The first
two weeks at People magazine have been hectic, but I’m not
complaining. Each day I am learning something new and meeting new people. I’ve
attended meetings with editors and
reporters while also receiving a firsthand look at how stories are developed
from start to finish. This
experience has been helping me to understand the type of stories that are suitable for pitching. And even if a story pitch doesn't work, I've
learned that it's important not to get discouraged, but to keep
pitching.
I have been
doing research, fact-checking, interviews and working with other interns at the magazine. Everyone is very
welcoming and after a few days I felt like I was part of a team. At People magazine, they treat you like a
real reporter and it’s a great feeling.
Some
highlights of my time at People
magazine have been, meeting the cast of the new TNT drama “Dallas.” Josh Henderson, Jordana Brewster, Jesse Metcalfe
and Julie Gonzalo stopped by the office and I got to see what kind of questions
a reporter asked them. The questions were thought provoking and different.
I also got
to meet Rachel Crow of “The X Factor.” She was approachable and smart. Crow came to the office with her younger
sister and mother. She looked fashionable and she is set to take the world by storm with her EP, which hit stores and websites
today. I was amazed at how confident she is and mature at just
14-years-old. She truly is an inspiration for girls her age and it’s nice to
see that she is making her
dreams come true.
On another
note, it's true what they say,
“the magazine industry is small.” Everyone
knows each other. Just the other
day, I met a People magazine staffer who also graduated from my
school, Long Island University Brooklyn Campus. She also once held my current post as the editor-in-chief of the
campus newspaper, Seawanhaka. What a
coincidence! We bonded while
sharing stories about our common
experiences.
After
attending a meeting for the “Heroes Among Us” section, I started thinking about
potential heroes to pitch for the upcoming issue. The first question that came
to mind was, ‘What does it mean
to be a hero?’ A few thoughts popped into my head. Someone who has faced
challenges in life but has managed to overcome
them qualifies as a hero. The same is true for someone who is
making a difference and displays courage. So after I figured that out, I
started brainstorming – but then, I received an email. It was from an editor at People who had extra tickets for a benefit for Matthew Badger, a Connecticut man who lost his three daughters, Lily, Sarah and
Grace in a Christmas Day house fire. Since
then, Badger has started a nonprofit called the Lily Sarah Grace Fund which brings arts into public
schools. The Lily Sarah Grace Fund has already
funded some 400 arts projects.
Now if he isn’t a hero, I don’t
know who is.
The
one-and-only Whoopi Goldberg hosted the affair, which also included a performance from an 11-year-old violinist
and students from Ballet Tech.
Other attendees included the actress Julianne Moore, author Sir Ken Robinson, and director Philip Seymour Hoffman. Each
of them had a presentation with photos and spoke about Lily, Sarah and Grace
and how each of the girls were different
and special in their own way. At times it was emotional, but that night I
definitely realized what it takes to be a hero. You can view the article at: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20603764,00.html.
That’s a short wrap up of my first few weeks
at People magazine. I'm looking forward to what’s in store for me for
the rest of the summer.
-Mabel Martinez, People Intern
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