On April 19th, the Boston chapter of Ed2010 visited Hearst and Meredith in NYC for a magazine publishing-packed day. Between touring Redbook, Good Housekeeping and Parents, Boston Edsters were able to fill their notebooks with a slew of power-packed tips along with business cards.
During lunch at Hearst with NYC-based Ed staffers, Andrea Faville of Hearst Corporate Communications explained how Hearst’s public relations team works with outlets such as The Today Show in order to promote the magazine brands. “I really enjoyed meeting Andrea because it helped clarify the different pieces of the publishing puzzle,” said Boston Edster Stefanie Tuder. “As a result, I gained a broader understanding of magazine publishing.“
After lunch, Amy Roberts, Associate Editor of Good Housekeeping, led a behind-the-scenes tour of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute where everything from waterproof mascaras to sugar-free peanut butters are tested in-house for the Good Housekeeping Seal.
At SmartMoney, senior markets editor Russell Pearlman explained that informational interviews are a great way to network, meet with editors and learn more about different positions on the masthead. “Meeting with Mr. Pearlman was incredible,” said Edster Monica Thorpe. “You could tell how passionate he is about his job. Plus, his first-job advice about keeping out of office politics and meeting deadlines early really stuck with me.”
Moving onto the digital side of things, Hearst Digital Media Teen Network Senior Web Editor Julie Hochheiser explained her role on the web and gave helpful hints on finding an entry-level position. “Hochheiser gave really practical advice,” said Tuder. “Plus, it was really interesting to learn how stories are packaged from the magazine for the website.”
While at Meredith, Edsters met with Chandra Turner, Parents Executive Editor and Ed2010 Founder and President. Turner, along with a group of staffers, told tales of first jobs and transitioning between titles. Editor-in-Chief Dana Points even stopped by!
“I appreciated Chandra’s advice about working for different magazines,” said Edster Cat Mooney. “Even though jumping from Cosmopolitan to Parenting may appear like a huge move, the skills and duties involved are aligned and transferrable.”
Addressing the pink elephant in the room, the editors gave their views on the future for magazine publishing. Overall, the feeling was optimistic—it’s been a rough two years for the field, but they are confident that the magazine industry is changing for the better.
“I think the most surprising and exciting thing I took away from today was everyone’s positive outlook,” said Edster Alyce Nicolo. “It was great to hear from the editors in it that the magazine industry is not dying a slow death—just evolving. The wide-array of editors who we met with reminded me that although magazines look glamorous from the outside, you need to be passionate about writing and editing, plus be a good communicator.”
