Moving to New York City, beginning a graduate program, and meeting new people all while navigating the job search? Getting ready to start the NYU Summer Publishing Institute (SPI) is both exciting and daunting for our prospective students! To help answer all of those pressing questions—and more!—we decided to ask last year’s class to talk about their experiences and share the insights they gained along the way.
[Read more…] about Answers from Alumni: 2016 Graduates Respond to Your Frequently Asked Questions
Time Inc.
A Moment at TIME: From a Storied Past to a Digital Present
“Breathe. Look. Learn.” This is a simple business model for weekly reflection according to Justine Simons, Time Inc.’s Coordinating Producer of Video. As part of a company that outshines many of its competitors in its ability to grow and adapt to the ever-evolving environment of technology and social media, Simons and her coworkers have certainly found ways to keep a legacy print magazine relevant in a digital age. During a visit to Time Inc. organized by Edward Felsenthal, the company’s Group Digital Director, News and Lifestyle, NYUSPS MS in Publishing: Digital and Print Media students met with key members of the TIME magazine team and toured the amazing and inclusive new headquarters.
“It can be difficult to slow down and process news when we are constantly receiving phone updates,” said Simons. In response, Sam Jacobs, Executive Editor of TIME Digital, agreed that TIME’s role in the industry is to allow you to “sit back and reflect” on what is happening in the world around us. That said, the editors are scrambling round-the-clock to publish weekly issues. Creative Director D.W. Pine describes “listening and waiting to hear what the cover story is that week,” eyeing that famous red TIME border, and eventually trying multiple cover versions. He always keeps in mind that most people will interact with the cover online or in a social feed. And moments after the cover is completed, it gets animated for Instagram.
The recent move to the Liberty Street headquarters enabled the company to better integrate cultures of both print and digital media. Time Inc. made the decision to move from the Time and Life building—“a 1950s gem,” according to Felsenthal—in some measure for the opportunity to be in a building with an open floor plan. The new building allows the Time Inc. staff across all of its brands to collaborate and work as one integrated team. “This is a far more integrated company than any I have ever worked in,” noted Jacobs. Felsenthal also mentioned that in the old building, you could go for weeks without seeing people from brands other than your own; in the new building, business transactions occur across brands and departments on the staircase every day.
Engagement on multiple levels is key, and Julia Ryan, Senior Audience Strategy Editor at Time Inc., has made it her mission to connect with consumers through as many efficient and direct social media platforms as possible. On average, Time Inc. produces 1,000 pieces of digital content per day, and 44% of Time.com readers fall into the 18-34 age range that is magic to advertisers. Despite digital content moving faster than print, both Ryan and Felsenthal stressed the importance of fact checking all published content. In a world where “fake news” is a buzzword, Felsenthal and his team have upheld the brand’s “commitment to getting facts right.” Though some folks are concerned that careers in media are going through a tumultuous time, the editors of Time Inc. are enormously engaged, passionate, and committed to guiding and welcoming those interested in entering publishing. “This industry is more turbulent, but it is so much more interesting [now]! The last time I was bored,” noted Felsenthal, “was in the nineties.”
by Lexy Alemao
Sharjah International Book Fair: Sharing Words and Worlds
With a call to “raise the voice of peace and moderation and reinforce the call for peace and prosperity” through the dissemination of knowledge, the 2016 Sharjah International Book Fair was underway. These words from His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, leader of Sharjah (one of seven emirates in the UAE), resonated with the four NYU MS in Publishing: Digital and Print Media students sitting in the audience for the opening ceremony. With peace and the sharing of knowledge in mind, fellow students Marina Salamon, Bernadette Deron, Eric Greene, and I spent our six-day trip fully immersing ourselves in the fair’s goals of bridging countries and markets to foster understanding.
[Read more…] about Sharjah International Book Fair: Sharing Words and Worlds
Not on the Lesson Plan: Fall Faculty Fun Facts
Of course, their primary passion is teaching our bright and eager NYU MS in Publishing: Digital and Print Media students. But that’s not to say that the new members of our graduate faculty this fall don’t have some intriguing interests which they pursue outside the classroom and outside their jobs as major publishing leaders. A super nose for wine? Gigs acting and playwriting? How about a previous life naming colors for J. Crew? You name it, we’ve got it in the classroom this fall. Read on to learn some fun facts about your professors.
[Read more…] about Not on the Lesson Plan: Fall Faculty Fun Facts
SPI’s Message in a Bottle
It only took six weeks for our Summer Publishing Institute (SPI) students to become industry experts, to change career paths, to expand their networks—just six weeks to transform from “SPI Students” to “SPI Alumni.” As we say “see you later” (never goodbye!) to our 2016 Class, we wanted to give them a chance to reflect on everything they learned this summer and pass their newfound wisdom on to the next generation. Read on to hear their from-the-heart advice:
Ask Our Alumni: Reflections from SPI 2015 Graduates
Every year at this time, the Summer Publishing Institute inboxes are flooded with emails from prospective students asking about course work, schedules, housing, networking, life in New York and so much more. We understand! Attending SPI is a dream come true for many of our students—one that gets increasingly stressful the more you think about moving to New York, making friends, and landing that first real job in publishing.
Instead of telling you about it, we decided to let the Class of 2015 speak their minds and answer your questions. After all, they were asking the same things just last summer!
[Read more…] about Ask Our Alumni: Reflections from SPI 2015 Graduates
Millennials and Mobile: Inside the Magazine Media 360 Conference
“Millennials can always tell if you’re being disingenuous,” said Evan Spiegel, CEO and Co-Founder of Snapchat.
Millennial (mil·len·ni·al) noun: A person with birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the early 2000s.
These are big words from one of the most successful innovators of the 21st century. It is time to take stock, he said. This is where the media industry is headed—into the hands of twenty and thirty-somethings around the world. [Read more…] about Millennials and Mobile: Inside the Magazine Media 360 Conference
Meet the New Fall Faculty: Bios and Big Surprises
In case you need a (sort of) professional DJ, calligrapher, or pastry chef, look no further! The faculty members of the NYU M.S. in Publishing: Digital and Print Media have many talents. While teaching is primary on their agenda this fall, they are skilled in a wide range of areas. Check out not only the professional achievements, but some “fun facts” about the new faculty joining our distinguished roster of leading publishing executives in classrooms this semester.
[Read more…] about Meet the New Fall Faculty: Bios and Big Surprises
Reflections from 2014 SPI Alumni
Every spring, our inboxes are clogged – in a good way! – with emails from all of you, prospective students of the Summer Publishing Institute checking in. You are talented, eager, full of great questions. So what is SPI really like? Can I hear from alumni? What kind of career help will I get? We understand: It’s The Dream of every word and book lover. We had (and followed) that dream too: Move to New York. Make friends. Learn the industry. Land my first publishing job. It’s all possible at SPI. But don’t just take it from us. Hear what members of the Class of 2014 say about their experiences: [Read more…] about Reflections from 2014 SPI Alumni
Class Acts: Fall Faculty Factoids
Mixologist? Cruciverbalist? (That’s a crossword enthusiast, in case you were wondering!) Yes, new fall faculty in the M.S. in Publishing: Digital and Print Media program are experts in these areas as well as more mundane pursuits such as long-distance running, ballroom dancing and acting. Did we mention collage art? Read on to learn more about the senior publishing executives joining our renowned faculty this semester and how they distinguish themselves outside the classroom: [Read more…] about Class Acts: Fall Faculty Factoids