Creating Opportunities - Interning at Dolly
Roving reporter Dana took her obsession with Dolly magazine and scored herself an internship in the magazine's offices.
Let's just say I’m a little obsessed with Dolly. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I love Dolly.
As a twenty-year-old, I’m not ashamed to say that I still have about four years' worth of issues stacked away in my wardrobe from my days as a reader. In my final year of journalism I knew exactly where I wanted to go to gain some serious industry experience. So I took that whim and applied.
What drew me to Dolly? Well, without sounding slightly corny, it’s my love of all things teenage girl. I’m passionate about the issues that affect teenagers. I love the fashion, the beauty and most importantly the celebrity devotion that Dollywood offers its readers. I’d happily take over Entertainment Editor Emma’s job any day.
But don’t sit there and scroll down the screen thinking that this is yet another Ugly Betty scenario, where the hopeless girl goes from drab to fab in a mere day or two. Oh no.
As I expected, my time at Dolly showed me what a hard business the world of magazines is. They save the gloss for the printed pages and keep the dedicated workers in the office at all hours under threat of deadline. Even so, it’s an environment I just couldn’t get enough of.
Becoming an intern
As an intern within the features department I set to work helping in any way possible. I researched everything from statistics and beauty quotes to celebrity abnormalities. I had to read the local and international newspapers and tabloids to gain a grasp of what’s out there, and generally kept my ear open for all things quirky and teenage girl.
If I learned anything at Dolly, it's how important being aware of current issues and the state of the world really is. You never know where that new foreign policy may lead you when brainstorming story ideas. If it’s topical, chances are that teenaged girls could interact with the story in some way of another.
I sub-edited reader rants, sourced vox pops and did the odd interview. I was quick to realise that my dislike of the phone is one thing I’ve got to change if I’m serious about breaking into this career. But most of all I was drenched with pop culture, which is one field in which many say I’d make quite the expert.
Reality check
The one thing you need to know about magazines is that it’s not all fun and games. The copious hours spent in front a computer are draining. There are only so many times you can read an article before wanting to throw it out the window into the traffic of Sydney’s Park Street.
But perseverance is key, with many of the current staff at Dolly citing brain-numbing work experience as their way into the publishing dream.
You have to really love magazines to cope in that office. My time in the features department saw many girls come in for work experience only to sit around with expressions of boredom. They were only wasting their time.
Why sit back and blend into the wallpaper? The only way to get a feel for something is to get your hands dirty and do some work. With so much to be done in a day of magazine production, I’m sure that little phrase ‘can I help you with anything?’ would be really appreciated...
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