• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer, August 23, 2006

When mtvU and Monster filmed a day in the life of DeutschMedia planner Sarah Rankin, I had to wonder: Exactly what were they promoting  the agency, the cable network, or the jobs site?

The answer: all of the above.

DeutschMedia created "The Opening," a show airing on mtvU and sponsored by MonsterTrak, an online jobs list for recent college graduates. (DeutschMedia also handles Monster's media planning account, though Rankin herself doesn't work on it.)

Rankin began her career at DeutschMedia as an assistant media planner and landed a promotion to the position of media planner 18 months later. On the show, she explains in layman's terms what media planners do, how much they earn (35-50k annually), and what titles they can accrue each time they are promoted.

"The Opening" followed Rankin in such everyday activities as checking e-mail, listening to company pitches, presenting a pitch to her department, and attending a New York Times party to network and unwind. The show concludes with an mtvU veejay encouraging students to visit the mtvU Web site to look for an entry-level job in advertising.

Six episodes of "The Opening" ran through spring, and all episodes are available on-demand on mtvU's broadband channel, mtvUber.