What Education is Needed to get into Magazines / Publishing?

[Lena]

creative writing is also very good for taking you in advertising , great idea to study this fairy

[fairy]

thanx Lena! you know I love writing, I started writing when I was 11 or so...my biggest dream would be working as a screenplay writer, but it's very hard to be successful in the film industry, so writing for magazines would be my second choice...I think London is a good place for that..

[TheSoCalledPrep]

What about the non-writing aspect of magazines?

Like advertising and marketing?

I know what education I need, but is this part of the magazine world as cut throat?

[UniqueChic]

Lara and winnie, since you guys are both Sydneysiders, you should consider getting work experience at ACP. They publish Shop Til you Drop, Cosmo, Cleo, Dolly, Girlfriend, Madison, Harpers and a myriad of other publications. I'm from Melbourne and just came back from a week in the STYD office. It was kinda boring (i did lots of photocopying and coffee and mail collecting), but there are girls who work one a week or a fornight, and they do more indepth stuff, helping out the beauty or fashion teams, etc.

The editorial coordinator (and pa to the editor) went straight from high school to do an internship at ACP. From what i gathered, it's a 1 year thing, and you're placed wherever you're needed, so you could start of at the Bulletin! After that you can apply for jobs within the company. Most of the people i spoke to seemed to have good luck and the right contacts. I think it's worth starting with work exp, and then chatting to people in departments/mags you would prefer to work at.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

[Cicciolina]

I'm in Sydney as well and have been interested in a career in fashion journalism for a while as well. UniqueChic, how did you get work experience at ACP? I tried about 2-3 years ago and found it very difficult - Harpers for one no longer took any work experience people, and Cosmo, Cleo and Dolly (Madison and Shop Til you Drop still hadn't appeared) were booked up to 2 years in advance!

I noticed Central St Martins had some fashion journalism programs available - part time over 6 weeks for example, and same with the London College of Fashion who have a postgrad degree in fashion journalism. http://www.fashion.arts.ac.uk/course...journalism.htm But I'm not sure how necessary something like this would be - perhaps a journalism degree would be sufficient and just doing a lot of work experience?

Currently I'm doing Arts/Commerce at uni - my Arts majors are going to be English and Art History (I'm only in first year) so hopefully through some roundabout way I can find myself in fashion journalism! How would one organise work experience at a magazine or similar publication whilst at uni? Over a week, or a month, or a year - just a few hours a day or one full day a week - what would be considered sufficient?

[UniqueChic]

I was working at Shop Til You Drop; i emailed the editorial co-ordinator directly, and organized a week with her. Who you contact depends on the publication and the department you want to work in. I realized after i got there i should have called the fashion office co-ord, cause that's where i wanted to be.
Since you're in Sydney, i would recommend going in once a week for as long as you can, that way you can make some useful contacts who you will see on a regular basis as opposed to every day for a week then they will forget who you are and what a great job you did!
Just contact the mag you're interested in and let them know you're available to volunteer 1 day a week, or whatever.

[UniqueChic]

I'm still studying as well, but like i said before, it seems to be more about who you know, not what you know. Once you prove you can write, i'm sure it won't matter that your degree isn't specifically fashion journalism with a major in shoes!!

[fairy]

^^thanx, great tipps!

[Lena]

Originally Posted by UniqueChic

Once you prove you can write, i'm sure it won't matter that your degree isn't specifically fashion journalism with a major in shoes!!

thats so true
fashion writting is not too much about degrees

[Yanka]

Hi!!!! everyone, this is my first post ever, i have finally figured out how to register... i know.. I did a year of art foundation in UK specializing in fashion design and it made me realize im gonna be a total failure as a designer. I was wiritng a column for a moscow newspaper at the time and it got a lot of attention so i decided to apply for a fashion promotion BA in London College of Fashion and got accepted. It sounds like a good course and loads of british top editors/journalists/tv presenters graduated from there, im starting in october. The editor of Russian Harper's Bazaar went there and got the job when she was 21!!!! I really dont know what to expect of it tho. I believe that an education in journalism is useful but definetly not a "must", you can get in with a degree in English or Fashion design or no degree at all. Anna Wintour for example didnt even finish high school

[Lena]

welcome to tFS Fluffer , thanks for the feedback

[Cicciolina]

Thank you UniqueChic! I'm going to start emailing magazines now. Did you organise your work experience yourself or was it through school/uni? As I remember when I was at school I had to take out work experience insurance which my school took care of - as I'm in uni I will have to do this on my own. Where there any other procedures you had to do concerning work experience at magazines? Oh and who would be the best person to ask? Sorry for all the questions *blush*

[roxe]

Hi im just wondering if anyone can give me info Digital/lay out design jobs (art directing?)
What sort of courses would anyone suggest doing- maybe something like graphic design? i am already studying architecture- so i already have quite alot of experience with programs/design.
Again work experience the way to go?

[songbirdsel]

what a great topic! I too have been daydreaming about a career in a fashion through either magazine editor or buyer etc. Im from Melbourne and intersted in getting my foot through the door, do you have any tips?? I noticed you mentioned Sydney for work expirience, are there any good magazines that are based in Melbourne??


Thank you

sel xx

[lara_banana]

well i found out about different magazines from talking to my hairdresser she does hair for most of the major editors. Or eslse another idea is to continuously send out your resume or some sort of essay explaining who you are... and email them around to loads of magazines! or else the other thing i did was got friendly with some shop keepers who hav small name brands and ask if they can give you resume to there PR person and get it out that way!
You've basically jut got to get your name out into the industry....
i hope this helps, because thats all i have done and ive got work experience at a number of magazines in Sydney!