don’t crucify me, okay. i’ve been busy.

yes, yes. i missed a few weeks of writing on this blog but i’ve been actually, seriously, busy. between moving back to california and my first week of an 18-credit semester starting, i’ve rarely had time to finish bridgerton or watch this week’s episode of the bachelor. as you can tell, i’m driven by sacrifices.

however, there’s also been a real time-consuming force in my life as of late. and that force is something really, really cool: i’m interning at a magazine.

while screenwriting and film is my true passion, i had a realization this year that i can’t graduate film school and become an oscar-winning screenwriter right away. and that’s totally fine! the purpose of film school is to teach you the skills, help you form the connections, and set you up to build your career.

but, like i said, it’s pretty unrealistic just to become a screenwriter. i was pretty lost when it came to the question, “what are you going to do after college?” i mean, saying “idk probably just going to become stephen spielberg overnight” isn’t exactly the most practical answer. so, i had to figure out what my answer was: how i was going to make a tangible income or what would be the thing that was going to hold me over until i sell my first big-time script?

i found the answer in true julianna fashion: while watching the devil wears prada.

the devil wears prada has been one of my favorite movies for as long as i can remember. my mom and i know the script backwards, frontwards, and sideways: we quote it all of the time. i was obsessed with the wit, the fast-pace, and the fabulous outfit montages throughout the film. so, whenever i saw an internship at a fashion magazine listed on linkedin, i really had no choice but to apply.

i interned last summer at a magazine, but it was more of a start-up, smaller magazine. don’t get me wrong, i had an absolutely fantastic experience at this magazine. i got to write articles every month, my superiors were awesome, and it was my first real internship. working there was a fantastic way for me to spread my wings and broaden my portfolio, and i’m really thankful for that.

however, working at this magazine has been different. it’s more fast-paced and hands-on. collaborative. unlike my first internship, this one focuses a lot more on relationships between other interns and our superiors. instead of merely writing articles, i’m in the ring for all the aspects of the magazine: social media, production, design, planning, photoshoots, publicity, and editorial. how cool is that?

my first meeting scared me shitless. the editor-in-chief is this super well-known fashion photographer with the nicest cheekbones i’ve ever seen and the other interns looked so much cooler and more professional than me. the magazine is based in nyc, so all of the other interns will be assisting on photoshoots and doing more hands-on tasks once covid gets a bit better. but, for some reason, they chose to bring me on virtually for the semester. me. a gangly ‘lil scatter-brained girl living across the country. i know, i still think it was a mistake.

anyways, back to my first meeting. i was instantly thrown into assignments: transcribing interviews, coming up with social media strategy campaigns, pitching story ideas, making lists of everything under the sun, drafting articles…it was a lot. the meeting moved so fast that i didn’t even notice how an hour and a half went by and i hadn’t even touched my coffee. i legitimately felt like i was in that scene in the devil wears prada where they sit around the table, and one of the workers suggests highlighting florals for the spring issue, prompting miranda to say “florals? for spring? groundbreaking.” i felt like andy sachs. better dressed, of course, but just as afraid.

but by the end of my first meeting, with 1,000,000 assignments due for the next week, i felt really, really, happy.

it was one of the first times outside of screenwriting where i felt purposeful. i loved the pressure and the pace. i loved being on my toes, waiting for what story idea was on the table, or what concepts we would be workshopping next. it was something exciting and new and fun and refreshing, and i was doing it all in sweatpants (i had a nice sweater on though. it was a zoom meeting, okay?).

i’m almost three weeks into my internship, and each day just gets more and more exciting. there’s so many opportunities that would come with this, and i’m so excited to explore and dive head-first into them.

of course, i’ll never give up on screenwriting. it’s my true love! i want to keep writing scripts and scripts and scripts until i finally land my emmy.

but in the meantime? being andy sachs isn’t half bad.

–julianna