17 Academy - Natasha Ellman

Natasha Ellman, 15, worked in the editorial department during 17 Academy. When she finishes matric, Natasha wants to study journalism (she also likes swimming and ice skating!)

6 July
I jumped out of bed when my alarm went off, a rush of cold air ran down my spine and reality struck… today would be the start of my 17 Academy internship! It felt like the first day of school, all those emotions came rushing back and I was more nervous than ever. I arrived super early but later when I was settled at my desk I was immediately put to work writing the copy for the must-haves in the September issue. The seventeen team were really busy today!

7 July
Today was totally awesome! Lauren (guest editor) and I went to the V&A Waterfront to scout some cute guys for the Guys Talk page – we needed their thoughts on dating and relationships. It took a while to find some hot guys but eventually we found a few… Lauren and I had totally different definitions on what’s hot! It felt so cool to say, “Hi, we’re from seventeen.” I felt like a real journalist. I’m still in school so it’s going to take quite some time before I’m actually living that dream. But for now I’m going to enjoy my fairytale while I can and hopefully leave a good impression. You'll have to wait for the September issue to see what the guys said, but in the meantime you can get your hotties fix at www.seventeen.co.za

8 July
Although my morning started off quite rough – my alarm didn’t go off – I still managed to get to work early. I’ve been busy researching and writing the Digi Diva story for the September issue. I took a whole load of photos of the office today to show my friends and family. In the afternoon I gave Liza (managing ed) my first draft for the Digi Diva story and while she was checking it, I took a break to look at pics of Chace Crawford on the web – YUM. I drank so much water today – guess I’ll be super healthy when I finish here. I could get used to this lifestyle!
















hard at work

9 July
Today’s my second last day here at seventeen (weep weep). Yesterday we had cupcakes, doughnuts and chips to say cheers to some of the 17 Academy girls who were finished their internships. Everyone got these awesome goodie bags filled with hot chocolate, earrings, perfume and all sorts of fun stuff. I got mine early (yay!) because I’ll be the only one leaving tomorrow. Life here is soo not like the movies where people are ordering you around all the time – everyone is chilled and so awesome – seventeen is the best magazine ever!! You haven’t lived unless you’ve worked here… I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I spent the afternoon recycling the dummy book for the August issue – and I took a sneak peek at some of the articles. It’s amazing and it’s on sale on 29 July so go out and get it! I really don’t want to leave, I just got used to the team and now it’s nearly time to say goodbye.
















my awesome goodies - thanks guys!

10 July
It’s exactly two months until my sweet 16 – I’m so excited, I’ve been waiting forever!
Today is the last day of the awesomeness at seventeen – soo sad. Although I’m glad I can sleep late tomorrow… I don’t even get up this early for school so it’s all kinda new to me. But sacrificing sleep was definitely worth it and after today it’ll be back to reality. Aww man! I was so close to tears when I got my 17 Academy certificate. Thanks a bunch seventeen I’m going to miss you all so much, you guys have taught me so much and the memories I have I’ll cherish forever! Thank you for giving a girl like me the opportunity to live my dream.


















I love you seventeen!

17 Academy - Fashion Department

Chloe Elliott, 19, is in matric at Edgemead High School in Cape Town. She assisted seventeen’s Fashion & Promotions Coordinator, Taugheedah.

29 June 2009
My first day was full of excitement and meeting new people, from the amazing staff members and super cool interns! Taugheedah is helpful and friendly and I can see myself missing her when I leave. My first little mission was to sort out clothing for the shoot on Thursday – it’s a budget buys story so you can only imagine how Demi-Sue (my fashion intern buddy) and I felt in a storeroom full of beautiful clothes… and they were cheap! After lunch, we packed away clothing to be sent off to the suppliers, checked the style codes and that everything was correct – it took some time! During the day I went downstairs to the marketing interns, Nancy and Estea, to see what they were up to and I signed up as an UrbanScout, how cool am I? The seventeen website is so nifty, just like the mag!



















Sorting out the storeroom!

30 June 2009
Our main mission today was to go sourcing – this means we go out to certain stores and pick out specific clothing for our shoot. Just picture Taugeedah, Demi and I walking around the mall looking for clothes and at ALL the sales, bags, shoes, earrings, you name it! Some of us got slightly distracted while others did their jobs, all in all it was a fun shopping spree and the best part of it all… we didn’t have to pay for it! (Although we do have to send it all back once the shoot is done, big sob).

1 July 2009
Today I helped Lisa and Roxanne (the digital team) scout for cool, urban and chic girls for seventeen’s Street Style page. I met some really spectacular girls from all over the country and world, like China and Australia! While Lisa and Roxanne were scouting out boys for 17TV I walked around looking for more cool girls and shopped a little… shh don’t tell anyone ;) Back at the office I went down to the storeroom to help with the final packing of all the clothes for tomorrow’s shoot!

2 July 2009
Shoot day! What a completely new experience– I’ve never been on a professional shoot before. The model, Lily, was beautiful. She comes from California and is so down to earth. She modelled all the pieces for the budget buys spread that will appear in the September issue (on sale 26 August). I helped Lily change all her outfits and after her shoot, it was time for the Real Girls shoot. They were so cute, especially Demi! Just think ladies… MAC make-up, all the best budget-friendly and trendy clothes, shoes and accessories you can think of… I was in heaven! I helped style Demi’s outfit which was so great. Today was really fun yet hard work!

Striking a pose at the shoot!



















Getting the outfits ready for the models

3 July 2009
We started off our morning with an amaaazing continental style breakfast and believe me I did not hold back, I had the most divine chocolate croissant with OJ and a choc chip muffin which I shared with Nancy and Estea – you can imagine how big it was! We all sat chatting and said goodbye to intern’s Fazlin and Michelle. After breakfast we went down to the storeroom and packed up all the clothes to send back to the suppliers. The whole time Demi and I were saying, “If you had to choose, what would you pick?” Lol! Then I helped Nancy and Estea put together the gifts for all the UrbanScouts – free Jaxxy sunnies, how cool! Writing out all 600 addresses… not so cool. But as usual we made it fun!

4 July 2009
What a day. I helped Anusha (digital associate publisher) at the seventeen stand at the Tyger Valley Centre Matric Dance Expo. We had to sell subscriptions and it was hectic. So many people wanting to sign up and get the free goodie bag – which looked very tempting. I bought a subscription for my best friend Lauren and when I gave her the goodie bag she was over the moon with joy! It was all good fun and something new to experience… I felt like Father Christmas showing all the girls what was in the goodie bag!

6 July 2009
Demi and I sorted out part of the storeroom and packed up more clothes… Geez, how many more clothes are there?! Later we joined Taugheedah on a casting for an advertorial shoot. In the afternoon, we went to help on the stills shoot – this means all the clothes, bags, shoes and accessories needed for the fashion pages without a model wearing them. I enjoyed it because it was more hands on, I helped the photographer position the clothes and style them, I enjoyed that. After the shoot, we have to drop off the clothing and shoe samples that we used – OMW, shoe heaven of note ladies. All the shoes you can think of and they’re not even out in the shops!



















Helping style the stills for the fashion pages

7 July 2009
Sad to know that tomorrow is my last day yet very grateful that I managed to see what the world of media is like ☺ The day started off with packing up all the clothes one final time and making sure that they were sent off to the right people – the storeroom has never seen such open space and clean floors, lol! I spent most of the day helping out Nancy and Estea with UrbanScouts prizes to be posted off… 636 I tell you! Us girls mostly spoke nonsense and laughed the whole way through. The coolest part of today was when Leanne (marketing manager) gave me a free Alice band!

8 July 2009
My last day ☹ … Well what can I say? This experience was a one in a million and I’m so thankful to everyone who gave me the chance to intern here, you have made me realise that my dreams can come true and that they are just a step away. Today was so busy with mostly packing up the storeroom… I’m going to miss that room, lol!
We had an awesome party afterwards to celebrate our work and being here. I’m really going to miss you guys from the bottom of my heart ☹ and thank you for giving me this opportunity to find out what life in media and fashion is really like = fun, fulfilling and something new!!















Demi, Taugheedah and me – I miss you girls already!

17 Academy - Marketing Department

Nancy Williams is in grade 12 at Hillcrest High School in Durban. She’s passionate about life and believes in the four L’s – love, laugh, learn and live!

29 June
As I stand in front of a big white building, the Cape Town wind blows through my self-ironed, still-crinkly jacket and my knees start to shake a little from excitement, nerves and fear. When I open the door to the seventeen offices, I can already feel the fresh vibe pulsing through the air. The staff are very much like the mag – fresh, hip and easy to relate to. Khwezi’s smile is real and not some pageant party trick. My mentors are Lisel and Leanne who are in the PR and Marketing department, but their jobs include many other duties like event planning, negotiating, packaging etc. They helped me understand the exciting stuff marketing is made of! This space is my mind (often empty or travelling somewhere far from my maths book) and it’s now filled with the hum of meetings around the white table, Google homepages, make-up, magazines and clothes. Read on as the fun and madness continues…

First day with Leanne - showing us the ropes!

30 June
I'm only a toddler in this big media world and although I find myself stumbling and feeling a bit of teething pain, every day gets more exciting. I was able to experience “admin”… cue the dum dum daaaa (and gain new-found respect for our school receptionist!). At lunch time I went for a walk with four other interns – my new heels were killing me but that’s punishment for having one too many pairs of shoes. We walked down the side pavement and like a South African version of Sex & The City our hair blew in the wind, taxis hooted at each other and we walked and chatted about boys and swapped intern stories. In the seventeen office, they have separate bins for glass, plastic, paper and other – I thought this was a really great idea. If we all went a little greener it would really make a difference, simple things like having separate bins, not leaving your cell charger plugged in and planting your own veggies. So the thought for the day is: GO GREEN GIRLIES!!

1 July
What a day! We were very busy today getting ready for the Tyger Valley Matric Dance Expo that happened on 2-5 July – we packed loads of goodie bags. I’m getting quite computer savvy too, daring even to open two Internet pages at the same time! After sitting at the computer for nearly five hours, I needed some fresh air so Estea (my marketing intern buddy) and I went for a walk in the sunshine. I came back fresh and ready to get down to work again. Thought for today: when you’ve been studying or working for hours, go outside and do something active. It really helps!

Going cross eyed!

2 July
Style does come at a price! Today we worked at the Tyger Valley Expo selling seventeen subscriptions and after four and a half hours of standing, my feet were aching! Those beautiful black ankle boots that my daddy dearest had been completely manipulated into buying were now getting the best of me. Although I had so much fun laughing, joking, making friends and selling subscriptions that I only realised how sore my feet were afterwards. After our promo work, we were allowed to have a break so I committed a huge girl crime… instead of shopping I snuck into a change room with two tops and a pair of jeans and just flopped down to relax! Those boring but super comfy pumps back in my room were now looking like fluffy pillows. Thought for today: style does not have to come at a price, you can be funky and fresh and still be able to walk on two feet.

The gorgeous seventeen stand at the Tyger Valley Matric Dance Expo

3 July
Today was a wow busy day. We packed boxes and phoned half our little (HUGE) black book! He he! We had so much to do in the marketing department and things were just buzzing. Estea and I did not know how we were going to finish it all… Yes, we love you UrbanScouts but you made us pack 636 pairs of sunnies for all of you who’ve scored points. Scary movie music began to play in my mind as we began unwrapping glasses, repacking them in cases and doing the admin for 636 envelopes! Boxes began piling up and we hadn’t even hit a hundred yet. Chloe and Demi-Sue (fashion interns) and Lauren (editorial intern) came to help us so in the end we had loads of fun laughing and sorting out all these sunnies. Our new friends really did help us out and kept the upbeat atmosphere alive. If you're interested in becoming an UrbanScout and getting access to all sorts of events plus getting cool goodies (like sunnies!), then hit www.seventeen.co.za and apply today. Thought for today: many hands make light work!

6 & 7 July
These two days have been a blur – I’ve never seen so many sunnies since the Mr Price Pro! Yes, we're still busy with the sunnies but we also had to make sure other events were running smoothly. I got to phone the lucky ladies who won the Diesel watches from the Tyger Valley Expo – it was awesome to hear girls jumping with excitement. Memories of my amazing weekend were being pushed away with each new envelope for sunglasses. I was slowly running out of steam. Demi and Chloe came back later to help and Demi was so full of energy that she motivated the thought for today… things do get a little tough, a little tedious and a little long but sometimes you need to just get down, get focused and get going!

8 July
I was up at 5am packing my bags and thinking about what to wear for my last day as a seventeen intern. A bit of black to mourn no more intern friends, no more awesome mentors Lisel and Leanne, no more seventeen email address, no more personal desk and computer A bit of white to complement the office, some yellow for the jewels of wisdom I’d learnt and would be taking with me and pink… for seventeen, the hope of the future, the experience of the past and the joy of the present. My last day was bitter sweet – I loved spending time with my intern friends and enjoyed my KFC Avalanche and chips (not together) but I’ll miss everyone so much! Thank you seventeen.

Estea and I - marketing buddies!

Our lovely mentors - Leanne (left) and Lisel (second left)

All my amazing intern friends!

17 Academy - Editorial Department

Fazlin Terblanche, 19, is a 2nd year BA student at UCT. She’s passionate about the media, our beautiful country, politics and Country Road handbags!

29 June
After waiting three agonising weeks, my 17 Academy internship had finally begun! Entering the seventeen building, five of the Academy winners and I were greeted by Khwezi, Liza and the rest of the seventeam. I was both excited and nervous, not knowing what to expect and whether I’d be able to cope with what was thrown my way. But the seventeen staff were warm, welcoming and constantly cracking jokes! We started off with a production meeting around “The Table” and received scary-looking coloured schedules mapping out the contents of the September issue with all the deadlines and stuff. With Liza’s help, we quickly figured them out. Once we were settled at our workstations, we were given copies of the July issue and asked to give our honest opinions. Later I was tasked to write the Voice Out for September and to pitch three ideas. The task looked daunting, but I reckon I’ve made some progress (NOT) lol. Lauren (17 Academy’s official guest editor!) and I were also asked to choose the seventeen feature to be entered into the Media24 Excellence Awards – we eventually decided to go with “IOU” from the June issue - it's really good!

30 June
Today I sorted the entire seventeen library out. This was fun as I relish in organising things! Then I thought more about my Voice Out and what topic to choose. While I was struggling to find an appropriate topic, I practiced and mastered the swivel chair and was moving back and forth to bother Lauren every now and again ☺ In the afternoon, we attended the advertorial briefing meeting – this is where the editorial team get briefed by the traffic manager for all advertorials, comps etc in the mag. I was surprised at how much work goes into these – the digital, fashion, marketing and editorial teams all have to work together to produce and satisfy the needs of the client! I learnt a lot and was ready to get cracking on my Voice Out, FINALLY!

Just checking out the intern blog before I start my Voice Out!

1 July
I arrived early today to get going with my Voice Out. Once I was well on my way, we attended another production meeting for the September issue to make sure everything was going as planned. Delene, the entertainment editor, gave us some books and CDs to review – can’t wait to do that. And Lauren and I were asked to write a quiz as well – about any topic! You’ll have to wait for the September issue to see what we chose. Today was fun and I was starting to feel like I was part of the team!

Lauren and I discussing our book and CD reviews for Delene

2 July
It was a quiet day so I used the time to carry on with my Voice Out. Lauren and I walked to Woolies during lunch time but it was so far – never again! I can’t believe that tomorrow’s my last day, bleak!

3 July
This week has gone by so fast! We had a farewell breakfast in the morning for the Academy girls that were leaving and we were given cool gift bags filled with sunnies, notepads and more! I had a great week and gained invaluable experience. My time was short, but I learnt a lot about the ins and outs of magazine production. I also met some great people, from both the staff and other interns! I would recommend for every girl that enjoys reading magazines, to apply for a seventeen internship even if it’s not something you want to go into ☺

Me with my awesome goodie bag!

17 Academy is flying by!

Last week 17 Academy kicked off with a bang and seventeen HQ was buzzing with interns in every department. Take a look at what went down. We'll be updating every day so keep coming back to see the latest news!

THE ART DEPARTMENT
Michelle Hoch, 21, is a third year Graphic Design Student at NMMU, Port Elizabeth. She loves people, marketing, art in all forms and music.

29 June 2009
In November 2003, I bought the very first issue of seventeen magazine South Africa, and today I’m sitting in the office where it was created. Back then the most exciting thing was entering the competitions every month, writing letters and hoping to hear something, anything from seventeen. I remember winning this fantastic hamper and thinking it was the best thing in the world. Although it came pretty close, it wasn’t… this is. I arrived this morning completely uncertain of what to expect. I was still tying my laces at the front desk when I got swooped into a production meeting for the September issue. The ideas and the excitement of all these young women blew me away, I had no idea this sort of passion existed. During the course of the day I learnt a lot of interesting things and even designed a page for the August issue (on sale 29 July - check out page 45!) One thing I know for certain is that I have a lot of E! News to go home and watch (I realised I’m not as up to date as I thought I was), and a long rest… because if tomorrow is anything like today has been, I’m going to need it!

30 June 2009
Usually I dread waking up to an early morning and loads of work but I was so excited to come back to this wonderfully vibrant environment. First I had to help Ashleigh (the designer) source images and make changes to the page I designed yesterday. By lunchtime I found out where I can get coffee and delicious gourmet sarmies! This afternoon I had lots of fun designing a MXit splash for the July Dance issue, which was rather tricky. There was so much information to fit in such a small space, it’s definitely like nothing I’ve done before. Add seventeen's MXit contact today! Back in PE I study Graphic Design where I work on adverts, packaging, direct mail, web etc. Publishing is a whole new area of design, which I was rather afraid to explore. Every day I become more comfortable with the idea of a career in publishing. After all, like most teenagers, magazines have been my favourite thing for years!

Sitting with Ashleigh going over my work

1 July 2009
This morning I got straight into things and was given the Reebok training program to design for www.seventeen.co.za. It took a lot longer than I expected because, once again, I’m not used to having so much information to fit onto one page! Once I finished that, I had to make changes to the copy in the MXit splash that I designed yesterday. I must say, I’m quite overwhelmed by the amount that gets done in this office by these few dedicated ladies. In each issue there are plenty of articles, specials, fashion shoots and more… and for each one to take place it takes hours of work and brainstorming. I realised today that nothing just falls into place!

2 July 2009
Today I got to go along to the fashion shoot! When I arrived at the studio I wasn’t sure who I’d talk to or what I’d do all day because there was a professional photographer, a make-up artist, a model and the seventeen fashion team, but soon we were all chatting and I had a wonderful time. What I valued most about my experience in the studio was definitely how many hints I got about shooting models and basically how to get things running smoothly. Studying Graphic Design I often have to take photographs in the studio but things never run smoothly. Today I learnt what to do to make my shoots go according to plan. It was fantastic!

3 July 2009
When I got to work this morning, Stacey, the art director was back from her trip overseas, so I had a chance to meet her. We had a lovely farewell breakfast for those of us who are leaving today. I got given an adorable gift bag, it was so unexpected and really thoughtful. I love all my cute gifts… but who wouldn’t? When it was time to get back to work, Stacey and Ashleigh had a lot to go through and catch up on, so I went downstairs to explore and see if there was anything I could help with. I started by helping the marketing interns, Nancy and Estea, sort out the goodie bags for the Tyger Valley Expo happening on the weekend. It was nice to meet some new people and see what they do.

Me with Anja at the farewell breakfast

Look at all that yummy food!

Overall my experience has been absolutely wonderful. Not only did I learn more about design but I learnt a lot about working in publishing. The seventeen team have been so helpful and friendly, which made me realise what kind of world this vibrant industry is.

17 Academy girls with Khwezi - thank you seventeen!!

Yolandi Millard - 17 Academy Fashionista

Yolandi started 17 Academy early because we work so far in advance and we needed her for the September issue main fashion shoot! She's in her third and final year at the Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion Design in Stellenbosch and here's the low-down on what her week entailed...

15 June 09
After sitting through an hour of traffic and stressing like crazy whether I was in the right lane, I finally stopped at the doors of seventeen feeling a tad exhausted and my day hadn’t even started yet! But I shoved it all aside, along with my fears that this could be a Devil Wears Prada rerun and walked inside. As I sat down at my desk I stared in awe at all the magazines – apparently they are subscribed to every teenage-girl mag in the world: Cosmo Girl, Teen Vogue, Bliss. And another thing that really struck me as totally awesome is the fact that everything was pink – and I mean everything! The Board wall, their Post-its, their stationery… oh and their business cards! And at that point I knew I was home. My first task was to call a few of the modelling agencies and ask for the Z cards of some models for a photo shoot that Taugheedah is planning.

Next up was a trip to the fashion closet. It’s not like Ugly Betty where the clothes take up the whole room, but they filled more than a few rails!


The main fashion shoot is in two days so I spent the rest of day in the closet unpacking boxes of clothes. Later, Anja took me with her to source some more clothes at the Waterfront. I have asked so many questions and learnt so many things on my first day! I’ve been so curious to know how it all works and what happens behind-the-scenes.

17 June 09
After a nice public holiday, it’s back to work! I was so excited to get back, I had an entire day to regurgitate all the info I was fed, and I was as ready as ever to start day two. The Beauty Awards was next on my list – all the entries had come in from the comp that seventeen ran in the June issue, and I had to start counting! It was a big insight into girls’ lives, and the products they voted for says so much about them. I had fun typing all this up and seeing which products were most popular. You can find out the results in the August issue, on sale 29 July!


One more day till shoot day so as we headed towards the end of today, it got really busy. More boxes arrived that we had to unpack, then we had to hang the clothing on the rails, phone all the parties involved in the shoot to confirm time and place. At about 4pm, Anja started styling all the clothes for the shoot and I watched her weave her magic… it made me really excited for tomorrow!

18 June 09
Today is the big day! We had to be at the office at 7am and I thought I would’ve fallen asleep on the highway, but I was so excited nothing could make me feel tired today. While the models were getting their hair and make-up done, I helped steam the clothes that were going to be used.


When everyone was ready, we set off to the location, which was a beautiful landscape near Boulders Beach in Simonstown, with bushes and vegetation growing on the hill, disappearing into the rocks and making way for the ocean… It was gorgeous! It was still really cold though and the wind was blowing – I felt sorry for the model who had to wear “spring” dresses!


The photographer had a laptop on location which he loaded the pics onto so Anja could see if her ideas were working with the story or not. It’s very intricate and so cool because if you’ve spent an entire scene on an idea, you can immediately see whether it’s going to work. Photographers really are one step ahead of the game. What a nifty trick! Each time the model changed outfits, it was my job to write down exactly what she was wearing and which store or label the clothes were from. This helps the art and editorial department when they choose the final pictures for layout and need to credit the clothes in the mag.

It turned out to be a lovely day (when the wind settled down!). Keep an eye out for the September issue – it’s on sale on 26 August!

Anja and I looking rather windswept!

19 June 09
Today all the clothing that was sent to us for the shoot had to be sent back to the suppliers as no clothes are allowed to be out on appro over weekends. All the invoices were taken downstairs and clothes were compared to descriptions… tags were all over the place, we were all over the place, everybody had to get everything into the right bag, send it to the right place and do all of that before 11am! Finally, after all that was done and sent out, we returned to our desks and relaxed a bit. For the rest of the afternoon, I typed up the rest of the entry details for the Beauty Awards.

What a week this has been! I’ve had a very exciting behind-the-scenes magazine experience and I have a feeling that this is only the beginning of greater things to come.
Ciao everybody! And good luck to all you other girls on pursuing your dreams. Don’t forget to have fun along the way! Mwah**

17 Academy!!

Keep checking the blog for updates, 17 Academy is in full swing!