Tag Archives: paid internship

Summer with (a) View

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Performing arts in the Adirondacks. Sounds pretty idyllic, right? I, along with two other SUNY Oswego students and 3 students from other schools, got to work at View Arts Center in a variety of functions such as graphic design, events, and performances. My specialty was performances, but arts organizations are often small which means that there was a good deal of crossover.

Hanging with my buddy, Url.

A little background on View: it began in the yard of a woman named Mirnie Kashiwa. Dedicated to her community and its enrichment, she began to display art on chicken wire in her yard and then raised money to eventually buy a building and expand the art gallery. To do this she created the Arts Guild of Old Forge. She established the Kinderwood Preschool program for young children and the organization really expanded throughout the community and area. Eventually, the guild was able to expand even more and buy land and create a LEED certified gallery with workshops and performance space.

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason

As the performances intern, I got to write press releases promoting the shows, work with performers, and handle a good deal of logistics that go along with putting on a show. We would put on concerts and theatre performances that cover genres from opera to folk to broadway. Some of my favorites acts included Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, folk performers who frequently collaborate with Ken Burns (they have Grammy nominations for their work on the Civil War documentary) and the Dan Brubeck Quartet, a jazz act from Vancouver who had their music featured in Baby Driver. I found that performers were kind and generous and very easy to talk to, which made the job more rewarding.

A photo I took to promote our ice cream social

Aside from coordinating volunteers and assuring the venue was prepared for a performance, I also participated in the other events we would host. For the annual gala View hosted, the interns along with the COO and secretaries were responsible for running the fundraising efforts during the gala such as the silent auctions and taking bids for the main auction. We also were man power for the craft show, antique show, and other events.  

Francesca Antonello (@chessmanceramics) aka my lovely roomie and throwing teacher

This internship was more than just working though. I was fortunate enough to meet some amazing people, particularly my housemate Francesca Antonello. She was the workshop intern and a very talented ceramicist. I was also able to learn new skills like glass fusing, pottery making (thanks Francesca!), and yoga classes. During the summer I was able to expand and learn more about myself, both in a personal and professional context. Plus, it helped to do it in such a pretty place.

Getting into ASME

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Working at a magazine is everything I’ve imagined it would be.

People keep asking me how great my internship is and whether or not I love what I’m doing, and that’s the only thing I can say in response. Working at FITNESS has been amazing and it’s only been a week. I’ve already learned so much; I’ve floated between departments so that I’m getting a taste of everything to figure out what I like.

I want to explain how I got this amazing internship so that future aspiring journalists can possibly take the same route. Beginning my junior year of college, I started looking for bigger internships because I had already completed my required one last summer at the Utica Observer-Dispatch newspaper (Journalism majors at Oswego State are required to complete at least one).  I always knew I wanted to work in New York City someday, so that was my first location to scour. Seventeen was at the top of my list because that’s one of my dream jobs. Then Professor Loomis forwarded me an e-mail to apply for an internship with the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME), which operates under the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA). It told me that if I were accepted, I would be placed at one of 21 magazines in New York City as a paid intern. I was sold.

After a long application process and an even longer wait, I got the great news that I had been accepted! ASME is an extremely competitive program: only 24 interns are accepted, 21 to N.Y.C. and three to Washington, D.C. Later, I found out I’d be working at FITNESS, my number one choice out of the participating magazines! Life couldn’t get any better.

Now that I’m here, I’ve learned how competitive and how prestigious this program actually is. People in Human Resources look for ASME on resumes when deciding who’s going to get an interview. And the community here is incredibly strong. In the magazine industry, and many others, it’s all about who you know these days. Your contacts get you the interview; your skills get you the job. And once you’re in ASME, the community there has got your back. It’s often being compared to a sorority, and I just finished pledging.

So to anyone looking to break into the magazine industry: apply to be an ASME intern. You must have completed your junior year, heading into your senior year. You need two recommendations, an application, and a bunch of other little things. Download the application and start plugging away. This could be your foot in the door.

Oh, and don’t think that you can’t get in just because you go to a small school. Yes, I’m the first one to get in at Oswego State, but I’m confident I won’t be the last.