Megan Hess

What do you do?
I’m a digital editor at Scholastic Parent & Child magazine, where I manage the magazine’s iPad app. This includes brainstorming unique content ideas; assigning, editing, and writing articles; and converting text into app format on a weekly basis. I also run the magazine’s Twitter account and am helping to re-launch its website.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
I learned to keep a networking notebook (well, a spreadsheet on Google Docs), which tracks of all my contacts in the industry from magazine professors to editors at internships. I list their names, positions/workplaces, email addresses, how I know them, and whatever we last talked about. That way, when I follow up later, I remember to ask about their vacation in Hawaii.

My favorite magazine story is:
"The Silent Season of a Hero," by Gay Talese. I usually can’t get through sports writing, so this speaks volumes about how a good writer can make a topic appeal to anyone. I’m also a big fan of Sam Anderson, now at the New York Times magazine.

Janel Martinez

What do you do?
I am the producer of digital media at Black Enterprise, the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. I focus primarily on news and our BE Next channel, which is geared towards entrepreneurs, business executives, and thought leaders between the ages of 21 and 35. However, I do a little bit of everything: researching, pitching, interviewing and of course writing articles and producing galleries for the site.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was...
Let's make it two. Helped spearhead two niche publications: The Black Voice and La Voz. Stepped out of my comfort zone and took a photojournalism for majors course. While I often second-guessed my decision to take the course that semester, I can now see how beneficial it was since I often use skills learned during that course daily. I edit my own images on Photoshop, can shoot with a high-powered digital camera on assignment and, if need be, can edit sound.

My favorite magazine story is:
This is a really difficult question. Honestly, this is like asking a parent which child is their favorite. (Yes, it's that serious for me.) But if I were to choose one on my list of favorites it would have to be "The Mean Girls of Morehouse" by Aliya S. King. Issues surrounding the LGBTQ community are very hush-hush in communities of color but the Vibe feature not only shed light on a group of transgender students -- The Plastics -- at the nation's only all-male historically Black institution, it also forced current students, faculty and others  to have a much-needed discussion on gender and acceptance. It was an eye-opening piece, to say the least.

Sharon Clott

What do you do?
I am the Fashion News Editor at InStyle.com. I write, edit, and manage the news blog, which means I publish between 8 and 15 articles a day, working with a team of writers, photo editors, and assistants. Just the blog section of InStyle.com gets millions of views a month.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
Network with other students. I gained a lot of knowledge from building relationships with the people in my classes and clubs. I was the president of Ed2010 and I was the editor-in-chief of Equal Time, and I learned so much about writing, editing, interpersonal relationships, and deadlines from my peers and constant practice -- things my professor could only tell me, but not show me. After I left school, I maintained these relationships, as we're all in the industry together and rising together. My college peers are often the ones who tell me about job openings for amazing positions that you would never see posted on a job board.

My favorite magazine story is:
Don't have one! My favorite part of a magazine is the FOB section -- short, quick articles that you can digest quickly. That's why I fit well in a web job!

Lindsay Silberman

What do you do?
I'm a Staff Editor at TVGuide.com where I write breaking news stories about celebrities, TV, and the entertainment industry as a whole. If a celebrity gets divorced, snags a new role, gets skinny, gets fat, get married, or dies ... you can bet I'm writing about it. I also get the chance to attend premieres and do red carpet interviews for feature stories on shows and films. I'm heavily involved in the social media aspect of our site, and am the resident Social TV reporter, which is quickly becoming a hot trend in the industry.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was...
Form an unbelievable bond with my professors, Melissa Chessher and Bill Glavin. Melissa is someone I will continue to turn to throughout my career, and even though Bill is no longer with us, his influence had an everlasting impact on me as an individual, and as a journalist.

My favorite magazine is...
a toss-up between GQ and New York Mag. They're equally snarky, smart, and thought-provoking -- with the perfect balance of humor and hard-hitting journalism. As for favorite articles:
This because it made me laugh: Crashing the Club, GQ
This because it made me cry: The Encyclopedia of 9/11, New York
This because it's an unbelievably well-written profile about an unexpected subject: Freak, GQ

Ivy Tan

What do you do?
I'm a web producer at Details, where my work entails building content for Details.com, collaborating with editors to determine how in-book pieces and online features will look on the website, assisting in social media callouts to drive traffic to the site, as well as managing a small staff of interns. I'm also always on the lookout for new and exciting writing and editing projects to tackle on my downtime!

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
decide to major in magazines instead of newspapers. Just kidding!! One of the best things I did at Newhouse was get to know professors with whom I closely connected. Their mentorship will continue to be invaluable as I find my footing in this industry. I'm also really glad I took this TRF 3-D animation class -- it allowed me to feel more technologically competent, if only for a semester!

My favorite magazine story is:
I have a few favorites, but I especially love the longer feature stories in New York Magazine. I also really enjoyed the profile that Esquire ran last year on Philip Roth, who is one of my favorite authors of all time. 

Amity Zlangbatay Magi Paye

What do you do?
I am the Web Manager and Internship Coordinator for the New York Amsterdam News, the oldest and largest black newspaper in New York City, and one of the oldest ethnic papers in the country. I interview and hire interns for each of the departments of the paper and then help them get adjusted once they begin their work. But the bulk of my work is as web manager where I manage amsterdamnews.com, the paper's website that I redesigned in my last semester studying at Newhouse. One thing young readers want is immediate news, so while I have been training our staff to use the website, some of my work as web manager also revolves around reporting on and posting breaking news. In the last few months that meant covering the earthquake that rocked NYC, Hurricane Irene, and a building collapse in the heart of Harlem. More recently it means covering the protests on Wall Street against corporate greed and the many protests across New York City that march to Wall Street in solidarity with their cause. 

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
work for the Daily Orange, where I learned firsthand about breaking news and on-deadline reporting. These skills were enforced by many of the classes I took (mag writing, news writing, etc.) and they are the reason I can report and run the website as I do now. I have also found that the graphic design 101 class that I took my sophomore year helped get me started working on computers in a much more detailed and professional way.

My favorite magazine story is:
"The Things that Carried Him" by Chris Jones (Esquire), because it's haunting and beautifully told and represents the type of research I one day want to be able to put into my stories.

Molly Gittell Gallagher

What do you do?
I am an Editorial Assistant at ELLE DECOR magazine. I fact-check front-of-book, back-of-book, and well stories. I also write captions for a portion of the well stories and online slide shows.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
The best thing I did at Newhouse was serve as the editor-in-chief of Zipped. It was instrumental in helping me become the editor I am today. Also, learning from my professors. Professor Chessher, Glavin, Brown, and Shahin instilled in me how to write concise, engaging, and to-the-point pieces.

My favorite magazine story is:
I will never forget Professor Glavin sitting at the front of the classroom in the ¿Glavin Lab¿ discussing how monumental ¿Frank Sinatra has a Cold¿ was¿for both its innovation and observation methods. Last week I read ¿What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?¿ in the New York Times magazine. It was the first long-form piece I read entirely online, which is not usually an easy task.

Caitlin Dewey

What do you do?
I'm the web content producer at Kiplinger's Personal Finance, where I pitch,
write and produce traffic-driving projects and work on new media initiatives. I'm also a freelance writer and an amateur zine-editor.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
edit 20 Watts, R.I.P. Running a student magazine made me cynical and bossy and perpetually stressed-out. But it also taught me huge, life-changing lessons about writing, the Internet, and working with other people. I probably never thought I'd say this at the time, but I kind of miss editing music stories in the library at 4 a.m.

My favorite magazine story is:
This is an impossible question! I took Professor Chessher's advice and started a binder of my favorite magazine stories, but a couple stand out: "The Long, Long, Long Road to Fargo" (NYT mag), "My Father, The Spy" (Esquire), and pretty much everything Paul Ford writes.

Shira Savada

What do you do?
I'm the Real Weddings Editor at Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. I handle all of the wedding submissions, produce the weddings we cover, and write about real weddings on our website. I also cover the registry, stationery, and calligraphy markets and develop and produce stories for the magazine.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
Can I do a three-way tie? Taking Mag 205, where i learned the bare bones, asked lots of questions, and got to research and write a 25-page paper about a magazine I was genuinely interested in. Working in the computer lab, where I continued to teach myself Adobe InDesign and Photoshop and learn from the graphics students ¿ this has given me a great advantage throughout my journalism career. And taking Mag 409 Advanced Editing. Working with my classmates in a staff-like environment and creating a magazine from start to finish was an amazing experience.

My favorite magazine story is:
I don't have a favorite, but overall it's a story that visually draws me in and keeps me reading. There have been some great pieces in Esquire, New York, and Real Simple that I've read many times over.

Gregory Miller

What do you do?
I'm the editorial assistant in the features (entertainment and culture) department of The New York Post, which creates Page Six Magazine; Alexa, the fashion broadsheet; various special magazines and supplements; as well as the daily features section of the paper.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
head up the award-winning student magazine, Jerk as editor-in-chief. The experience of running a 60-person staffed monthly publication with gazillions of meetings and deadlines a week was completely exhausting and completely worth every minute spent. As great as my internships were, Jerk is where I learned to put my money where my mouth is.

My favorite magazine story is:
"Dying to Come Out" from the February 2007 issue of GQ. Aside from Disney Adventures, GQ is the magazine I have most consistently subscribed to. When this issue came in the mail, the first thing I did was praise Jesus for Jake Gyllenhaal's eyes. The second thing I did was flip to the story for which the cover line "Dying to Come Out: Gay In Iraq" referred. As a gay 16 year-old, I thought living in rural Virginia was tough, but my heart broke for the gay Iraqi struggle profiled with such care by Gareth McConnell. The piece inspired me on both a personal and a professional level.

Andrea Lavinthal

What do you do?
Online Style & Beauty Director at Us Weekly

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
Two things:
1. Get to know my professors outside of the classroom and
2. Join the Student Voice staff. Not only did it give me a chance to work with my fellow magazine students, but it also taught me about deadlines, idea generation and what constitutes compelling content.

My favorite magazine story is:
That I wrote or that I've read? If it's one that I wrote, it would be "Wasted in Margaritaville," which was about my spring break experience in Acapulco. If it's a story by someone else, it would be "Till Whatever Do Us Part," by Rachael Combe which appeared in the Sept 2010 issue of Elle magazine. Brilliant piece about what it means to make a lifetime commitment in an age of instant gratification.

Allison Baker

What do you do?
I¿m the associate nutrition editor at SELF magazine. I write and edit articles on healthy eating, diet and recipes. I also write food blogs for SELF.com and contribute to our new iPad app.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
The best thing I did at Newhouse was co-write a profile of Jeff Guerin, a local soldier who was seriously injured in Afghanistan. Getting to know Jeff and his family and having the opportunity to tell their story was a privilege. It is still one of the most rewarding things I¿ve done. (Allie and fellow magazine alumna Julianne Pepitone won the feature-writing category in Rolling Stone magazine's 28th Annual College Journalism Competition with the profile they co-wrote.)

My favorite magazine story is:
My favorite magazine story is ¿Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.¿ I know that will be a popular answer among Newhouse alums, but one of the reasons I love it so much is that it will always remind me of my time at Newhouse and discovering great journalism.

Christen Brandt

What do you do?
By day, I work at Parents magazine as an editorial assistant: researching stories, interviewing sources, answering the phones. On nights and weekends, I switch hats and work as executive director of She's the First, a not-for-profit dedicated to girls' education.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
The best thing I did at Newhouse was get involved in student publications. By the time I graduated, I had honed my skills in editing, design, time management, and leadership.

My favorite magazine story is:
My favorite magazine story of all time changes frequently! The last one that really challenged and moved me was an Esquire profile of Newt Gingrich last fall: The Indispensable Republican, by John H. Richardson.

Julianne Pepitone

What do you do?
I'm a staff reporter at CNNMoney.com, where I currently cover "mid-size tech" like Amazon and Yahoo -- as well as media, e-commerce, private-company stock trading, and content. Before I was assigned to the tech beat, I covered health care reform as well as a wide variety of general business and economic news.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
The best thing I did at Newhouse was the NEW 305 project, which introduced me to my longtime friend and current roommate, Allie Baker. Allie and I were assigned to write a profile of a soldier critically wounded in Afghanistan. It was an emotionally taxing experience, but well worth it; we worked with students all across Newhouse, from photojournalists to news editors to designers.

My favorite magazine story is:
My favorite magazine story is: "The Wronged Man," by Anthony Corsello. It reads like a novel, but it's a true story -- which makes it twice as haunting. It's stuck with me for years since.

Dara Keithley

What do you do?
I am the Assistant Managing Editor at Marie Claire. I create and maintain the editorial schedules and make sure the issue is put together with advertising and is shipped to the printer on time.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
The best thing I did at Newhouse was switch my major to Magazine Journalism and take Advanced Editing. Putting together a real magazine with my classmates was such an important learning experience--I felt ready to work in the industry.

My favorite magazine story is:
My favorite magazine story is...actually an entire issue. I really look forward to and love reading New York Magazine's "Reasons to Love New York" issues. They remind me about the specialness of my hometown.

Alexandra Martell

What do you do?
I'm a producer and community moderator at NYMag.com. I recap Top Chef and the Amazing Race, write as many food-based stories for holiday/seasonal guides as I can, produce section pages on everything from news to travel, edit other section pages, moderate user comments across all the blogs and magazine articles, manage three Twitter feeds, and work on whatever special products are going on at the time. And that's a slow week.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
I made friends with people in my major (magazine) and stayed close with them after graduation. It's great to have a support network of people who understand everything that you do, and as a bonus you've got a great bunch of people you won't feel awkward talking to when you're looking for a new job.

My favorite magazine story is:
Many apologies to the late, great Professor Glavin, but my favorite story is not "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold." I have to go with the story that really made New York my favorite magazine, "The Independent Republic of New York." It took a fairly serious look at what would happen if New York seceded from the rest of the country when the RNC was planning to meet in the city in 2004, but it's always relevant, and a must-read for any New Yorker.

Shilpa Prabhakar

What do you do?
I'm a fashion assistant at InStyle. I work on all the celebrity cover and fashion feature shoots. My job entails working with the fashion director, market director and stylist to coordinate what looks will be sent on each shoot and also traveling to the some shoots and working on set with the stylist and celebs. I also work on all the front of books fashion stories calling in merchandise for each specific page.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
co-found Zipped magazine!

My favorite magazine story is:
That¿s too hard! I can't name one but I'd say most of my favorites almost always come from Esquire.

Natalie Tebbi

What do you do?
We're essentially a start up, so my job is still being developed. Right now I mostly work with FlipBoard, an iPad app. I tweet content from OWN, Harpo and O Magazine, and it appears in the app neatly laid out like a magazine. I also help with research and a little , etc. for the new team.

The best thing I did at Newhouse was ...
Take Mag 408. It taught me to be precise and gave me a good sense of what I'd be facing in the industry.

My favorite magazine story is:
I don't really have one. I love profiles in Esquire, quirky B.O.B. pieces in Mental Floss, and an article on insults and self-image that was in Allure years ago, but I don't have a distinct favorite.