Hello TOMS fans, followers and random passersby! I’m Erin, one of eighteen fresh faces that just began the intern experience here at TOMS headquarters in Santa Monica, CA. As the Social Media department’s intern I will be running this blog for the duration of our internship.

It’s technically our second week here, but it feels like we just finished orientation yesterday. The Brand Experience department organized an incredible two days for a group of strangers to come together, all with different backgrounds, school and job experiences, with the one common thread that we were all thrilled and awed to now be a part of the TOMS family.



If only one theme stuck in our heads during our first few days, it would be that TOMS is more than just a company or a business. The One for One mission statement goes beyond being a simple (and revolutionary!) business model – it is the essence of everyone’s existence here. All departments, from Customer Service to Alternative Sales seem to operate on the foundation of giving and storytelling.

“What’s our story?” we were rhetorically asked several times by employees from different departments, as they were spending quality time with us, explaining their jobs, inviting questions and offering incredible words of wisdom.

The sagest advice can be summed up here: to enter humbly, explore your assigned department, volunteer outside your area and to engage fellow TOMS employees, gaining knowledge from their own experiences.


(L to R: Kelly, Dana, Kari and Michael)
“TOMS is great not only to be able to work for, but to meet and get to know people from all over. On our first day off, some of us interns had the chance to get together and hike to the Hollywood sign for fun!” Kari, Campus Club intern

As orientation continued, a palpable sense of pride emerged in our group. We are wearing shoes – a simple pair of consumer merchandise, with four simple letters – that carries meaning beyond the canvas and rubber constituent parts. We are now part of the story! We are contributing our own unique perspectives to the philosophical and physical story that is TOMS.


A favorite moment from orientation was the Style Your Sole activity – it felt like we were doing arts and crafts at summer camp!


“It was so fun to be creative and to see how different everyone’s shoes turned out!” Jenna, Retail Marketing intern, fashion

The spring 2012 intern class is full of energy, ambition and inspiration! We are psyched to be a part of the TOMS movement, and look forward to sharing our future experiences.

All good things come to an end and so it is with our internship here at TOMS! The Fall 2011 Interns are wrapping up our final weeks at HQ and we’re as busy as ever trying to finish our final projects, tie up lose ends, and write How-To guides to prepare the next intern class so they can hit the ground running.

While we have been busy with work at the office, we also snuck out of HQ and went to Disneyland on Monday. The Disneyland event is an intern tradition at TOMS and great finale to a fantastic internship.

Although waking up to black clouds and pouring rain on Monday morning wasn’t the way any of us wanted to go to Disneyland, we made it work! At least all of the rain meant there were no lines and we could ride Thunder Mountain, the Matterhorn, and Indiana Jones to our hearts content…

The Fall 2011 Interns don’t let a little rain get us down! Raincoats, boots, and umbrellas made Disneyland in the rain a blast!

We spent a lot of the day reminiscing about our time at TOMS and the friendships we’ve made along the way. The trip to the Getty museum and planning the Movember HQ event were highlights for everyone! I think we’ll all miss working as a team on Start Something That Matters projects and being a tight knit intern group (we’re having a holiday cookie exchange tonight!).

Pete, Neil, Brittany, Kevin, and Eric enjoy Space Mountain!

We learned a lot during our months at TOMS. I definitely have a new appreciation and depth of understanding for all things Facebook and Twitter. Working with the Social Media team has provided invaluable experience in creative brainstorming and being concise and thorough in my writing and research.

All of us will take our newfound knowledge with us to our next destinations. A group of Creative Interns are heading to New York City, some people are returning home while others are sticking it out in Los Angeles, and a few are continuing their work at TOMS HQ.

Check back next week for my final post as the TOMS Social Media Intern, where I’ll be sharing some of the most valuable tips for future TOMS interns!

Happy Holidays, 

Alyssa & The Fall 2011 Interns 

The Fall 2011 Interns are coming to the realization that our term at TOMS is almost over! Time has flown by and the final weeks have definitely crept up on all of us. We are in our second to last week at HQ, but are still enjoying all that TOMS has to offer and trying to cram in as many coffee chats with TOMS employees as possible! 

In addition to our weekly Lunch and Learns (this week we met with the Campus Team and learned all about what they do on college, high school, and even middle schools campuses!), we had the opportunity to sit down with TOMS Founder and Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie at a milk and cookies themed discussion session.

Interns ask Blake questions at the milk and cookies Q&A.

After working at TOMS for several months and hearing Blake speak about his book, Start Something That Matters, all of the interns were excited to ask Blake questions and really pick his brain about TOMS, travel, and entrepreneurship. 

Brittany, the Strategic Partnerships Intern, said her favorite part of the chat was “hearing about Blake’s experience on the Amazing Race because I didn’t know he competed on the show!” The Campus Club’s Intern, Lauren, was inspired by Blake to start writing a journal when she first started at TOMS. Lauren thought, “It was really cool to hear about Blake’s travels around the world and how he processes his travel experiences and thoughts by journaling.”   

  
The Fall 2011 Intern class and Blake at TOMS HQ.

All of the Interns enjoyed our time with Blake. It was a great way to bring the internship full circle!

Check back next week to hear about the Intern’s trip to Disney Land and our last week at TOMS!  

Alyssa

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

I know the TOMS Interns definitely did. Last week, we decided to have our own Thanksgiving dinner. We shared our appreciation for each other and our awesome internships, and also showed off our mean cooking skills!

Alicia, the Public Health Giving Intern, and Allison, the Strategic Partnership Intern, prepared some delicious mashed potatoes!

We made everything from a standard green bean casserole and apple pie to some BBQ chicken wings and homemade enchilada casserole.

Interns descend on the delicious potluck meal!

After about 7 rounds of eating, and a change into expandable elastic waistband pants, the interns dove into a little healthy competition by playing 3 (yes, 3) whole hours of the game Mafia.

Meghan, the Environmental Design Intern, cracks up during a game of Mafia while Allison, the Strategic Partnership Intern, and Baylee, the Production Intern, look on.

We had a great time relaxing, eating, playing and getting to know each other better outside of our busy day-to-day schedule at TOMS HQ.

Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as well!

Alyssa

The Sales Interns Fall 2011 interns, Intern Adventures, Intern Lunches, sales

Hi Everyone!

The lovely interns in the Domestic Wholesale team sat down with me this week to share some insight on their lives in the Sales office and what they’ve been working on the past couple months!

Meet Jen
School: UCLA
Department at TOMS: Domestic Wholesale
Fun Fact: I can break dance!

Meet Katelyn
From: California
School: Cal State University Long Beach
Department at TOMS: Domestic Wholesale
Fun Fact: I have a dog sitting business on the side

Meet Stephanie
From: California
School: UC Santa Cruz
Department at TOMS: Domestic Wholesale
Fun Fact: I made a video to apply for this internship!

Katelyn, the Retail Marketing Intern, Stephanie, the Visual Merchandising Intern, and Jen, the Alternative Sales Intern outside TOMS HQ.

How did you first hear about TOMS?
Katelyn: About 3 years ago, a friend from college had a pair and I remember thinking how cool of a concept One for One was.
Stephanie: I first heard about TOMS through a friend who hosted a hosted a Style your Sole event. Once I was introduced to the shoes and the One for One movement, I quickly fell in love.

What is it about the company or the movement that led you to apply to intern at TOMS?
Jen, Katelyn, and Stephanie all said, “the giving aspect!”

In Stephanie’s words: “It is important for me to feel like I am making a difference through my work. TOMS felt like a great fit.”

Katelyn, Jen, and Stephanie having some fun in the lobby at TOMS HQ.

Tell me your TOMS story.
Jen: After completing my Peace Corps service in Albania, I decided I wanted to work for a cause-related organization or company and TOMS was the perfect fit!
Tell me a little about your department.

Stephanie: I work in the Sales department. Everyone works together to make sure that we are marketing the TOMS message in the best way possible. The Sales Team works very hard, but also manages to have quite a bit of fun!

What are your daily activities at TOMS/ what type of work do you do?
Katelyn: I support our team in communication and promotions to retailers. I also help with logistics and execution of events.
Stephanie: I’ve been working with my manager to allocate our Holiday windows and execute our visuals strategies.

What are you working on right now?
Jen: I have a semester-long research project that focuses on identifying new niches for the Alternative Sales space. I also pack a lot of boxes!
Stephanie: Right now I am working on finalizing our Holiday windows and collecting photos of windows that are already in store.

What's the best part of the internship so far? What's your favorite part of working at TOMS?
Jen: “Lunch and Learns” with employees!
Katelyn: I love the people here at TOMS!
Stephanie: The best part of the internship has been meeting my fellow interns and the TOMS employees! The opportunity to combine so many of my interests: fashion, creativity, and giving back has been amazing as well.

Check back next week to see how the TOMS Interns celebrated Thanksgiving!

Have a good one!
Alyssa

Hi Everyone!

The Interns have been hard at work here at HQ, but Neil, the Influencer Marketing Intern, and Lauren, the Campus Club Intern, took some time to talk to me about their really cool experience at TOMS HQ thus far.

Meet Neil
From: Ohio
School: The Ohio State University
Department at TOMS: Influencer Marketing
Fun Fact: I can juggle…including through my legs and behind my back!

Meet Lauren
From: California
School: San Diego State University
Department at TOMS: Campus
Fun Fact: I’m a certified scuba diver!

How did you first hear about TOMS?
Neil: I first time heard about TOMS when I saw an AT&T commercial featuring Blake!

Lauren: I first heard about TOMS in August 2006 at my college freshman orientation. A girl, who has now become a close friend, was wearing the Red Classics and told me about the One for One Movement!

What is it about the company or the movement that led you to apply to intern at TOMS? Tell me your TOMS story.
Lauren: I started the Campus Club at San Diego State and had an amazing time! I wanted to expand my knowledge of the business side of TOMS so I applied to become an intern. 

Lauren, the Campus Club Intern, staffs and event at Pepperdine University. 

Tell me a little about your department.
Neil: The Influencer Marketing team strives to build long-lasting relationships with artists, musicians, actors, athletes and other influencers in TV, film, music, sports, and fashion.

Neil, the Influencer Intern, wearing his Start Something That Matters t-shirt outside of HQ!

What are your daily activities at TOMS/ what type of work do you do?
Neil: My work consists of researching different influencers and identifying areas for strategic opportunity.

Lauren: I’ve been working with students to help them plan their Start Something That Matters events.

What makes you good at what you do at TOMS? What prepared you for this?
Neil: Through art and design projects in college, I have developed an eye for detail, organization, and presentation. I use those skills on a daily basis here at TOMS!

Lauren: Having been a Campus Rep before really helps me understand where the students are coming from and what kind of advice they are looking for.

What's the best part of the internship so far? What's your favorite part of working at TOMS?
Neil: So far, the best part of the internship was our big Movember celebration on Halloween. It was fun seeing the different costumes from each department.

Lauren: I really enjoy talking to students, hearing how excited they are, and helping them plan awesome events. I also love the Intern Lunches!  

Next week, you’ll meet the girls in the retail department and hear about the projects they’ve been working on all term, so be sure to check back!

Alyssa

TOMS fans, we have something serious to discuss. Inspired by today’s date, 11|11|11, today is Corduroy Appreciation Day!

Corduroy clad interns, Jennifer, Kevin, Alyssa, Neeka, Brittany, and Patrick form 11.11.11 for Corduroy Appreciation Day. 

While January 1st (1/1) and November 1st (11/1) are also great days for corduroy enthusiasts, today’s date provides the most straight lines of any other date this century. 

We took this as the ideal opportunity to resurface every corduroy item in our possession. And here is the incredibly stylish result:

Fall 2011 Interns stand together in TOMS Cord Wedges and TOMS Cord Classics. 

  
TOMS Interns take it easy in corduroy - haha! 

Accounts Receivable Accounting Intern Patrick rocks head to toe corduroy.

Now, of course, let us introduce you to our cozy Cord Classics TOMS…  for Men and Women.

After all the excitement and festivities of the Movember kick-off party last week, the interns got out of the office to visit the Getty museum. Every intern class has taken a trip to the Getty; it’s an event that past interns talk about and we have been looking forward to! So, last Thursday, the interns pilled into the TOMS van and we drove off for an afternoon together.

Patrick, one of the Accounting (Accounts Receivable) Interns, drove us in the TOMS van!

Caroline, our fearless Intern Coordinator, encouraged us to roam about the exhibits and beautiful gardens and to find a work of art that inspired us. We scattered about, looking at the paintings and photography exhibits, walking the grounds, and taking in the expansive views of Los Angeles. We then took some time alone to write about our experiences at the museum and reflect on the past couple of months at TOMS. 

As the museum was about to close, we congregated on the lawn to share our thoughts about what we saw.  The conversation eventually took us to discussion about how we’re over halfway done with our internships… Time flies!

The TOMS Fall 2011 Intern Class

Until next week!

Alyssa

Hi Everyone!

Happy Movember! I hope that everyone had an excellent Halloweekend and started November with a clean shave in preparation for all the Movember events ahead! TOMS Interns have been hard at work to ensure that TOMS HQ gets into the Movember spirit.

Each TOMS Intern Class has a collaborative group project that we work on throughout the term. I think the Fall Interns are the luckiest since we get to help out with Movember, a month long campaign to raise awareness and funds for men’s health and cancers that affect men. For the past month, the Fall 2011 Interns have been plotting and planning the best Movember event TOMS has ever seen!

The interns split into groups in order to tackle every aspect of the event and make sure that we impressed the TOMS Family. The decorations team transformed HQ into a Moustached Halloween wonderland - moustaches, both small and large, festooned the entrance, hallways, and workspace!

Check out Pete, the Ecommerce Intern, working on a giant mustache to hang outside HQ

While the decorations team cut and painted away, the gifts and pre-party team combined forces and prepared mason jars complete with straw mustaches, facts about Movember and men’s health, and delicious moustache shaped cookies.

Mason jars used as milk mugs with moustache straws and a “nutrition label” filled with facts about Movember and men’s health

Lastly, the breakfast team kicked off Movember with a French-themed breakfast, complete with a moustached Mona Lisa poster and croissants!

The breakfast club, interns Pete, Laure, Stephanie, Alyssa, Ashley, and Kevin all wearing berets!