Let me just start by saying how much I have always loved this magazine. This was my number one choice when I applied for internships and I still can’t believe it ended up being the one I got. I interned in digital editorial and I had amazing bosses, an awesome work space, and overall just a really cool experience. That’s not to say it wasn’t a lot of work though. (And I should also mention that it was unpaid, but ya gotta start somewhere!)
I commuted five hours on a bus from Syracuse to New York City every single week for about four months. I put in tons of hours both in and out of the office and although I got school credit, it was unpaid (and it was super expensive to commute and stay in the city every week). If it wasn’t for my on-campus job then I wouldn’t have been able to do it honestly. However, as crazy, hectic, hard, and expensive as it was the experience was definitely worth it. Hands down.
My Internship at NYLON Magazine
Working in digital editorial meant helping the flow of content on the website. I would transcribe people’s interviews most of the time, which takes forever and it’s super tedious, but it was pretty cool to hear celebrity interviews from the pros! It was so exciting to type up an interview with Zendaya and hear her words first-hand before they were published. I would contribute to group posts, such as the week’s music picks. But the best part was getting to write my own articles.
Every week I would do an “8@8” post, which is basically news briefs for the day, a silly holiday, a GIF, a shopping deal for the day, and an inspirational quote. Those were pretty fun to do. I was able to contribute to their Black History Month “Unapologetic” series, which was an amazing experience. I pitched some of my own ideas, like “Black Bloggers You Need To Follow,” and I also did some Q&A’s with amazing women of color. I helped with some music coverage and made other slideshow articles too, like “Where To Watch All The Oscar-Nominated Films.” I had to do a few small errands sometimes, like picking up a packaging, but I never had to do anything degrading.
My bosses were actually super nice! When I ended my internship, they even gave me a going away gift of a bunch of high-end makeup products, books, and other cute little things.
I learned so much during my internship. I got a feel for the environment, the workload, and the skills it takes to work in digital for a popular magazine. I loved adapting to the edgy, youthful style of the publication. It is the best feeling in the world to see your name on an article that has hundreds of likes and comments with different opinions. It was the first time I saw my articles engaged with like that and it was really cool.
I also learned how to build content in their CMS, how to make a typical news story fit the publication’s voice, and how to add details to something simple to make it sound more unique or interesting. I wouldn’t have traded this experience for anything!
What have your internship experiences been like?
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