Posts of the Day 8.5.07

Entertainment Reporter
Us Weekly magazine (and that's Us weekly not U.S. weekly for those of you who missed the Fashionista diaries)
Ideal candidate will have at least three plus years' experience as an entertainment and/or celebrity reporter and editor, preferably at a weekly magazine.

Web News Editor
Fox News Channel (interesting considering the below post, Sign up now if you wanna work for Murdoch!)
Qualified candidates should have daily news experience, along with some knowledge of basic web production, photoshop, video players, and wire service style/standards. Shift hours, days and location are very stable, but offer an excellent opportunity for advancement. These positions can lead to website or broadcast opportunities in organization's New York headquarters or national bureaus.

Yup

According to reports, the Bancroft family has decided to cash out, accepting a $60-a-share offer for Dow Jones stock from News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch.

MSNBC reports.

Posts of the Day 7.23.07

Assistant Copy Editor/Writer for Web and Print
Grammys
Heavy copy-editing/proofing of Web content, Academy publications, press releases and other items.

Freelance Writers (posted in ed2010 newsletter)
WSAToday magazine
WSA is looking for a fashion-forward, and in-the-know college student or recent graduate. Paid gig--would help to know Adobe Photoshop or other graphics programs. Email resumes with a brief cover letter to editor@wsatoday.com.

Posts of the Day 7.22.07

I thought it would be easier to find relevant job postings to post everyday--but I guess the limited amount just reflects how hard it is to get an editorial job in L.A. I'll do my best to list as much as possible.

Arts and Entertainment Reporter
L.A. Downtown News
I've seen a lot of job postings for this publication which makes me think they're growing. Also--if you live near USC or downtown this might be a great opportunity to work near home.

Production Editor
ArtistDIRECT.com
It's kind of a music download site along with content. Great if you want to get into Online media and have a love of music.

Editorial Manager
Shout! Factory
Candidate would report to the VP of production and get to work with people within the music industry.

Posts of the Day 7.17.07

Marketing Communications Associate
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
If you are passionate about gay rights this would be a great gig for you. Make sure you know your stuff, meaning if the name "Stonewall" doesn't mean anything to you, this may not be your gig.

Associate Editor
Canon Communications
Both of these CanCom jobs have been listed for a while. They are a B2B who covers everything from design to industrial materials. Not the most exciting topics but salary range is 45,000 it's not too shabby. Apply for the associate position if you have a year of editorial in your belt.

Assistant Editor
Canon Communications

Assistant Editor
Nielsen Business Media
If you like music this may be for you. The candidate would "Supporting Urban/Rhythmic Editor in helping to create and or provide editorial content in the Urban, Urban AC, Gospel and Rhythmic formats for any and all products published by Radio & Records"

Online Production Assistant
American Public Media
Anyone ever tell you you have a face for radio? This position is heavy on news and production.

Finding the Key Words for your Perfect Job

I know where you're at. I've been there. You just graduated college and you're looking for your first editorial job. One that isn't just a gig to compile clips but a job where someone will pay you a salary to do what you love. Now, there aren't that many opportunities in Los Angeles to work as an editor so like a starved alley cat you pounce on anything that seems like it could have remote possibility of starting your editorial career (or something that will keep you eating while you work on your literary masterpiece). Either way many of us rush into situations where we end up doing things we never wanted to do just for a few bucks and a few by-lines.

So when looking for jobs online, here are the best ways to ensure the listings you are looking at are what you are truly looking for:

Beware the Internships
You've graduated, you're moving on and you have student loans to think about. No matter how enticing it may seem to take a non-paid internship at this point just say no. It's time you move up to the big leagues. If you were smart in college, you had internships, you wrote clips for webzines and college papers the time is now to look towards your real goal. Larger companies especially--once you are an intern you better be ready to work long and hard for even the smallest by-line. And if you are hoping and praying that MAYBE just MAYBE an editorial assistant position will open up and you'll be the obvious choice remember: They HAVE to advertise the position. They HAVE to interview people and give everyone a fair chance. So even if you've been busting your ass all summer hoping your hard work will pay off they may look past you at a more qualified candidate. It's business after all not a charity.

Ignore the Sales Associate Positions
Unless you've come to the staunch realization that you need money and you need it NOW don't EVER EVER EVER things that just because you are a sales associate it will lead to bigger, brighter and more creative things. It's much easier to get a sales job at a big name publication than it is an editorial job and the sales team and the editorial team (at any good publication) are in completely different worlds (our sales office is 60 miles away). And if you do a good job they aren't going to want to move you to editorial--sales is where the money is and as long as you're making money they'll want to keep you there. Also, as a sales associate you can be pretty expendable. So only take sales positions if you are hoping to make enough money to have time to work on other freelance projects on the side.

Read the fine print
Want to make sure you'll be doing tasks you're interested in and actually learn something to take with you onto the next job? Don't be blinded by the company name and title READ THE JOB DESCRIPTION. What if there is something in there you just know you'll HATE doing? What if the publication you are looking into is solely online and you wanted to work in print? There could be a multitude of things like, data collection, answering phones, inventory, picking up lunch that will make the day to day of your job miserable. And if it is written in the description when you sign onto the new job you have absolutely no right to gripe about it. It's there in plain black and white and you agreed to it when you took on the position.

Have a Salary in Mind
Do some research, find out how much entry level is for the position you are applying for then budget how much you need to cover your cost of living. They will ask you in your interview how much you'll be expecting so be prepared. They may want to negotiate but that's fine, knowing how much your services are worth are important. If you are confident in the figure you present, they'll know you're worth every penny. Ed2010 posts a salary report that can help you with your research. It also wouldn't hurt to ask about their vacation and benefits package. Don't just take any job, you're going to bust your ass for them they should compensate you fairly.

Last but Most Important: Don't Rush It
I know this is advice that is hard to swallow but before you regret it, take time when looking for a job. Just because you get an interview and the word "editor" appears somewhere in the title doesn't mean this job is right for you. There are a lot of shady business out here in Los Angeles, and if you feel you are sacrificing something big to do this job than it's probably not worth it. You have to feel comfortable not just excited when walking away from an interview knowing that the company in question is reliable and will serve as the foundation for what will be friends, a very rewarding and bright career.

RealTALK Can't Walk the Walk

After proudly (or loudly?) announcing its presence this spring -- claiming to be Los Angeles's newest, hippest and 'real-ist' publication -- it seems as if RealTALK LA has failed to live up to the hype.

The print edition was late, the site is still in beta (it often has loading errors), I haven't seen this month's magazine on stands (come to think of it, I never saw the first one), they only have ONE editor working on the site (have gone through 2 editorial assistants since I've collaborated with them) and I have not seen or heard anything about my article...nor have I gotten paid (but that's probably asking too much).

I remember back in the day (this was in April) when I saw the postings asking for contributors. I quickly jumped on the chance to write for this new and what seemed very exciting publication. I submitted my resume and cover letter, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

I hadn't heard back from them when I started seeing the billboards up all over town. I figured they'd passed my resume off and decided against asking for pitches but one fateful day I received and email from an editorial assistant over at RealTALK saying that their web editor wanted me to come in for an interview and pitch.

I was over the moon with excitement. I emailed her back immediately saying I'd love to come in and how excited I was for the opportunity. The emails I received back from the editor were very curt and unprofessional which, you would think, would have had me worrying about the publication, but I brushed my worries aside to focus on the opportunity I was being awarded instead.

It was only after the editor had canceled on me and rescheduled multiple times that I started to doubt. I eventually called her to find out when we would be meeting (she seemed surprised over the phone), we ended up chatting for a bit and I sent over writing samples for her to study and get back to me.

Ten days later she did and we agreed upon a topic and word count and I sent it over. No edits were sent back (though requested) no feedback...nothing.

They also lost my writer contract and w-9 twice (they attributed it to the turn-over).

Now, I'm not the only other person to notice this. Kate Coe over at mediabistro's FishBowlLA brought up the fact that several freelancers have yet to get paid (making me think...HEY wait a minute...) and LA Observed has been tracking the problems over there for a while even hinting at the demise of the publication, much to the chagrin of the Jay Levin, who had his assistant send over an email to refute any rumors.

Levin addressed these concerns in an interview with the Christian Science Monitor (which, obviously I read everyday) saying that they were "restructuring."

Well Mr. Levin I'm ready to get real, and there's nothing more real than a by-line and a paycheck. If three months isn't enough, how much longer do I have to wait?

Is it enough?

I’ve always written, as a hobby, as a way to relive boredom, as a way to stay sane. I’d never taken it very seriously, it was just this thing I did. Writers, those people who got paid to write, were other people. It never crossed my mind that I could do this professionally.

I was going to be a lawyer. My family is full of lawyers. They make very good money, they have very nice houses, their days bill out in an endless progression of six-minute increments. This is where I was headed, working towards a safe, respectable career that would bring me a safe, respectable lifestyle with a safe, respectable family.

Writing for yourself is great if you can do it. I can’t. I need feedback from people, I need to know people are reading my work or I lose interest. Two years ago I started posting some of what I had written on the Internet. I got lucky and I caught the attention of some very smart, very motivated people.

“I’m starting a company” he said “I want you onboard.”

The writing game can be funny. I write well which landed me a job as an editor. I do development. I do public relations, I plan events. I do everything, in fact, but write.

I fell into this, I understand on every level how lucky I am. I work with great authors who I respect and, just between you and me, who I’m a little intimidated by. I work for a young, dynamic company that I believe in, but is it enough?

I never believed in being a lawyer. Law is, as a friend put it, “the last refuge for the smart but uncreative”. Law school was an easy plan to walk away from.

I love the people I work with and I love the company I work for. But using my writing as a way into a glorious life as an editor was never what I intended. Once I put away my plans for law school something happened. I put away my plans to settle. Now I wake up at six am every morning to write for an hour before my day starts. Somewhere along the way I started to think I could be a writer.

I hope to document the mistakes I’ve made here as well as the few things I’ve done right. The last two years have shown me that life is too long to do something you don’t believe in and yet, very few people take a shot at what they’re passionate about. I hope my experience can, in some small way, help others out. Or maybe it will just be good for a laugh, we’ll see.