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| American flags for Memorial Day in Rockefeller Plaza |
Although I enjoyed the long weekend, I was excited to get back to the office and see what was in store for me this week. I was excited for another intern to start this week as well. When I got to the office, I was put right to work. I learned how to find information for PR representatives of a companies. These are the people we contact when trying to have certain items sent to our office to be displayed in the magazine. For this task, we contacted the PR representatives or manufacturers of the items that had been put on last week's concept board. I never realized how hard it could be to get in touch with some people. It sometimes felt like I was trying to do the impossible. However, the task managed to be completed and everything came in just as we had asked. This task also made me realize how particular the magazine is when requesting items. They specifically ask for certain brands of each product so that it will work just right for the story. I also attended my first "Production Meeting". This is when the entire staff (writers, stylists, and designers) all come together and just let each other know where they are at. We find out what each person is working on, is done with, or still has left to do to prepare for the upcoming issue. I thought it was really neat that our editor was there. Apparently, this isn't common with some magazines, but our editor is very involved in everyday life here at the office.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday all had a task in common: research. I never realized how much research goes into finding the perfect product to go in each story. After this past week, I now have a great appreciation for each item seen in a magazine. One of the most challenging things for me in this was having to stay away from items on Etsy. It always seemed like the cutest items were found on that website, so I had to really search hard to find things on other sites. Even more difficult was finding exactly what the stylists wanted. You have to look at the price to make sure it is affordable, the color to make sure it will photograph well with the other props, the texture to make sure it photographs well in general, and also make sure it's the dimensions that they have asked for. Although at times I felt like this was just an annoying, tedious task, it also made me excited to know that items from MY research would be featured in an upcoming issue.
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| My Desk |
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| This is a page with different products on it to show the ultimate outcomes of product research |
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| Checking boxes |
Also, on Wednesday I helped organize a book shelf as well as their Magazine library which consists of every issue they have here at HGTV. Later on, I opened boxes containing props for next issue's cover to make sure nothing was broken. The company that usually has broken items is Anthropologie because their items are so delicate. At lunch on Wednesday, I met and ate with two interns from Harper's Bazaar and really enjoyed comparing the two internships.
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| Bookshelf I organized |
On Thursday, I organized another bookshelf. I also took all of those boxes into our room for all of our cover items. Once again, we ate with the Harper's interns. I'm really enjoying getting to know girls from other magazines. It's fun to see the different personalities of girls at other magazines.
Friday was a little busier than the rest of the week. I finally was able to run errands! First, I went to my neck of the woods in the Upper West Side to get an item for our "Supermarket Snoop" story. Then I had to load myself down with all the props for that afternoon's photo shoot and went south to Chelsea to drop all of them off. That was my second cab experience and it wasn't any better than my first. I continued to unpack and repack boxes full of props for the cover shoot. The best part of the day was having a coworker bring me Jamba Juice and getting a free candy bar.
So far, I have really enjoyed work here at HGTV Magazine. I love their use of bright, vivid colors and am really glad that the love of these colors is shown in the office. Everyone is always wearing fun and bright outfits. The laid back and relaxed style of the magazine is also reflected here in the workplace as well. I feel like I fit right into this company's culture and they have made me feel so welcomed here. I'm enjoying seeing what all goes into each issue of the magazine. It really is much more researched than an average reader would think. I have a whole new appreciation for magazines now that I am getting a "behind-the-scenes" look at everything. I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone in the office a little bit better this week and can only hope I make even stronger relationships with them throughout the summer.
I am still getting used to the fast paced lifestyle up here. Living in a hotel alone all summer isn't exactly ideal, but I'm getting used to it. I have had to change rooms a few times due to "crowding" so I'm still trying to get completely settled in. I'm still getting used to falling asleep as well as waking up to loud noises such as yelling and car horns, but all in all, I am enjoying my time here. It has been quite a transition, but I wouldn't trade one minute of this experience for anything else in the world.
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| This is made of Lego pieces at the Rockefeller Center |
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