People StyleWatch/InStyle

first day jitters (6/24)

I’ve just finished up my first day as an editorial intern at People StyleWatch. And as much as I had braced myself for it, I was not immediately assigned to cart piles of clothing across NYC — or told to get coffee. Instead, I was shown to my desk by Elizabeth Carmona, the associate editor; she gave me a quick run through of how the office operates, and what I could expect on a day-to-day basis. But before we could get through too much of the nitty-gritty, a staff meeting was called for all of the editors to meet and discuss the status of their stories. For the September issue, I’ve been assigned a number of stories to fact check, which basically means doing investigative reporting to ensure we’ve covered all of our bases and have our information right. As an editorial intern, a majority of my work will be fact checking. But I can’t wait to see what other People StyleWatch projects will come my way.

Starstruck (6/27)

And I’m finally over my fear of networking. Since arriving in NYC, I’ve had lunch and coffee dates with a number of great contacts in the magazine world. On this particular Thursday, I enjoyed a lunch date with Richard Zoglin (Charla Krupp’s husband, a former senior editor at Time Magazine and a current author and theater critic), Cynthia Lewis (the EVP of Du Jour Magazine), Jane Berk (a music publicist whose managed big-name artists, such as Mariah Carey), Barbara Graustark from the New York Times, Brette Bennett from Everyday Health and Andrea Cheng, one of Charla Krupp’s former interns.

We met at Bar Americain on 52nd street in Manhattan; the reason for our meeting was so that I could get acquainted with Charla Krupp’s husband, closest friends and former interns. If you aren’t familiar with Charla Krupp’s story, Charla worked at several magazines, such as Glamour and People StyleWatch. She also gained a national following by offering women advice on looking younger and thinner with best-selling books like “How Not to Look Old. Charla’s vivacious personality and successful career allowed her more than 100 appearances on the Today Show. All who knew her have shared with me stories of what a positive and inspiring person she was to be around. Unfortunately, Charla’s life was cut short at the age of 58. The cause was breast cancer.

And so, I owe my once-in-a-lifetime People StyleWatch internship to Charla. Like me, Charla attended the University of Illinois and received a degree in journalism. Following her passing, Charla’s family set up the Charla Krupp Memorial Fund for Women in Media at the University of Illinois; I am the first recipient of this award. Because of Charla, I am living out my dream of working at a New York City Magazine; during which, I will proudly strive to carry on Charla’s legacy.

a GLAMOURous afternoon (7/2)

Today I slipped away from the Time & Life building for a brief chat with Andrea Bartz, the senior editor of Glamour magazine. As I entered the Condé Nast building located in Times Square, my stomach was filled with nervous anticipation and I must have smoothed my hair 100 times. How is this happening? Just weeks ago, I was sitting at home in Benson, Illinois – and now I’m scanning my Time Warner ID as I enter the workplace, and going on lunch dates with the best in the business. I have no explanation – except that it’s a dream come true.

Andrea was already waiting for me when I stepped out of the elevator. And that was it. She gave a reassuring smile, we grabbed coffee and began talking away about all-things journalism. After voicing my concerns about the uncertainty of the business and learning how best to construct an effective story pitch, I left with the most important reminder of all: just.keep.writing. 

Empire State of Mind: Feeling Thankful (7/10)

Life is good. It’s my third week living in NYC, and I have to say, life — at this point — has turned out better than I could have planned.

As I made my way through Rockefeller Plaza this morning and slipped past the mass of people congregating outside the Today Show studios, it still seemed unreal that I am here — and as something other than a tourist. For the past 8 summers, I visited my brother in the Big Apple and dreamed of the day when I would buy a one-way ticket to NYC and stay for good; and although my internship makes this all seem less temporary, I’m still dreaming.

Though my People StyleWatch days are numbered, this experience will serve as my motivation until that day does come.

From my inspirational StyleWatch co-workers — who have already taught me so much — to spending the summer with my brother and his lovely fiancée and everything in between, I could not be more thankful and inspired by my NYC experience thus far.

“These streets will make you feel brand new; Big lights will inspire you.”

Hakuna Matata (7/17)

In many contexts, being “busy” is seen as a negative thing. You’re busy working that part-time, passionless job, busy doing household chores, busy making the daily commute, etc. Today after turning in my finished PSW story, I sat in my cubicle — staring blankly — and sipped my second cup of coffee, realizing that I no longer feel “busy,” I feel blessed.

I could use a nap, but I’m happy.

This week, we are wrapping our issue for September, which means everyone in the office is going insane (a good insane). Because we are shipping off our stories to be printed and put on the newsstand. (!) And soon the speed of our workplace will return to its usual, not-quite-so-hectic pace.

Yesterday I wrote my first-ever People Magazine story for online! It should be published next week under the Pets section and will give readers the low-down on celebs and their recent and heavily-Instagrammed encounters with exotic animals; a relatively simple topic, but all I can think is… 🙂

So, yes. I am busy — doing what I love — and in the end, who can complain about that?

Last day of September close! And a whole lotta inspiration (7/24)

It’s been a week since I’ve updated; my last post was announcing the start of our September close here at People StyleWatch! Though our workdays have been long and filled with tasks, challenges and tiny freak outs here and there, the process has been worth every second spent in the office. Yesterday, we had our latest night working on the issue; we clocked out at about 9:15 p.m. Everything — down to the last comma and lipstick shade — had to be right before we called it quits for the day; exhausted, but mostly satisfied, we slung our purses over our shoulders and trudged out of the office in our much-too-high heels.

September is the ultimate beauty issue for People StyleWatch; the amount of work that goes into each issue and individual story is incredible. To work alongside those who know the business best and put their whole hearts into creating an inspiring, innovative and enjoyable read each and every month is sensational.

Today was no exception when it came to Time Inc. inspiration. Our human resources department put together a panel of media professionals who came and spoke in front of a room packed with Time Inc. interns. From Real Simple interns to those working for Sports Illustrated, we could not wait to soak up any bit of useful advice these speakers had to give.

After all of the presentations had been given, two especially stood out to me.

The first was given by Kim Miller, the VP of consumer marketing for People Magazine. Miller has been a Time Inc. employee for 15 years; as soon as she spoke, it was clear why she is a long-time leader in the media marketing field. Her energetic personality and fresh passion for her profession made it seem like it was her first year on the job, not her fifteenth. Miller’s excitement about the future of media was contagious and I was immediately reminded of why I chose to pursue journalism in the first place.

At the end of her presentation, Miller recited this quote by JFK in honor of the 50th anniversary of his passing: “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”

Ariel Foxman, the editor of InStyle, wrapped up the event, and he gave such. great. advice.

“Who here knows exactly what they are going to do?” Foxman asked as his first question. Looking around, a surprising amount of interns confidently raised their hands. And all I could think was Did I miss something?

To my relief, Foxman stared back with a surprised expression and said, “Well, I certainly didn’t have my career mapped out at your age. Way to go.”

Foxman explained that his career was anything but linear. From working for book publishing companies, to Spin Magazine, The New Yorker and finally ending up at InStyle, he said that his more-experienced mentors guided his career. Foxman’s advice was to always trust your mentors and those around you because often others know your strengths better than you do.

“Hardly any big decisions I made were my ideas,” Foxman joked. “And now I am in charge of this huge brand.”

Where did the time go?? (8/13)

Summer is coming to an end, which can only mean a couple of things: I will soon be feeling some serious remorse about having spent too little time at the beach; a sure sense of panic about school’s impending start; and a complete and total longing to be back in my People StyleWatch cubicle once my internship comes to an end.

It’s been 6 and a half weeks since my first day on the job, and let me tell you, it flew by. Looking back on my experience, it’s been an incredible and eye-opening journey. From living out my childhood dream of pretending I am a New Yorker on my morning commute to work, to having my article appear on People Magazine Online, my summer in NYC confirmed further that this is what I’m meant to be doing.

Now, it’s just a matter of getting there after finishing up college.

After my meeting yesterday with Elizabeth Carmona, the associate editor of People StyleWatch, I was left feeling optimistic and excited for my professional future. While many journalists struggle to find full-time work and spend a lot of time freelancing, Liz explained that she started out interning at a few different publications, wrote for Elle Décor, and then worked at InStyle Magazine for 3 years, before ending up at People StyleWatch. What could be better?

It’s stories like Liz’s that keep me motivated and hopeful for the future.

A few weeks ago, someone asked me why I would want to pursue such an uncertain career in the fashion/journalism industry? To my surprise, after years of working toward my goal, it was hard to put an answer into words. It’s as if the desire to be a journalist or a writer is something instinctual. For me, it’s hard to explain. But when I am assigned to write a story or complete a task at work, I put my all into it — every time.

And when the outcome of a given project or story turns out positive and is something to be proud of, that’s when I can find peace, happiness and a sense of satisfaction.

My last day at People StyleWatch (*sniff*) (8/29/13)

Cue the sad music because my internship at People StyleWatch has come to an end. Last Friday (8/23), I packed up my cubicle, thanked my editors and bid adieu to my wonderful PSW co-workers/friends; but not before they surprised me with a coffee and doughnut breakfast to send me off. It felt strange to be leaving the office for the final time, but the experiences, knowledge and memories I acquired will last a lifetime. Of those memories, my final day at PSW was definitely my favorite. Not because I was leaving of course, but because I finally understood what my place had been there. I wasn’t just an intern at People StyleWatch, or at least not the kind running errands and grabbing coffee. Instead, I was part of the team, performing all the same tasks as the staff reporters. You see, I never expected to grow so attached to People StyleWatch; I came to NYC in June with every expectation of a Devil-Wears-Prada experience. Instead, I was surrounded by an amazing team of professionals who taught me so much, and I left feeling empowered, experienced and excited for the future.

InnnnStyle!

I am a little late writing this post because I still can’t wrap my head around how much my life has changed in a week’s time. Within a 6-day period, I was informed of a job opportunity at InStyle after being referred by one of my PSW editors, interviewed, accepted the internship position at InStyle and had to formally withdraw from school for the fall semester. Talk about a whirlwind; I went from being a college student, ready to start her junior year in Illinois to a full-time editorial intern in NYC at InStyle until December. Just a slight adjustment. Especially when it’s all happening a good, oh, 48 hours before I was supposed to start classes. But, honestly, how inconvenient can it be to get your dream job, right?

So here I am, back at the Time & Life building for round two. And loving it. InStyle has a much larger staff than People StyleWatch, and the pace of the office is completely different. Every time I turn around, there’s another job to be done and another department to help. During my first few days on the job, I was helping with the Christmas Gift Guide. Really? Christmas? That’s what I was thinking too. But then the other interns and I cracked open a holiday sampler of dark chocolate-covered popcorn and quickly got into the Christmas spirit.

Today is a more exciting day as a journalist. Sharon Clott, one of InStyle’s senior editors, is currently in Toronto, interviewing countless big-name actors, actresses and directors who are attending the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The recorded interviews are then sent directly to my email for me to transcribe. That’s right. At 10:41 A.M. a one-on-one interview with Zac Efron landed in my inbox. And, now I am just waiting on the interview with Brad Pitt to come through, so I can get to “work” on that.

So, yes. Overall, once again, could not be happier. I’m so excited to continue sharing my experiences here. Thanks for reading! -xo

(9/18) A crazy couple of weeks, a new Daily Illini article telling my story and path to InStyle, and a wedding in tow!

Now that I’ve settled into my InStyle job — which yes, essentially means that my cubicle is decorated  — I can take a deep breath and reflect on the past few weeks.

So far, so good. My job is exciting, changes from day-to-day (which I love) and allows me to observe the work practices of some of the best editors, writers and designers in the business. Sounds a little like People StyleWatch, right?

But actually, my job at InStyle is completely different from my job at People StyleWatch. Just today, I ran into a former People StyleWatch co-worker of mine. When asked about my new InStyle job, I realized just how different our jobs are now. She and I had been in charge of fact-checking the PSW magazine and answering any cross-departmental questions prior to the magazine’s print date.

At InStyle, it would be impossible to tell about my basic responsibilities because I have no set tasks. Instead, I am here to help out any and every department. From transcribing interviews, to researching article topics for writers/editors, to running errands around the city for the editor-in-chief and helping to organize the fashion closet, each day is unpredictable, hectic and a dream turned reality.

Then this past week, I was beyond excited when my good friend and fabulously talented editor Alison Marcotte asked me to contribute a story for this year’s Daily Illini Fall Career Guide.What made it so exciting was that it allowed me an outlet to express to all of my friends and extended family back home why and how I am staying in NYC for the fall. It’s fair to say that I’m not the best at keeping in touch — thank goodness for writing. Here is the link if you’d also like to check it out: http://ow.ly/oYcZy

And, the most important and exciting news of all is that my older brother Rob and his fiancee Natalie are tying the knot this weekend! The wedding will happen in the Hamptons, and most of our friends and family are arriving tonight to begin the wedding festivities. I can’t wait to see everyone and celebrate this happy occasion. (Below is a pic of the lovely couple)

So much happening, so little time. Phew. 🙂

Thanks for reading! -xo

Fall update (10/18)

It’s been exactly one month since I last updated. Once again, I am at loss as to how time flies so quickly in NYC. Most days I have no idea what the date is, unless it happens to be my day to “do Gossips” at work. “Gossips” make up the daily staff newsletter, which highlights important media-related news for our editors; I do them every Wednesday.

What I do know is that I absolutely loveeee fall in NYC. I’ve always preferred cold weather over warm weather, but there’s something extra special about fall in New York. Maybe it’s the silent joy New Yorkers have for a great pair of boots paired with a thick, comfy sweater. (or in InStyle’s case, not so silent. Our staff practically shout their love for fall fashion in the streets) Or, it could be the cozy feeling that comes with ordering a warm latte instead of the usual iced coffee. But something…something about fall in this city is magical.

Loving life, loving InStyle. Until next time, -xoxo