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
- 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
- Art Direction & Design (visual storytelling, layout, motion, craft)
- Copywriting (concepting, scripts, headlines, voice development)
- Content & Social Creative (platform-native ideas, real-time thinking)
- 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
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!).
What We Do
McKinney is a creative, media, and influencer agency that gets attention for brands. It is one of Ad Age's 2024 Best Places to Work and a 2024 A-List Agency Standout, reinforcing the agency’s commitment to providing an exceptional workplace culture where employees thrive, and creativity flourishes. McKinney has offices across the country, including Durham, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and New York. McKinney has been recognized by Cannes Lions, Effies, The One Show, D&AD, ANDY, CLIO, LIA, the Shortys, and The Webby Awards, among others. Current client partners include brands such as Popeyes, Blue Diamond Growers, Little Caesars, Pampers, Henkel, Samsung, Indivior, Sherwin-Williams, Biogen, and the Ad Council. For more information, visit mckinney.com.
