How To Break Into the Entertainment Journalism World

When I left college with seven internships under my belt, I thought I’d be able to become an entertainment journalism editor right away — break news, interview celebrities and live the glamorous life. I found out on day one that would not be the case. I was lucky enough that my final internship had turned into a job offer in New York City. So, the week after college, I made the move five hours south from my hometown. The job was in corporate communications. When I was deciding on internships, I wanted to master my editorial skills so I took any experience possible. However, six months into the job, I wasn’t happy editing newsletters and presenting to internal board members, although I was learning every day. I had started reaching out to small outlets and began freelancing, going to red carpets and teaching myself to do interviews, but I was eager to jump into the celebrity journalism world full-on.

So, I took a risk. I saw a job listing for an Editorial Assistant position for a celebrity news site. I “knew” an editor there — we had spoken on Twitter once or twice — so I reached out via LinkedIn. At first, I didn’t get the job — someone else was more qualified. I understood, knowing I had very little published work and no assistant experience. However, I stayed in touch as they informed me there could be freelance opportunities in the future. Within two weeks, they came back and offered me the position of Editorial Assistant. It turned out that the other person wasn’t the right fit and had moved elsewhere within the company. (Side note: he and I became great friends on my first day and still are today!

That’s how it began. In taking the job and moving from finance to journalism, I took a huge pay cut. By huge, I mean I cut my salary in half. I had saved a bit beforehand, but it was still tough. I spent most nights eating mac and cheese (which I still love, thankfully!) and kept my foot in the door. Being an assistant wasn’t fun, and it definitely wasn’t easy. I cried a lot, most of my work days were 12+ hours, and I had no time for a personal life. To make matters worse, I wasn’t writing or interviewing. I was getting coffee, picking up dry cleaning, and typing emails. The Devil Wears Prada is a movie, but it’s not completely fiction — not in the world of digital media. Regardless, I still managed to make connections wherever possible. I was friendly with every publicist I met, and I always put in the extra leg when I was finally able to write a post or tag along to an event. I made it clear that I wanted to help and was willing to do whatever it took (at any hour of the day). After a year of assistant work, a reporter on the team was leaving and I saw my opening. It was terrifying, but I made the leap. I had to. And it worked.

For the next two years I continued that hard work. I quickly moved up in ranks from reporter to news editor when another position opened, becoming a leader in the newsroom. During this time, I recapped dozens of TV shows and realized my passion wasn’t exactly in celebrity news but in entertainment — specifically TV. I watched hours and hours of TV and was fascinated by the writing, producing, editing and, of course, acting. So, when a position opened up to move away from news writing and into TV writing, I jumped at it. I led the entertainment section for another year until I realized it was time to make another move — out. I had made the connections, solidifying them even further by visiting TV sets, interviewing the creators of some of my favorites including Chicago Fire, The Vampire Diaries, and Younger, and working closely with publicists, networks, and talent alike. I had interviewed everyone from Brad Pitt and George Clooney to Donald Trump — then just a creepy reality television host. The more I did, the more I loved, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to take the next step in my career where I was.

In October 2017, five years after moving to New York City and taking the first of many jumps in my career, I was offered a new position as the TV Editor at a magazine I had been reading for years. They were a trusted publication, loved and respected by celebrities, publicists and networks alike. I went in with a blank canvas and my ideas were not only accepted, but they were also realized and put in motion.

Within the first few months in my new position, I launched a podcast and was pleasantly surprised when television actors, creators, and producers were excited to speak to me, break news with me, and talk about their shows with me. I pushed for representation at the TV Critics Association press tour, where every big television show would appear, and for the first time, the magazine had their very own suite. I booked all of the talent, produced the interviews, and conducted 76 exclusive interviews in just four days. I went on to do the same at San Diego Comic-Con and, to add to that, was even asked to moderate panels.

At the ATX Festival in Austin, Texas, I found myself sitting down with talent such as Penn Badgley, Taylor Kitsch, and the creator of Boy Meets World for interviews about TV and how it’s changed. I also had the honor of being involved in the launch of a new TV show created by two of my favorite actors when I was younger, James Lafferty and Stephen Colletti. They had created their own show and after watching an advance screener, I wanted to do anything I could to build support and help get things in motion. It wasn’t easy, but they followed their dreams, and that is something I could not only relate to but had always admired.

My job now is not an easy one — just like being an assistant wasn’t. I’m still working a lot of hours, unlike the normal nine-to-five of the corporate world. I’m not only watching TV, but it’s my job to figure out what viewers want to know. What questions would they have, and how can I get them the answers?

But it’s also about taking a breath every now and then and allowing yourself to realize that all of that endless hard work is worth it. Last year, a friend and I were at a Comic-Con party surrounded by the biggest stars in television, including the cast and creators of Stranger Things, The Originals, writers I had spent my entire life admiring — and I had to stop for a moment and let it soak in. Just a couple of years earlier I had been all but begging to get into parties, but now I was being invited.

I went from chasing publicists down for interviews to getting pitched by those very same publicists, and then some. I also learned that there’s a difference between being annoying and being persistent, between being eager and being overbearing. I learned not to burn bridges, but not to let people break you down either. That is the biggest struggle I’ve had, and one that I know many people can relate to. But most importantly, I learned to never stop dreaming. It sounds cheesy, sure, but if I hadn’t chased my own dreams I wouldn’t be where I am today. I still have goals and I always will. I’m just getting started.