Round Two is a Go!

It’s a new week and with that there’s a whole new group of interns. Walking into the office this morning was daunting and also very exciting, simply because I had gotten used to seeing the same faces. But change is always good. This morning I got stuck into my article and I’m almost finished, which is super exciting!! We sang happy birthday to Janine, which was very cute. Then the new beauty intern and I went for the office’s McDonalds Monday lunch run (I can hear the gym calling my name). It’s great getting to know new people and this week is going to be exciting, mostly because on Thursday I’ll be getting glammed up to take a few pictures with the editor (being able to say that is kind of mind-blowing). Right next to me the beauty editor is having castings for a shoot so there’s a constant stream of models strutting through the office, it’s actually fascinating seeing them coming in and it’s even more fascinating to see who gets chosen because all of the girls are gorgeous in their own way. I must say my favourite thing about the office thus far is the constant supply of cake. What girl can resist that?

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.”- Ernestine Ulmer

Yours in fashion

xoxo

Litha, editor’s intern

From walking through the doors of the Absa building to riding up the elevator to the 14th floor and walking into the 17 offices, I was excited and nervous at the same time. Wanting to do well, wanting to learn and wanting to have fun were all top of my list. Walking into the 17 offices my nerves were quickly put aside when I looked around and found other girls sitting on the pink lips couch waiting to begin this awesome week! We met the fabulous team and got paired up with our people and their departments. It’s great to meet the people who, month after month, put together the magazine that we all love. As I sat down to my desk for the week, my eyes wandered over to the upcoming September issue hanging on the board. And, before I knew it, I got lost in the pictures, colours and words that are put together to create the perfect 17 magazine!  This week is going to be one for the books, I can already tell. :)

Danielle, features and digital intern

Nerves sank in as I took the elevator to the 14th floor of the Absa building. I was scared and excited at once. Friendly faces welcomed me as I walked into a room that looked like something out of a movie.  We soon introduced ourselves and got to work.  Sally, my lovely mentor for this week, welcomed me with open arms and showed me what her job is all about.  We celebrated Janine's birthday with song and cupcakes and just spent the rest of the day laughing, working and just having fun. I feel part of the seventeen family already and can't wait for the rest of the week. It's great to be part of this experience.

Ancimi, art intern

Today is my first day at the 17 Intern Academy and it’s going okay so far. I’m working with Genevieve, the beauty editor, and she’s given me some tasks to complete for the day. The other interns and I were surprised to see how easy-going the seventeam are.  I think that they understood how nervous we were when we first walked in here this morning, not knowing what to expect. The other interns are really nice - I don’t even mind that I’m the youngest person here :)

I look forward to the rest of the week, but now I have to get back to work. I hope I find what Genevieve is looking for!

Shenaaz, beauty intern

"Nervous, excited and amazing" -- these are the words that come to mind when I think of today. It was definitely one of the best days of my life and I am still looking forward to the rest of the week. The team was exactly how I'd imagined them to be - calm, amazing and fashionable. I felt like I have known them for years, they really made me and the rest of the interns feel welcome. I was very excited to meet Taugheedah and her fashion intern Gouwah. I was given a task, which was to take pictures of bikinis and pack the clothes in the fashion wardrobe. It felt like heaven, I would definitely not mind camping in there for the rest of this year. Gouwah also took me to Canal Walk to return some clothes. Tomorrow, here I come!

Gomolemo, fashion intern 

A Day Of Goodbyes

To be a part of the seventeam for a week was definitely an experience I will always cherish. From photoshoots to sourcing, I learnt so much about the magazine industry. Today, I had the opportunity to sit in on the fashion photoshoot for the magazine. It was extremely interesting and watching everything was inspiring. I am so happy that I had this opportunity, and am so thankful to the entire team for everything. The party at the end of the day was really fun, with cake, great music and laughter and was a brilliant way to end the week. The interns really bonded, which made the experience even better. So that ends off a great week!

Noelle, beauty intern

This past week has been a truly eye-opening and amazing experience. It seems like a lifetime ago that we walked in and we were all nervous and excited. Today we got two free cupcakes for the whole office from a potential client, the little pieces we got to have were absolutely delicious. We got to have a leisurely look through the September issue and we discussed all the articles. After comparing guy stories we came to a consensus that we will never be able to understand guys and they will never be able to understand us, so let’s give up trying. We had a lovely lunch at the deli leading to the conclusion that the favourite place to eat for the week was right here in the building. I’m so glad I got to meet these phenomenal girls. Getting along with them was so easy and a real delight. The end of the week party was fun, great cake :D I can’t wait to see what next week’s going to be like. It just keeps getting better.

“Fashion is an instant language.”- Miuccia Prada

Yours in fashion

 xoxo

 Litha, editor’s intern

It’s our last day at the seventeen Intern Academy (sad face). This week has been truly amazing!  I think I speak for all the interns when I say we wish this week would never end. The other interns and I became friends in this last five days and kind of played our own part of the group. Ammaarah was the funny and clumsy one, and really made an impression on day one by arriving fashionably late. Noelle was the chilled out beauty of the group and you found it really easy to talk to her. Litha was loud and fun one out of all of us, and made you feel at ease when were around her.  Then lastly, me! I’m not sure what I brought to the group, but I hope I made a good impression. Everything about this week was fun; from me falling off my chair on Monday (Sally calls it pulling a Chandre, lol) to Janine’s (editor) life stories. Witnessing how they did the fashion shoot was awesome, seeing how they did the make-up and hair, picking out the clothes and how they did the shoot. The 7team are really awesome and made us feel like part of the team. The 7team had a going away party for the interns leaving today (so jealous of the new interns that are coming in on Monday). To any future of interns, value the time you have here, because time really goes by super quick. Thanks to the seventeam for this awesome opportunity and all the laughs. Thanks to Jess for having me as her intern, it was really fun seeing what she does.  Bye seventeen I hope to see you sometime in the not too distant future!

Love and lip gloss

Chandre, features intern

So today is my last day as a 7team intern and it's been a very interesting experience for me. From the first meeting to the going-away party at the end of the week, this experience was exactly how I expected it to be. It was fun, interesting and everyone is always full of energy. I must admit, the office is a lot more fun than I thought it would be. The constant flow of music and banter about celebrities made me feel like I was spending the day with my friends, but all they were discussing was work! I know this sounds corny but this experience has helped me realize so much about myself and what I want to accomplish with my life. I've met so many great people, the team and fellow interns, who have each taught me something in their own way. I wish this week were starting again. My deepest gratitude goes out the team, especially Sally, for giving me this opportunity.

Ammaarah, art intern 

True Beliebers

Another day at seventeen HQ for Intern Academy started out with completing questions and tasks that given to me by the beauty editor, Genevieve. But it was all good, because I got to work to the sound of the Biebs filling the office. (This was, of course, as a result of the Beliebers in the office demanding to listen to Justin Bieber’s new album!) Anyway, I had to create mood boards for beauty and hair trends for spring/ summer 2012. I also had to do a write up for the beauty section, and research hair care products. That's basically what I got up to today... I cannot believe it's already Thursday!

Noelle, beauty intern

Today was definitely one of the more slow-paced days of the week. I spent part of the morning listening to Justin Bieber's new album and watching Sally work. She works super quickly. It's like I saw The Flash operate InDesign. Then she sent me on my own little mission to use either Photoshop or InDesign to create a collage. It's a little frustrating because every time I want to do something the complete opposite happens. I like to think this is just because of my lack of experience. I've already made a mental decision to improve my Photoshop and InDesign skills after this week ends. On that note: It's already the end of the week tomorrow :( It went by so quickly! Never before have I wanted a weekend to be shorter.

Ammaarah, art intern

I started off today with a croissant and chai latte right in the middle of town. Whilst eating I got to admire all the people passing by and I was struck by how marvellously different they all are. So today I was lucky enough to be inspired by a good dose of street fashion before I came to work. The energy I had from being so inspired allowed me to get stuck into writing my article as soon as I sat down.  As I got stuck in, Janine arrived with the new Justin Bieber CD and Sally played it for the office to hear. That’s when I realised I am probably working in the coolest place, ever! It was really fun and easy to work to Justin’s music and I accomplished quite a bit in terms of researching for my article, although unlike yesterday it was slightly difficult to find all the information I need. Today we bought lunch at Crave and ate in the kitchen (which we share with Fairlady), the food was delicious and it was really interesting to see the Fairlady women interact at lunch. It’s been a great day and a fascinating week, but I can’t believe it’s Thursday already!

“Anyone can get dressed up and glamorous but it is how people dress in their days off that is most intriguing.”- Alexander Wang

Yours in fashion

xoxo

Litha, editor’s intern

So sad, it’s the second last day of the seventeen Intern Academy (sniff, sniff). I spent this morning completing my article. I know you’ve been hearing me say that for the past three days, but, hey, features work is hard and involves lots of research. Jess must be a superwoman to write so many stories for the mag every month. I finished my features work today and finally got started on some digital things. I spent the remainder of the day looking for hot gossip on celebs and finishing up the quiz for the seventeen website. These past few days made me realise that I would really love working as a writer. I have to thank Lucy (the features intern) who has been giving me great advice on how to improve my writing and capture the reader’s attention. Can’t believe tomorrow is our last day.

Love and lip gloss

Chandre

Strike a Pose!

Driving to work today and seeing not one, but two rainbows may seem like a bright start to any day. Then I heard that Justin Bieber is coming to South Africa on his Believe tour. Bright start does not even begin to describe how amazing this morning was. Walking in to the office on cloud nine, I only sort of registered the fancy camera equipment and the slight excitement in the room. Today, two of the interns were glammed up to get some photos taken for the magazine. Seeing how the girls were dolled up and all the effort it takes to create a good photo, I now have a greater appreciation for all those fashion spreads. Today, Janine gave me the somewhat daunting (but extremely exciting) task of writing an article for the Mission part of the magazine. I’ve started my research and getting together the skeleton for the article. After all the glamour so early in the morning, and working so studiously, all of us interns took a little lunch break and we decided to try out the deli in the building. It was exactly what I needed to re-fuel for the rest of the day. Now I’ve got to get back to writing my article for the magazine (that’s something I’ve always dreamed of saying).

“Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”-  Lyman Frank Baum

Living the dream

Xoxo

Litha, editor’s intern

I have to admit I was pretty excited about the day ahead when I stepped into the office this morning. You see, I knew that today a few of the interns, including myself, would get to take part in an office photo shoot for the magazine! So after finishing off the work I had from the previous day, I set about choosing the outfit I would wear. The only thing was, I had so much to choose from, that I had a tough time deciding on an outfit (terrible, isn't it? ) ... Anyway, after much deliberation, and some help from Taugheedah, I finally settled on one I loved. Then it was off to hair and make-up, for the transformation. Honestly, its amazing what some concealer and blush can do...and of course a little hairspray for the finishing touches! So when I was looking photo shoot-fresh, we finally started shooting. The photo shoot was actually really fun, and I would definitely do it again any day, so that was day 3...Ciaoxx

Noelle, beauty intern

This morning I had to continue with my article and finished just before lunch. Just before I sent my article to Jess, Lucy (the features intern) gave me some really helpful tips on improving my writing. A photographer came this morning and took pictures of Ammaarah (art intern) and Noelle (beauty intern), they got to try on cool clothes and had their hair and make-up done, they looked really beautiful! I got to play paparazzi and take pictures of them getting ready. The seventeen fashion room is filled with cool clothes, amazing shoes and cute accessories (wish my closet was that big). After lunch, I continued with more work for my article. I never knew that writing articles took so much work and research. I’m learning so much here. Wish I could stay here forever. Till tomorrow

Love and lip gloss

Chandre, features intern

Today I walked into the office and almost immediately had to get my make-up and hair done. This was the first time I'd had my make-up done professionally and it was all very exciting. Everyone was really nice and supportive despite my non-stop nervous rambles about how I don't know what to do with my hands. This was basically how my morning went. When it was all done I went to get changed and it felt a little like it hadn't even happened yet. Time here goes by so quickly!

After a very good lunch with my fellow interns, I sat down to continue making a collage of all things seventeen. The seventeam were discussing the Cruise/Holmes divorce today and now all that's in my head is, "I don't wanna wait for our lives to be over"

Ammaara, art intern

Going Behind-The-Scenes

So day 2 of my internship was all about fashion, fashion and more fashion! I went sourcing with Gouwah, the fashion assistant, for clothes for some of next week’s shoots. It was great – who doesn’t love shopping, right? We decided to go to Canal Walk, which has an array of stores to choose from, so it was perfect for what we needed to do. We were given a brief of what we needed to get and had to find similar items, but also interpret the brief in our own way. After a morning of clothes hunting, we returned to the office and began sorting the clothes in the fashion store room ... I had to control myself at times because the clothes are just so amazing! Can't wait to see what day 3 has in store for me.

Noelle Stakes, beauty intern

Leading up to my first day at Seventeen I was incredibly nervous and excited. I had absolutely no idea what to expect, but I kept imagining that it was going to be a cross between Running In Heels and The Devil Wears Prada. As soon as I walked in and saw the hot pink lip couch I realised I had nothing to worry about.

Today, I breezed into the office and went straight to my desk, which made me feel like a true part of the 7team. We started off the day by getting a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into choosing competition winners, which was really fun. The team even used their sleuthing skills to make sure some of the entrants’ details were up to scratch (who knew all that Facebook stalking cute guys would come in handy).

When lunchtime rolled around, the interns opted for super healthy Kauai instead of McDonalds.

After that I got back to work on my task for today, which was to write a blurb for a book excerpt and transcribe the book’s first chapter. This encompasses both creativity and simple typing. Today wasn’t the most fast-paced day, but it was still fun and I’m learning a tremendous amount every day. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

 Yours in fashion

Xoxo

Litha, editor's intern

Day 2 of the Intern Academy went really well! I spent the morning going through Seventeen magazines from all over the world. This was great because I finally understood what Sally meant when she explained that you need to add a cultural twist to the magazine, while still keeping up to the worldwide expectations of Seventeen. It played an important role in how I understand magazines and how their layouts work. And I got to read Seventeen magazines all morning (even if some were in Spanish).

 The afternoon was spent searching for a Style Star (a fashionable celebrity to give all us girls out there a little inspiration). Now I know this sounds like it's easy, but it's really not. I did this yesterday as well and I assure you that not all celebrities are as stylish as you expect them to be. I also tried out an outfit for the photo-shoot I'm going to be doing tomorrow. Yes - I'm finally getting those 5 minutes of being a model that I've dreamed of since I was a little girl. Needless to say, I'm beyond excited for the rest of this week!

Ammaarah, art intern

Well, another day has gone by; gosh time really flies when you’re having fun! Today I needed to get started on my article, I did a bit more research, finally got started and now I'm almost done (dancing on the inside). The 7team are so fun to be with and are such girls! The other interns and I really feel like part of the team. Tatum, the digital intern, gave me a few websites to check out and I had to find some hot gossip stories – this is totally the best job ever! I wish this week would never end. Till tomorrow!

Love and lip gloss.

Chandré, feature's intern

The Big Day

Whew, this is it! The holy grail of youth magazines... seventeen magazine! With a slightly shaky stride, I stepped into the office expecting to be treated as a subordinate, but thankfully, us interns were welcomed and made to feel like part of the seventeam immediately. After a mini-meeting of introductions to the team, I was assigned to work with the fashion editor, Taugheedah. She soon gave me a few tasks, which included creating a mood board of spring/summer trends for this year, among others. Of course, some of the interns had to do the lunch-time run to MacDonalds to get lunch for the ravenous team...someone has to do the dirty work, right? Lastly, I got to check out the fashion and beauty storeroom, filled with the latest products, shoes and clothes that haven't even hit the stores yet... needless to say, I was in awe. Overall, my first day experience has been good and I'm pretty sure this is a trend that will hopefully carry on throughout the week.

Noelle, Beauty Intern

First day as a 17 intern was fun – definitely a new experience. This morning I was really nervous walking into the Seventeen offices but after seeing all the friendly faces my nerves totally flew out the window. The other interns and I got to meet the 7team – they’re really awesome. We all received our tasks and I had to come up with 5 ideas for the issue(scared face). It was a little daunting at first, but once I got started the ideas began flowing. So excited to see what the next few days have in store, well I need to get back to work (lol,felt weird saying that).                   

P.S. check out the awesome couch in the Seventeen office!                  

Love and lipgloss.

Chandré, features intern

You know how in every social circle, there's that friend, the one that's always late? That's me. I got up this morning at past 5, caught a train at 8 and got into town past 9. Yet still, I was late. I remember the "Oh Crap" flying through my brain when I caught a glance of the time on a fellow lift-passengers phone. 10:15. I burst into the office like there was a fire right behind me. What a great first impression.

The day passed, relatively uneventful. Sally (the art director) showed me around the office and explained what it is exactly Art Director's do. I was introduced to "my desk", which I fell in love with immediately. There was a pile of books on one side of the computer and a pile of CDs on the other. I would say the giant dictionary was my favourite part if I didn't have a direct view of the "really hot guys" wall.

What I enjoyed most about my first day would probably be the vibe of the office. From the constant flow of music coming from Sally's desk to the confusion about who ordered what for lunch. All I can think is : What kind of cake will be in the kitchen tomorrow?

Ammaarah, art intern