Jeff Turner is an assistant editor from Our State, a Greensboro-based magazine focused on all things North Carolinian. The weekly-turned-monthly celebrated its 80th anniversary last June.
From Mount Olive, N.C., a small town known for its pickles, Turner studied English at Wake Forest University before getting involved in journalism and writing features and profiles for the Old Gold & Black, Wake Forest’s student paper.
After graduation, he had an internship with The Business Journal and later with Our State.
“I’d always been familiar with the magazine because my parents read it,” he says. The internship quickly led to his current job.
What’s a typical day like?
Fun, Turner says. The day starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends around 5:30 p.m. There are few late nights. His days sometimes include going to photo shoots or restaurants.
“Once a month a magazine comes and you see your name in there and it makes it all worth it.”
Our State’s content and audience
“Regional mags are different from national mags -- your focus is a lot narrower. People who love North Carolina is the focus of our magazine, which is actually a pretty broad audience,” he says.
They start each month with more than 200 blank pages.
“We really have a lot of free range with everything else, which is a luxury that a lot of magazines don't have,” Turner says. “It empowers us to create great content.”
For a long time, Our State's audience has been older people -- think 60+. But the trend is getting younger, which poses a challenge -- how to take a legacy publication and make it relevant to people now.
“We’re one of the few print magazines to brag that we’ve never seen a circulation dip in recent years. Last month we were up 3,000 subscribers.”
Controversy and writing
From Mount Olive, N.C., a small town known for its pickles, Turner studied English at Wake Forest University before getting involved in journalism and writing features and profiles for the Old Gold & Black, Wake Forest’s student paper.
After graduation, he had an internship with The Business Journal and later with Our State.
“I’d always been familiar with the magazine because my parents read it,” he says. The internship quickly led to his current job.
What’s a typical day like?
Fun, Turner says. The day starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends around 5:30 p.m. There are few late nights. His days sometimes include going to photo shoots or restaurants.
“Once a month a magazine comes and you see your name in there and it makes it all worth it.”
Our State’s content and audience
“Regional mags are different from national mags -- your focus is a lot narrower. People who love North Carolina is the focus of our magazine, which is actually a pretty broad audience,” he says.
They start each month with more than 200 blank pages.
“We really have a lot of free range with everything else, which is a luxury that a lot of magazines don't have,” Turner says. “It empowers us to create great content.”
For a long time, Our State's audience has been older people -- think 60+. But the trend is getting younger, which poses a challenge -- how to take a legacy publication and make it relevant to people now.
“We’re one of the few print magazines to brag that we’ve never seen a circulation dip in recent years. Last month we were up 3,000 subscribers.”
Controversy and writing
“Our State doesn’t cover almost anything controversial, mainly because we want the magazine to have a positive reflection of North Carolina,” he says.
“We really focus on stories that are compelling and interesting, and they need to be literary and include a lot of the same literary devices that you could find in fiction.”
Our State’s online presence
“We really focus on stories that are compelling and interesting, and they need to be literary and include a lot of the same literary devices that you could find in fiction.”
Our State’s online presence
In addition to being active on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Turner says, “We have some original web content that piggybacks on a print story, and we have some things that are wholly independent.”
This includes the Music in the Lobby series, which is similar to NPR’s desk concerts -- they have North Carolina musicians such as Mipso Trio and Mandolin Orange come in to produce a series.
“Everyone feels like they need to be prepared for digital, but I don’t think anyone knows how to be prepared,” Turner says. “You need the same skills there that you need to make a magazine -- like how to generate a good idea that will get people to respond. If you run a story and get a lot of emails or letters about it, then you’ve done a good job.
Do you hire out to freelancers or do you have staff writers?
Our State has an established group of freelancers, but editors now have more editorial control over the magazine, as opposed to simply having a freelancer turn things in.
As a sophomore, what should I do in my spare time?
Have published writing, whether it be in the local newspaper, the Daily Tar Heel or a blog.
“Published clips help show your writing ability, and writing makes you a better editor,” he says.
“Read magazines in your spare time. You can incorporate it into a cover letter and pitch it. We get resumes and cover letters and pitches, but for the people we like, we bring them in. You’d be surprised how many candidates we get who don’t really read magazines,” Turner says. He recommends finding a magazine that’s won national, city or regional awards, and study those and find ones that interest you, as well as ones that don’t interest you at all.
Where do you see Our State in five or 10 years?
Turner says they want to make the magazine relevant to a younger audience. “The bread and butter for us would be to get our audience to people in their 30s and 40s, and making them love it and feel ownership of it the way our older readers do.”
“Magazines aren’t trendsetters. We just follow trends. We cover beer in North Carolina now because there have been so many breweries that have come up. It’s sort of changed the attitude about craft beer, which has a better connotation than, say, Bud Light,” Turner says. The same goes for wine, and the younger-audience-trend will likely continue.
“We also try and recruit some of the best writers in North Carolina. That’s where I see us going -- getting better writers, photographers, etcetera,” he says. “We like to win awards, too.”
Our State internships
While they typically look for juniors or seniors, Turner says the interns are truly a functioning part of our staff -- no fetching coffee, unless it’s your own.
Internships are unpaid, but times are very flexible. Interns can come in as often as they like, although it’s most beneficial to come twice a week in half days, for variety. Mondays are great because you’d be privy to editorial and company-wide meetings, for example.
To apply, email editorial@ourstate.com with the subject line “Internship.” Include a resume and cover letter. Turner particularly appreciates when applicants pitch a story or two.
“That gives a little bit of insight into how you think and your creativity, and how well you understand the brand,” he says.
They’ll consider internships in the digital department, as well.
The deadline for summer 2014 internship is March 28.
Do you offer design internships?
No -- just editorial. This is in part because only three people design the entire magazine.
Turner says an editorial intern could still learn about design.
“The words are so married to art in magazines that the two really rely on each other. You can’t have one without the other,” he says.
On turning an internship into a job
“If this magazine is on your coffee table right there, you're more likely to pick it up than if you have to go to a web site. If there’s not that physical presence, you're not reminded of it. I think it’s the same with interns,” Turner says. “If you’re there and doing a good job, then if there’s a need, you’ll be remembered. Making an impression is important, and continuing to check in.” Some interns freelance for Our State after leaving.
He also suggests interacting with editors as much as possible.
This includes the Music in the Lobby series, which is similar to NPR’s desk concerts -- they have North Carolina musicians such as Mipso Trio and Mandolin Orange come in to produce a series.
“Everyone feels like they need to be prepared for digital, but I don’t think anyone knows how to be prepared,” Turner says. “You need the same skills there that you need to make a magazine -- like how to generate a good idea that will get people to respond. If you run a story and get a lot of emails or letters about it, then you’ve done a good job.
Do you hire out to freelancers or do you have staff writers?
Our State has an established group of freelancers, but editors now have more editorial control over the magazine, as opposed to simply having a freelancer turn things in.
As a sophomore, what should I do in my spare time?
Have published writing, whether it be in the local newspaper, the Daily Tar Heel or a blog.
“Published clips help show your writing ability, and writing makes you a better editor,” he says.
“Read magazines in your spare time. You can incorporate it into a cover letter and pitch it. We get resumes and cover letters and pitches, but for the people we like, we bring them in. You’d be surprised how many candidates we get who don’t really read magazines,” Turner says. He recommends finding a magazine that’s won national, city or regional awards, and study those and find ones that interest you, as well as ones that don’t interest you at all.
Where do you see Our State in five or 10 years?
Turner says they want to make the magazine relevant to a younger audience. “The bread and butter for us would be to get our audience to people in their 30s and 40s, and making them love it and feel ownership of it the way our older readers do.”
“Magazines aren’t trendsetters. We just follow trends. We cover beer in North Carolina now because there have been so many breweries that have come up. It’s sort of changed the attitude about craft beer, which has a better connotation than, say, Bud Light,” Turner says. The same goes for wine, and the younger-audience-trend will likely continue.
“We also try and recruit some of the best writers in North Carolina. That’s where I see us going -- getting better writers, photographers, etcetera,” he says. “We like to win awards, too.”
Our State internships
While they typically look for juniors or seniors, Turner says the interns are truly a functioning part of our staff -- no fetching coffee, unless it’s your own.
Internships are unpaid, but times are very flexible. Interns can come in as often as they like, although it’s most beneficial to come twice a week in half days, for variety. Mondays are great because you’d be privy to editorial and company-wide meetings, for example.
To apply, email editorial@ourstate.com with the subject line “Internship.” Include a resume and cover letter. Turner particularly appreciates when applicants pitch a story or two.
“That gives a little bit of insight into how you think and your creativity, and how well you understand the brand,” he says.
They’ll consider internships in the digital department, as well.
The deadline for summer 2014 internship is March 28.
Do you offer design internships?
No -- just editorial. This is in part because only three people design the entire magazine.
Turner says an editorial intern could still learn about design.
“The words are so married to art in magazines that the two really rely on each other. You can’t have one without the other,” he says.
On turning an internship into a job
“If this magazine is on your coffee table right there, you're more likely to pick it up than if you have to go to a web site. If there’s not that physical presence, you're not reminded of it. I think it’s the same with interns,” Turner says. “If you’re there and doing a good job, then if there’s a need, you’ll be remembered. Making an impression is important, and continuing to check in.” Some interns freelance for Our State after leaving.
He also suggests interacting with editors as much as possible.
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