The deafening roar of engines and the cheers of fans fill the air every year at Austin’s coveted Circuit of the Americas. Surrounded by celebrities, precision athletes and anxious fans, Isa Herrera, a public relations and sports media sophomore, immersed herself in the global phenomenon of Formula One.
Having been an avid Formula One fan for years, Herrera’s mom introduced her to “The Red Flags Podcast,” an F1 podcast that speaks on the sport in a more satirical light.
“She puts it on, and I was like, ‘Who are these people? They’re hilarious,’” Herrera said. “They were literally doing ‘Kiss, Marry, Kill’ with F1 drivers.”
Herrera said after discovering the podcast, she sent “The Red Flags Podcast” an email asking if they needed an intern. Understanding the comedic voice the podcast used, she put her own little twist on the email.
Matt Elisofon, the co-founder and co-host of “The Red Flags Podcast,” said the email immediately caught their attention.
“She wrote an email in the voice of the podcast which was like, ‘You guys would be idiots not to hire me,’” Elisofon said. “I saw the email and I said, ‘Oh, my God, I know we don’t need an intern, but we actually have to be with this girl because this is the best email I’ve ever read.’”
Soon after reading the email, Elisofon met with Herrera and offered her an internship. Now, Herrera stands as the social media personality of the podcast, with more than 75,000 followers.
“She has been in front of the camera for us doing straight-to-cam green screen analysis, and those have done really well,” said Elisofon. “She’ll cover the Instagram side of what the drivers are doing and how they might be, accidentally on purpose, leaking things. The sort of internet nuances that I don’t know.”
From getting a behind-the-scenes look at Circuit of the Americas to meeting successful people in various industries, Herrera said the internship provides interesting and exciting experiences.
“Recently, for the Grand Prix, we got to meet the director of the sports department, and he’s super, super cool,” Herrera said. “I think getting to meet people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise (has been rewarding).”
Jeni Birnbaum, producer of “The Red Flags Podcast,” said her coworkers are grateful to have Herrera on the podcast and are impressed by her commitment.
“I found that extremely impressive the way she’s able to balance her workload and her extracurriculars,” Birnbaum said. “She truly is passionate about motorsport, and you see that come through, and we’d love to help her in her career journey in motorsport.”
From sending an email to becoming one of the integral parts of the podcast, Elisofon said Herrera’s future seems bright in the F1 world. As the internship continues and she gains more experience, Herrera looks to the future, with hopes of joining some of the top teams in the world.
“I’m keeping tabs on what other teams are doing, so I know who I want to work for in the future,” Herrera said. “I want to do communications for a team. My dream job would be (leading) the PR social media for McLaren or Red Bull.”
