This Wednesday, Chapel Hill Magazine editor Andrea Griffith Cash came and spoke to us about the magazine, her duties as editor and much more! Read on to see what Andrea had to tell us!
About Chapel Hill Magazine
-Chapel Hill Magazine caters to the town of Chapel Hill, Andrea says. By doing this, the magazine is intensely local. Only Chapel Hill is covered as opposed to Chapel Hill and surrounding cities, such as Raleigh and Durham.
-Topics and stories featured in the magazine include homes, food, weddings, artists, photo essays and character profiles.
-Six issues are published during the year.
-The magazine is conversational and has a celebratory tone, Andrea says. The magazine is meant to show how much pride there is in Chapel Hill. As a result, the magazine doesn't cover too many bad events or topics that are more likely to be seen in a newspaper, such as city council meetings.
-Andrea says that she hopes to improve some aspects of the magazine, such as its web presence and audio and video use. Since the magazine is published every other month, updated content on the Chapel Hill Magazine website helps to keep the magazine relevant and interesting between issues, Andrea says.
-Andrea also hopes to organize more events that are hosted by the magazine. She says this will help to enhance the brand of Chapel Hill Magazine as well as create more goodwill in the community.
Andrea's Background
-Andrea has been living in North Carolina for 10 years. She graduated from High Point University, located in High Point, N.C. During her time at HPU, she interned for a public relations firm and The High Point Enterprise, a newspaper.
-During the Christmas break before graduation, Andrea says she sent out cover letters and resumes for a variety of journalism jobs. She kept a spreadsheet to keep track of the progress of those applications. She says she didn't wait to see a job listing from a publication before applying; instead, she applied to the publications she was interested in working for -- regardless if they had openings or not.
-Andrea got a job at the Greensboro News & Record newspaper right after graduation. She worked at a satellite office in Burlington, N.C., and helped to launch a newspaper for that town and surrounding areas.
-Andrea stayed at the Greensboro News & Record for a year before taking a job at Our State Magazine. She was the assistant editor at Our State from 2006 to 2009.
-Andrea says that as the editor of Chapel Hill Magazine, she gets to write a lot and take on many different roles within the office (editor, copy editor, administrative assistant, etc.). She says it's hard work, but the job is really fun. She takes pride in the public appreciating her work.
Andrea's Advice
-Andrea says to get an internship (or two or three) while in college. She says her internship experience was invaluable to her, and any internship experience gives you an edge.
-A strong letter of recommendation is also good to have, Andrea says, but you have to earn it. Be willing to do the grunt work, and you can eventually move your way up. Also be willing to work for free, Andrea says. It will eventually pay off, whether it gives you experience or gets your foot in the door at a publication. Whatever you do, just show up to the job and act happy to be there, Andrea says.
-Be careful and thorough when dealing with an editor. Making careless mistakes can cause your editor to lose his or her trust in you, and Andrea says it can be hard to get that trust back when you lose it.
-First impressions mean a lot, Andrea says. For example, she advises that you don't email an editor of a publication asking how you can apply for an internship. Take the initiative to just email the editor your resume and clips. When doing this, make the body/message of your email your cover letter, Andrea says. Attaching a separate cover letter is redundant and is just another attachment that editor has to open.
-An editor's job is to make decisions, Andrea says. She adds that the most important quality an editor can have is well-roundedness. Never stop learning about different aspects of the industry. "You've got to keep up," Andrea says.
Q&A
Q: When looking at resumes, do you look at where that person interned or what duties he or she had?
A: Any internship experience is a great start, Andrea says. If you have worked for a big publication, such as Vogue or Cosmopolitan, she will notice that first. But that doesn't mean she won't look at your duties. If you don't have a great name to put on your resume, beef up your duty descriptions, Andrea says.
Q: How do you come up with article ideas?
A: Andrea says she has more ideas than space in the magazine to put them. She says that if you just look around, you can find ideas everywhere. She also says that it's okay to borrow ideas from other mediums, such as TV. You can then take these ideas and put a Chapel Hill twist on them.
Q: How did you decide between working at a larger publication in a big city and working for a local publication?
A: Andrea says that she never had the desire to move to NYC, but that for some people, this decision can be a challenge. She says to keep your options open and work anywhere you can. It's just important to get your foot in the door.
Thanks so much, Andrea, and for all of you who attended this week's meeting! Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!
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