2026 Creative Summer Intern

New York, Durham, Los Angeles

At McKinney, we believe in iconic brands and ideas that move people. We’re looking for curious, culture-obsessed, concept-driven creatives to join us for Summer 2026. If you’re the kind of person who sees the world not just as it is, but as it could be — we want to meet you.

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

What You’ll Do

• Partner with copywriters, art directors, designers, strategists, and producers to concept breakthrough ideas
  
  
• Contribute to campaign development across social, digital, film, experiential, and emerging platforms
  
  
• Participate in brainstorms and creative reviews (yes, your voice matters)
  
  
• Help craft decks, mockups, scripts, storyboards, and presentations
  
  
• Bring fresh cultural insights and unexpected inspiration to the table
  
  
• Pitch work internally and potentially to clients
  
  

Who You Are

• A rising junior, senior, recent grad, or portfolio school student pursuing advertising, design, writing, communications, or a related field
  
  
• A thinker and a maker — strong portfolio required (spec, student, or freelance work welcome)
  
  
• Passionate about ideas, craft, and storytelling in any form
  
  
• Fluent in culture and curious about how brands show up in it
  
  
• Collaborative, open to feedback, and eager to push your work further
  
  
• Comfortable moving between platforms — from TikTok to TV to whatever’s next
  
  

Creative Tracks

• Art Direction & Design (visual storytelling, layout, motion, craft)
  
  
• Copywriting (concepting, scripts, headlines, voice development)
  
  
• Content & Social Creative (platform-native ideas, real-time thinking)
  
  

What You’ll Gain

• Hands-on experience building campaigns for national and global brands
  
  
• Mentorship from award-winning creatives
  
  
• A portfolio that reflects real agency work
  
  
• Exposure to strategy, production, and client collaboration
  
  
• A network of creatives who will champion your growth
  
  

Our Point of View

We’re committed to building a creative culture that reflects the world we’re speaking to. We strongly encourage applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to apply. Different perspectives make better ideas.

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 help build something iconic?

Submit your video, resume, and a brief note telling us what inspires you right now and why you’re interested in Account Management.

The Summer 2026 program runs from June 3 – August 12.
We start all employees on Wednesdays (but don’t worry — we know some of you may have prior obligations. Please don’t let that stop you from applying!).