KINGSTON, R.I. – April 13, 2026 – As social media usage has exploded over the last decade-plus, cleverly edited videos and carefully crafted written statements, novel in the early 2000s, are now essential for people to promote their work and build a livelihood. Depending on the creativity or the moment, word can spread globally about a company or person in a matter of seconds.

From left, URI students Madi Siedliski, Nyjaeh Deburgo and Rebecca Minichino discuss a marketing strategy while interning at the Social Media Agency.

Upon arriving at the University of Rhode Island in 2020 after working in media in New York, Leah Pisari envisioned increasing experiential learning for URI Harrington School Communication and Media students and teaching a skillset needed for today’s marketing world. The result: In lieu of a traditional classroom, URI’s Social Media Agency was launched in 2021.

What began five years ago as a group of three interns with one camera and a laptop has turned into a fully dedicated developmental program. Eight Harrington School students produce social media content for University needs across the Kingston Campus, while fostering a collaborative environment for students to develop skills such as content creation, messaging and strategy. 

The critical skills that Abigail Amatucci ’22 learned while interning at URI’s Social Media Agency propelled her to her role as digital marketing manager for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. (Courtesy Abigail Amatucci)

“The value of our Social Media Agency is to get the students prepared for a role where they can utilize many digital skills and make themselves more valuable to employers,” said Pisari, the Harrington School’s video and social media specialist, and Social Media Agency manager. “If you can say that you know how to use Adobe Creative Cloud and create from pre- to post-production, it can get your foot in the door. Harrington School students are starting to do all these things.”

The Social Media Agency serves as a training ground for students looking to seek work in marketing and promotional fields, as well as meet increased market demand for such professionals. According to data from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, the number of marketing positions that handle social media as a job task is projected to grow 16% by 2032. The agency also sees demand for workers within local higher education, health care, hospitality, nonprofits and small business sectors, Pisari says.

Beyond the hashtags

Students interning for the Social Media Agency don’t just learn about the ins and outs of creating an engaging post. Leo Bovenschulte, a junior from Framingham, Massachusetts, majoring in film/media, was initially nervous about his abilities editing and operating cameras when he joined the agency as a sophomore.

On some days, Bovenschulte—who created various sports feature videos and showcased the URI Fine Arts Center for social media—would struggle just to find the record button when making content, he recalled. But Pisari challenged him to become more confident in his work and be at his best.

“With Leah’s help, I’m a mile ahead from where I started with the agency,” said Bovenschulte, who will soon participate in a program in California to hone his skills.  

Ariana Temelini, a senior from Boston majoring in communications studies, initially arrived at URI as a psychology major wanting to pursue therapy as a career. But as she developed a passion for art and design, Temelini learned through the Social Media Agency how to apply psychology into creating content.

Temelini says the agency helped her better understand different social media audiences and their mindsets when sharing messages. With that, knowing what messages to craft and how to present them to meet audience needs is crucial, she says.

“A lot of our content is specifically for Gen Z, and we’ve noticed if we do something fun or quirky we receive a lot of comments and engagement,” Temelini said. “There’s a difference between Instagram reels and LinkedIn. It’s learning to figure out that middle ground because we have different audiences.” 

Adapting while creating

Wanting to be creative behind the camera was what first brought Abigail Amatucci ’22 to URI. Over time, Amatucci’s interest in social media increased, as did her urge to use her video skills in different settings.

Amatucci began interning for the Social Media Agency her sophomore year to build platforms and create content to help promote the University, including making campus tour videos and telling URI’s story from a student’s perspective. Amatucci didn’t have to think long and hard what career she wanted to have on graduation day, she said.

Now, Amatucci serves as the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s digital marketing manager, where she helps promote Massachusetts’ capital city’s business community through social media. Her work includes creating videos showcasing both the Chamber and area businesses, and creating content that highlights member companies with the skills she learned through URI’s Social Media Agency.

“We really try to humanize our brand and emphasize our mission, which is to make sure all businesses in Greater Boston thrive,” Amatucci said. “When I create videos of our events, they show people networking and being a community. Having that imagery and promoting it through social channels really helps people understand what the Chamber is and how it can be visualized—and get people to be a part of it.”

She says succeeding as a content creator, personally or professionally, requires being adaptable within social media’s ever-changing world while also remaining committed to one’s mission. In the end, interning with the URI Social Media Agency helped Amatucci create a fundamental skill set that she utilizes every day. 

“I appreciated the ability to work hands-on with the Social Media Agency team in ways that allowed me to learn far beyond the classroom,” she said. “The ‘real world’ working experience helped me transition seamlessly into my full-time job and is something I am truly thankful for.” 



Source link