Please keep in mind that this year we’re looking for people with a deep interest and passion in their applied area - not necessarily someone with magazine experience. Through these applications we need you to show us that you are an authority on whatever aspect of the magazine that you are apply for. Please keep in mind that em Magazine is an involved organization that requires a solid commitment and in return offers a great addition to your resume as well as ample opportunity for growth. Read through the below positions thoroughly before applying. If there are any questions concerning what we’re asking for please do not hesitate to ask. These applications are due no later than 8pm on Sunday, January 22nd. We will be scheduling interviews for this upcoming week, in addition to the application materials asked for below, please include your class schedules. We will send out our response on Monday night.
For all applied positions, please make the subject “em Magazine - DESIRED POSITION.” Please attach any samples, resumes, or additional materials as a .doc or .docx, rather than a .pdf.
Writing Positions:All writer applicants are required to submit a one-page maximum detailed cover letter explaining why you want to be a part of em Magazine and why you want your applied section; a resume with relevant experience; two writing samples; and any additional material that you believe shows your voice and experience
Emerson Section (seeking 4 writers): This person should be someone with an understanding of the inner-workings of Emerson College — someone who knows what questions to ask an Emerson alum, someone who is familiar with the sub-cultures of Emerson, someone who is aware of the happenings around campus. This person should have an interest and talent for interviewing.
Looks Section (3): This person should not only be a great writer with a strong voice, but also knowledgeable about the fashion industry, trends, and designers. They should be able to provide authoritative commentary on the fashion world and be aware of how to write about fashion and design in a way that goes beyond the trends and focuses on the way in which style influences the world around us. This position is more of a time commitment, as the writer will be required to attend photoshoots to learn more about the clothing they will be writing about. This section is also looking for one writer with an interest and knowledge in the health and fitness field.
Relationships Section (4-5): This person should have an understanding that articles in this section look beyond the surface of basic relationship writing. We’re looking for writers with a strong personal voice who will be able to offer material that reflects their own voice, but also the voice of em Magazine. This person should have experience with college relationships and should be able to provide a refreshing and witty take. In addition, this person should be comfortable and experienced in interviewing people on personal subjects. We’re looking for outgoing individuals who do not have qualms asking personal questions.
Features Section (3): Writers in this section should feel extremely comfortable with the interviewing process and open to experimenting with potentially unconventional interviewing methods. All writers will be responsible with 1-2 articles from start to finish. These individuals should be self starters, well organized, have a strong voice, and ready to bring serious stories to life. Ideal applicants should have an understanding of what magazine feature writing is, in contrast to newspaper.
Entertainment Section (1): We’re looking for writers who have an understanding and interest in pop culture. It’s important that this writer is aware of more than just what is “hot” at the moment, but is able to predict growing trends in entertainment. We’re looking for writers who have a specific area of interest and are able to speak authoritatively and critically on that interest. More than any other section, it is important that this writer is comfortable with forming their own voice and using pop culture topics as a way to discuss greater societal themes.
Photographers: All photographer applicants are required to send 5-7 sentences detailing your personal photography style, what sets you apart from other photographers, and why you want to photograph for a lifestyle magazine; a resume; and 3-5 photographs showing your range.
Photo Editor (3-5): We’re looking for someone who is extremely skilled in photoshop. This person will be required to turn around unedited photos given to them directly after a photoshoot. In most cases, we will need these photos edited in a week tops.
Fashion Photographers (3-5): These photographers should be experienced and comfortable in directing models and developing concepts .They should know how various lighting features work and have a grasp on how they can further push the fashion photography in em Magazine. They should be able to reference other photographers and be able to call upon images/other photographers for inspiration.
Lifestyle Photographers (3-5): Should be aware or knowledgeable on how to shoot still life, buildings, and food in a way that presents the content in an original manner. This person should not be opposed to traveling to other areas of Boston in order to take photos.
Features Photographer (3-5): This person should be extremely experienced in working with subjects and models. They should be able to capture a personality and emotion in a photograph. This person will be asked to collaborate with the Photo Director and Features Editor for a concept on the main features spread. This person needs to be personable and make subjects comfortable.
Hair and Makeup Artists (2+): All applicants should send 5-7 sentences with what your style inspiration is and why you want to be part of em Mag; a resume; and 1-3 pictures of your work (even if this means grabbing a friend and taking a photo). We are looking for applicants who have a passion, knowledge, and talent in hair and makeup styling. Ideally, this applicant is someone who has experience in formal technique. Applicants should be aware that they will be counted on at every photo shoot and should have an open schedule.
Marketing Staff (2-3): All applicants should send 5-7 sentences of why you want to be on em Mag and a resume. Must be hard-working, self-starting, and highly passionate about working for the betterment of the magazine. Need to be able to work well in groups and to communicate effectively and in a timely manner with the Directors of Marketing and in general. All marketing staff members will be responsible for contributing during meetings as well as showing initiative and leadership when it comes to the acting upon ideas presented to the staff by the Directors. Individuals selected for the general marketing staff are expected to be dedicated as well as willing to learn during the semester.
Please direct all questions and applications to emmagonline@gmail.com
There is a store on Boylston Street in Boston filled with 15,000 different types of sweets. It smells like cotton candy, and the music is always danceable. There are lollipops and Swirly pops. There are gummies of varying flavor, shape, and consistency. There are pixie sticks. Pop Rocks. There is chocolate. A lot of chocolate. There are malt balls. Hard candy. Locally made ice cream. European candy. Vegan candy. Diabetic candy. Even Angry Bird candy.
Sugar Heaven isn’t just a candy store. It’s a candy emporium.
“There is really nothing here that isn’t represented in some way”, Ethel Seltzer, manager of Sugar Heaven located on Boylston St. “What makes our store unique is that the stuff we have is name brand stuff that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to find at the grocery store.”
David Sapers, also known as the “Sugar Daddy,” first conceived of Sugar Heaven after spending time in Montreal for a wedding, and realizing that there weren’t any candy stores in Boston that offered the variety he was looking for. He opened Sugar Heaven shortly thereafter, which now seems to be on the mission of providing its customers with every, and any, kind of candy that exists. It’s no easy task, especially in world with so many different preferences for sweets.
“I’m looking to caramelize something with a blowtorch on top of a drink,” one customer says after entering the store.
“I would do a hard candy,” Ethel says, “Because a gummy is going to melt ugly.” This wasn’t the first time this particular bartender came into Sugar Heaven, having used the store’s help at one point to attempt alcohol-infused cotton candy.
“I’m looking for anything having to do with hospitals, or doctors,” says another customer minutes later.
“Do we have any more of that candy blood in the bag? Did we sell out of it?” Ethel asks one of her employees.
“We have brains and teeth,” she replies.
“We do have brains and teeth!” Ethel says. These are the kinds of encounters to be expected on a regular day. Customers are always entering the store with a unique agenda.
“Your imagination can go wild,” Ethel says.
One particular customer arrives almost religiously every night at 9:15 pm. He gets out of work, and he looks for gumballs.
“He’s trying to quit smoking,” Ethel says. “He has gone from three packs of cigarettes to about a pack and a half … we call him Mr. bubblegum man. We set our clocks to him, 9:15, there he is.” Mr. bubblegum receives discounts from the store as encouragement to keep him on track.
Even though everyone’s taste in candy is different, there are a few customer favorites. The most popular item in the store is known as the clodhopper. It’s a chocolate graham-cracker cluster Ethel refers to as the “Lazy man’s smore.” Sour blue raspberry gummy bottles are another big item. The fixation on blue raspberry is one that Ethel attributes to the generation that grew up in the nineties. Nutritionists and health food junkies tend to prefer lollipops.
“Lollipops are really big right now,” Ethel says. “They’re portion control, they last a long time. And they’re very satisfying.”
Regardless of a customer’s health preferences, age, or profession, there is something at Sugar Heaven applicable to them. So what it is about candy that is so universally gratifying? The answer, according to Ethel, is simple.
“Candy is happy. People come in here and want happy … It’s a desert. It’s a treat. It’s a little heaven.”
(text by: Dominick Sorrentino)
Shot in Boston, MA
For the upcoming F/W 2011 issue of Emerson College’s Em Magazine: Generation Why?
with Dagny Blomster, Andrew Asper, Gracie Gates, Abbey Volmer, Caroline Rhymer
Direction by Benjamin Askinas (benjaminaskinas.tumblr.com) Cinematography by Doug Porter Style by Alexandra Gurvitch Produced by Marlowe Griffin Lyddon, Justin Reis Cuts by John Edward Curtis Assistant Direction by Joshua Grossman Hair & Make up by Kelsey Leahy G&E by Allie Altman, Tyler Weinberger
A Very Special Thanks to Hannah Fleishman, Allison Hable, Fred Kim, Taylor Meacham, Valeria Navarro, Vjeran Pavic, Rachel Ross Sullivan, Micah Schure, Ean Williams, Crystal Yuen, and Jon allen
You can check out the original frame snapped for the video’s thumbnail as well as more “behind the scenes” photos on our friend Fred’s page at fredkimphotography.tumblr.com
I love Survivor. For anybody who hasn’t caught onto this reality phenomenon, Survivor is, essentially, the original reality competition show. From its premiere in 2000, this show has seen 23 seasons, plenty of exotic locations all around the world, and a whole lot of backstabbing. The format is simple: a group of people are divided into tribes, compete for rewards and immunity, and are forced to vote a person “off the island” at the end of each episode. While some may dismiss it as mindless escapism, I think Survivor has five valuable life lessons to teach all of us if we’re willing to listen
You have to either be really good at what you do or a really good liar to get ahead. This is probably the lesson the show pounds into your head the most; if you can’t win the immunity challenges, you better work on your poker face. Just like Richard Hatch perfected the game in the very first season, I have learned that there is definitely a vital “social gaming” aspect to life. You can’t just excel at something and go straight to the top unless you’re really good at it. Take college applications for example: we can’t all say we were totally honest in our admissions essay. We have to know how to make ourselves look and sound better. If I hadn’t been obsessed with Survivor, I’d still be stuck within the silly boundaries of integrity. And integrity, my friends, is a bit overrated.
Sometimes the means do justify the ends. Work with me here. Everybody who won Survivor has probably had to do one questionable thing along the way that ended up helping him or her win. Even if it may have seemed, well, “mean.” I don’t intend to imply that all means justify all ends. No, I have just learned through my Survivor experiences that when the end is worth it, that can be a valid excuse for being somewhat of a jerk. It’s a fight to the finish, in this show and in life, and the ones who aren’t willing to really fight are the ones sitting in the top row at the finale, voted out first and completely unmemorable.
Don’t play all your cards too soon. Survivor loves to cast the archetype of the Person Who’s Just Here to Play the Game. More often than not, this person comes in on day one with a devious scheme to go to the end. Sadly, this big planner usually isn’t long for this world because he or she laid it all out there too soon. When you meet a new group of people, do you explode with personality, throw it all out there and hope something sticks? If so, you may want to rethink your strategy. Sometimes, you need to sit back, assess the situation, and then make your move. The countless premature castaways have taught me that all too well.
Trust anyone you want, as long as you understand that humans are ultimately in it for themselves. Often on Survivor, you see people regretfully accepting that in life, you just can’t trust anyone. I don’t know if that’s entirely true. Survivor itself is proof that you can trust people; you just have to know how far you can throw them. We are, by nature, selfish beings. Even the nicest people have moments of self-interest. When $1,000,000 are on the line, this is especially apparent. How often do we see a Final Four Super-Alliance form on Day One, only to fall apart halfway through the game? Trust is a nasty, sneaky idea, and is often the key ingredient in every Survivor victory or failure. The ultimate truth is this: trust is the most valuable currency. Just make sure you don’t give out too much of it, or you could end up off of the Island of Life and flat-out broke.
You really can’t do it alone. I realize this is in almost direct contradiction to what I have already said, but even through my jaded lens, the most important lesson Survivor has taught me is the ultimate Paradox of Life: Nobody makes it without friends, but everyone is trying to be on top. Not a single Survivor winner did it on their own. There was at least one vote that they had to trust people to give them, at least one person who was on their side. And that is the ultimate lesson to take from this show; no matter what means you use to get to the end, how many lies you have to tell, or who you trust, people need other people to survive.
The sold-out crowd at the Berklee Performance Center went wild between every simple song delivered by the fresh Southern duo The Civil Wars on October 28th. The stage was simple, no fancy lighting or large band to accompany the talent. Rather, Joy Williams stood in front of a mic and sang her heart out, arms fluttering whimsically around her, while John Paul White stood a few feet away strumming his guitar and singing an equal part. Somehow, the simplicity and rawness of this entranced the packed house for the 90-minute set, ending with the audience uproariously demanding an encore.
The allure for this new band lies in a trifecta of perfect lyrics, vocal control, and performance. These songwriters have gone to great lengths to choose each work to break and mend a heart. They even make the word “home” sound like a train whistle. To top that, the delivery, both on the album and in person, is impeccable. The studio-recorded work is, of course, flawless, but amazingly, the sound on stage matches it. Williams and White know when to belt, when to hold back, and even when to step back from the mic. Often, Joy will step back and softly sing harmonies as much as five feet from the mic. The talent is in the room, and it is recognized.
The story of The Civil Wars is far from conventional. Joy Williams, who was a Christian pop singer in her younger years, met Johan Paul White (already a songwriter himself at home in Alabama) at a Nashville songwriters’ conference. They describe the process of choosing artistic partners as “a blind date,” ultimately decided by drawing straws. What these two got was magic. They have been songwriting together for several years now, and have toured for a large part of it.
The duo has recorded their first album, Barton Hollow, on a new label: Sensibility Music, founded by Joy’s husband. Being on an entirely new label has allowed The Civil Wars complete freedom and abnormal control over their recordings, and it shows. After touring for over a year without an official album (a free EP was available for download on their site), Barton Hollow dropped with unexpectedly enormous success, the title track being chosen as a free iTunes single and the album shooting to #1 on iTunes downloads for almost a week. Additionally, the album received huge critical acclaim from press such as The Washington Post, New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal. The Los Angeles Times boldly predicted in a review that “through bands such as The Civil Wars, a new music industry is born.”
Barton Hollow’s release resulted in a sold-out tour, including a stop at Boston’s Red Room 939. Previously, the band had played to a small handful of people at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge. Following their headlining tour, they were asked to be the opening act for most of Adele’s US shows, later adding several UK dates as well. After performing with them, Adele wrote on her blog, “[The Civil Wars] are by far the best live band I have ever seen. They are magical and stunning. They make my heart hurt but make it a bit stronger at the same time, too!”
Watching them perform, it’s easy to see why even Adele would be impressed: Joy and John Paul exude an incredible, indescribable chemistry on-stage. It exists not only between them, but reaches out to the audience. Everyone swoons. And yet, at least officially, the two are not in love. They seem to have fooled the whole country.
Passionately singing through originals such as “Father’s Father,” “20 Years,” “Falling,” and a new one, “Oh Henry,” the couple showed off not only their vocal chops, but also their immense skill as both songwriters and performers. They entertained the audience with several covers including a truly unique take on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” For a finale, they offer a song that has been instrumental in their rise to success: “Poison and Wine,” likely to break hearts, but make them a bit stronger, too.
Get a taste of the unforgettable Civil Wars by watching the “Poison and Wine” video here.
There is a store on Boylston Street in Boston filled with 15,000 different types of sweets. It smells like cotton candy, and the music is always danceable. There are lollipops and Swirly pops. There are gummies of varying flavor, shape, and consistency. There are pixie sticks. Pop Rocks. There is chocolate. A lot of chocolate. There are malt balls. Hard candy. Locally made ice cream. European candy. Vegan candy. Diabetic candy. Even Angry Bird candy.
The allure for this new band lies in a trifecta of perfect lyrics, vocal control, and performance. These songwriters have gone to great lengths to choose each work to break and mend a heart. They even make the word “home” sound like a train whistle. To top that, the delivery, both on the album and in person, is impeccable. The studio-recorded work is, of course, flawless, but amazingly, the sound on stage matches it. Williams and White know when to belt, when to hold back, and even when to step back from the mic. Often, Joy will step back and softly sing harmonies as much as five feet from the mic. The talent is in the room, and it is recognized.