Name: Amy Preiser
Age: 26
Job Title/Description: Web Editor for ELLE DECOR – I work with an incredibly creative and smart team to translate one of the best magazines in the world to the web.
College/Major: “Marketing the Intangible” at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
Twitter Handle: @firstpreiser (but don’t forget to also follow @elledecor)
Website: www.elledecor.com
What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?
Amy Preiser: At 16, I lied about my age to get an internship at The Beachcomber, a local newspaper in Long Beach, California. Several internships later, I got my first paid position as a Freelance Editorial Assistant at Condé Nast’s Brides Local Magazine (RIP!) while still in college. My sorority big sister, who had since graduated and was working as an editor there, hired me. Who says all sorority sisters do is send deranged emails?
What’s a typical day like for you? What does your job entail?
AP: Every day involves a mix of these things: building magazine stories in our CMS, repurposing our archives in fresh ways and dreaming up ideas for web-exclusive stories. Then there’s writing and editing; planning photo shoots at my desk; supervising photo shoots outside the office; meetings with my amazing bosses and colleagues; and managing our social profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram and whatever else becomes the next big thing tomorrow. I’m also lucky enough to work with interior designers through our Designer Registry service and sometimes host ED panels on how designers can make the Web their most creative tool.
What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
AP: Working hard is way cooler than being glamorous.
Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
AP: This sounds cheesy but every person I’ve worked for and with have made a mark on my career and attitude, and I’m so lucky for that.
Is there a quote you live by?
AP: “Perfect is the enemy of done.”
What is the best part of your job?
AP: Working with such fantastic people (can’t emphasize this enough), sharing beautiful things, coming up with creative solutions and getting marshmallows in the mail (OK, that happened once, but I like to think it will happen again if I continue to work hard).
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Do you have a dream job?
AP: My dream job is to create and grow a brand that’s inspiring yet relatable. Recently, my friend Colleen and I started a fitness blog for busy women called Second-Shift Athlete. Maybe in 10 years it will be the next GOOP (call us, Gwyneth!)
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
AP: When I was at an Editorial Assistant at House Beautiful, I wrote a card to [then-Hearst Executive] Cathie Black and she sent back a note that said, “Come early, stay late and say ‘Let me help you with that.’” I can’t say it better than she did.