Every other week, MAKE’s awesome interns tell about the projects they’re building in the Make: Labs, the trouble they’ve gotten into, and what they’ll make next.
By Ed Troxell, photo intern
When I landed my internship here at MAKE it was my real break into the magazine industry. I remember telling myself that if I could just get my foot in the door, the rest would fall into place. Well, it did. Since joining MAKE over a year ago, my life has not been the same — not only have I worked at a great magazine, I’ve launched my own magazine, MIX IT UP.
I was hired a MAKE editorial intern, which really helped me get a sense of what goes on when putting together a magazine: finding topics to write about, finding writers, assigning deadlines, making sure people meet those deadlines, fact-checking articles, proofing them, all while having staff meetings and conference calls with those who work in other locations.
While learning all this, I was finishing up my studies in communications at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Calif., where I was photo editor on the school newspaper, The Star. About 6 months later, I was switched over to become MAKE’s photo intern, which turned out to be perfect since I was already doing photography.
Learning how things were done on the photo side of the magazine was hard at first, but very rewarding, as MAKE’s photo editor Sam Murphy quickly taught me the tricks of the trade (thanks, Sam). For example, learning to organize everything was challenging. We get so many emails every day, relating to large numbers of photos, that it’s key to make every email subject line very clear and to the point, specific to what’s in the email. This way when we file it away in folders we can quickly go and find what we need. I can’t stress enough how helpful this has been. This, along with other skills I’ve learned at MAKE, has flowed over into my personal life.
My passion for working in the publishing industry went beyond just thinking about what magazine I would work for in the future (Men’s Health being at the top of the list). In fact, it had me thinking about creating my own magazine. While working on The Star I had drafted up a two-page spread for a health and fitness page for the possible expansion of the paper. Then in June of last year my thoughts and ideas started to come to life. Before I knew it I was reading books on starting a business, I was working in the magazine industry, pulling out articles, quotes, designs, and photos from magazines … all leading up to creating a magazine. The next thing I knew, I had launched my new magazine, MIX IT UP.
MIX IT UP Magazine is a unique new lifestyle magazine for Northern California. It caters to young adults 18 to 34 years old, both males and females. MIX IT UP is a comprehensive source for young adults on topics that matter most to them: school, work, health, fitness, travel, going out, and more. It’s a publication dedicated to building confidence, expanding perspectives, shaping a promising future, and promoting community involvement. It’s the source for work and play. For more information and to check out the online version of our print magazine, please go to mixitupmagazine.com.
I’ve learned a lot from working at MAKE and creating my own magazine. It’s been a wild ride, one that I have no regrets taking. In this past year I have been able to work at a great magazine, MAKE; start my own business; publish two amazing issues of MIX IT UP; and graduate SSU with a bachelor’s degree in communications. I really could not ask for more.
The team here at MAKE has been so helpful and supportive in my new venture. I hope that someday I’ll be able to establish a solid team of professionals who are as passionate about their work, and who can support each other both in and out of the workplace.
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