Looking back at the internship that proved my dream was real.
I picked up my first copy of Seventeen India, the Indian edition of the American teen magazine, at 13. I was an instant fan of the bright, glossy pages filled with Indian and American content. In the dial-up internet era, Seventeen was my window to everything the ‘cool’ teenagers were talking about – from fashion and beauty to lifestyle and pop culture. Admiring the beautiful clothes, bags and shoes featured in the magazine was the next best thing to owning them. I savoured every page throughout the month and waited with palpable anticipation for the next issue. Little did I know I would be behind the scenes in just a few years.
Cold Outreach Before LinkedIn
An article in the magazine introduced me to the idea of summer internships. My ambition to be a writer, fuelled by a fantasy inspired by reading The Devil Wears Prada, motivated me to intern at Seventeen India.
I didn’t know anyone in publishing, nor did I have a referral or contact details. All I had was a Facebook account and the magazine’s masthead. I looked up the names of some of the department heads and sent them a message. There was no strategic plan, just curiosity and the confidence that comes from not having much to lose. What’s the worst that could happen? They wouldn’t reply, and I’d continue being a student.
To my surprise, I received a response from the magazine’s publisher herself. Thus began my journey with Seventeen India as an Editorial Intern in the Features department in April 2008.
Learning How the Editorial Machine Works
Seventeen India shared its office with sister publication L’Officiel India, a luxury fashion magazine. The atmosphere wasn’t very different from what was portrayed in The Devil Wears Prada movie, albeit with the glamour quotient turned a few notches down to reality.
As someone who dodges phone calls, it was ironic that one of my earliest tasks was updating the Public Relations list. I spent a couple of afternoons calling the offices of lifestyle brands to confirm the contact details of their media representatives. On the surface, it may have been mundane work typically shoved to the lowest rung. But it cleared a misconception early on – writing isn’t a solitary profession. Every article involves communication – whether it’s to source products, engage personalities, get a quote or hire professionals like photographers. It was an uncomfortable truth I couldn’t deny if I wanted to build a career in writing.
In the edition planning meetings, I learned what it means to ideate for an editorial publication. Just having a topic isn’t enough; one also needs to find the angle that makes it relevant to the audience. I sensed the power of editorial decisions – being the one to decide what readers should know, and the responsibility of writing with sensitivity for an impressionable audience. Every month began with intangible ideas that turned into tangible pages over a couple of weeks.
Glamour Built on Grind
Among my most memorable shoots is one we did for a feature story with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of India. We brought to reality a young girl’s fashion shoot aspirations. As she basked in the limelight, her teary-eyed but beaming parents looked on from behind the camera.
My first celebrity shoot was with Kangana Ranaut. While several celebrity encounters followed in my career, the first time you’re inches away from one isn’t something you forget. This is someone you’ve only seen on screen. To be close enough to see their skin’s texture shifts your perspective, and suddenly, they become just another human being.
Behind the glamorous shoots lay a framework of dreary logistics – from aligning schedules to filing reimbursement claims. I also met every creative professional’s worst enemy – the budget. What begins as a grand vision is inevitably compromised along the way to obey the balance sheet.
Sourcing products for shoots was among my favourite tasks. Visiting stores to collect products felt like shopping without spending money. However, it came with the burden of accountability. I kept a mental inventory at all times, hovered around the people handling the product, stopped breathing when a stain came dangerously close and relaxed only after it was returned.
A Series of Firsts
My name appeared in print for the first time as part of shoot credits. It was in a tiny font and hidden away in the inner margin, swallowed by the binding. Yet, I’d tasted the intoxication of seeing my name in print. It’s a thrill that doesn’t wear off even after years of bylines, and one that digital media simply cannot replicate.
The summer internship turned into a part-time job that I juggled with my second year in college – attending classes in the morning and reporting to work in the afternoon. After months of working as an unpaid intern, I finally earned my first salary as an Editorial Assistant. Its purchase value may have been meagre, but it was an invaluable first step to financial autonomy.
My first ‘real’ editorial responsibility was the Little Black Book, a 10-page section curating the latest in entertainment and lifestyle. Along with assisting the features team, I spent the month putting together the Little Black Book – selecting themes and recommendations, collecting images and writing the copy.
Gaining a Holistic Approach
The editor rewrote most of my copy. Initially, I was dejected – assuming a rewrite meant I wasn’t a good writer. I would scan the edit line by line to decode the changes. When I noticed that my thought was retained but rewritten to be tighter and aligned with the brand tone, I began to understand the editor’s point of view. Comparing both versions became part of my process, and I came to terms with the editor’s mandatory role in a writer’s life.
When the design team was short-staffed, I volunteered to help with the Little Black Book’s page layouts. Adobe InDesign became my new playground. After my work was done, I would hang around the graphic designers’ desks to observe their work and the tools they used. That time spent dabbling in design gives me an edge in today’s multi-media content market, enabling me to create visuals to accompany the copy I write.
From Dream to Drive
Somewhere between tracking products at shoots and staying past midnight to meet print deadlines, I started feeling like an insider. My life became entwined with the production cycle – a monthly loop of racing to send the edition to print and working on the next. From loyal reader to being on the team, the joy of holding a shiny new issue hadn’t changed, only become greater. Now, behind the new-magazine smell and still-warm-from-the-printer pages were weeks of personal toil.
When I decided to pursue a career in writing, I didn’t know whether it was a daydream or something sturdier. This internship became the litmus test. A superficial aspiration would have collapsed under the weight of college lectures, group projects, and work commitments. Coffee can’t fuel you through a demanding schedule the way passion can. When my words were rewritten, it motivated me to do better. The monthly issue-closing chaos felt less like stress and more like an adrenaline rush. My ambition had survived contact with reality.
Some internships reveal misalignment, but I gained direction. It shaped my understanding of teamwork and my tolerance for pressure. Taking ownership of sections introduced me to my aptitude for editorial leadership. I realised my inclination went beyond words. I was drawn to the entire ecosystem of turning ideas into tangible form. Feeling in my element amidst Word docs, page layouts and printouts for proofreading made me certain I want to build a career with words and have been doing so ever since.
