In an unprecedented collaboration, Colorado-born integrated marketing agency Backbone and Colorado Mountain College (CMC) have entered into a multi-year partnership to provide educational and professional opportunities to one lucky student each year. I got on board.
The Backbone Scholarship is for third- or fourth-year students pursuing a bachelor's degree in integrated media at CMC. The scholarship program covers the recipient's tuition for one year and includes her 12-week marketing internship at Backbone, with the possibility of full-time employment in the future.
The selection process, managed by the CMC Foundation, ensures that scholarships are awarded to deserving candidates who are first-generation students and enrolled in the marketing program.
“We are really excited to be working with CMC on integrated marketing internships and scholarships,” said Greg Williams, President of Backbone. “As a company, we work with a lot of brands in the outdoor space, but when you look at Colorado's demographics, the number of participants is higher than the number of people traditionally associated with outdoor activities. We found that we had a much more diverse audience, so when CMC offered us a four-year degree in integrated marketing, we were perfectly aligned in terms of values.”
The program's first recipient, Juliana Garcia, is a third-year integrated media student at CMC who already has an associate's degree in graphic design. Garcia balances a full-time academic schedule with a part-time job. But her hectic schedule doesn't overwhelm her. She makes time to write poetry, paint, and fly fish whenever she can. She started her internship at Backbone last week.
“My goal after graduate school is to work for a creative marketing agency, so the fact that I can hone my skills and preview that career path through this internship at Backbone is something I really value. “I'm grateful for that. I've just started my internship so I'm excited to dabble in different sectors and expand my skill set in each,” she told the Sopris Sun. “I feel very honored to be the first CMC and Backbone scholarship recipient. I have already learned so much and feel incredibly supported by the CMC professors and Backbone staff. I feel that way.”
CMC Professor Derek Johnston emphasized the importance of this partnership in providing real-world applications to classroom theory. “One of the biggest things we can do for our students is to have industry partners who can provide them with real-world work experience,” he said.
The program provides a hands-on internship experience where students like Garcia dive into the intricacies of marketing with the guidance of Backbone staff. Children can try out different roles to discover where their strengths lie, identify their interests and build on the foundations they have learned in the classroom.
The partnership is also strategic for Blackbourn, as it has the potential to help media-savvy young professionals navigate the world's evolving media landscape.
“Media consumption habits are changing. TikTok is extremely important to the next generation of customers today,” Williams explained. “With so much information online these days, anyone can learn on their own through podcasts or free classes on Google or Meta. Staying intellectually curious can help you learn more about the changes. You can go.”
Fun fact: Johnston and Williams have known each other for years. Johnston also coached Williams' son's football team. They both talked about how exciting it was to finally be able to collaborate professionally.
“We knew there were some similarities in our professional worlds as well. When we worked out the details and finally formed the partnership, it was great. Living in the Roaring Fork Valley One of the best things about it is that we are small communities where people get to know each other and are motivated to make a difference and do positive things. I think it's just one example of a variety,” Johnston concluded.
For more information about the Integrated Media Backbone Scholarship, please visit: www.tinyurl.com/CMCBackbone For more information about CMC's Bachelor of Applied Science in Integrated Media, please visit: www.tinyurl.com/Media-CMC
