of the day was undoubtedly when we were treated to our very own edition of The Go Game.  The Go Game, a “high-tech” scavenger hunt, is created specifically for companies looking to shake up the team building experience, and have fun while doing so. From first challenge to last, we went on a mission that was tailored just for us, spanning the tourist-flooded streets of Union Square.

Armed with a game-issued smartphone and digital camera, five teams of Eastwickers (self-titled: The Justice Leaugue, Pow-er People, Tigers Blood, Hamburglars, and Snazzy Unicorn) assembled to complete a series of challenges involving everything from creating a movie using only fingers as actors, to writing a love note for a complete stranger.  Many priceless moments were captured with our cameras, and let’s just say the teams pulled out all the stops to win the Gold.  In the end, the Justice League prevailed as the winner, with second and third place winners going to Pow-er people and Tigers Blood.

Connect with us on Twitter at @eastwickcom – we’d love to tell you more about our amazing adventure in The City by the Bay.