Day-in-the-Life of a VegNews Intern
By Christine Petrozzo of Syracuse University
Spring & Summer 2007 Intern

A VegNews intern has the life. If selected for the internship—a once-in-a-lifetime chance every aspiring media buff envisions in his or her dreams—you hold the keys to veggie paradise in the palm of your hands. And with added perks and swag, it’s no wonder past interns never wanted to leave. As though a private apartment only a few short steps from the office—and a gander away from a majestic ocean view—free vegan lunch, tasty treats, and swag galore weren’t enough, the VegNews staff teaches interns a breadth of skills no college class could ever offer.

Take a peek inside a VegNews intern’s life for a day. From interacting with the editorial team to fact-checking to interviewing celebrities and planning events, interns leave with a beefy resume—minus the meat—and a world of opportunity at their fingertips.

8:30am: Ah, life couldn’t be sweeter. Once I roll out of bed, I traipse down a flight of stairs from my spacious abode to the bustling VegNews office for a rewarding workday.

9:00am: After I grab coffee for the editors—psych!—for myself, I scroll through my emails and correspond to inquiries submitted by PR reps while skimming Google Alerts for the latest vegan/vegetarian news at my very own desk, thankfully located in the main editorial office and far away from a dark, musty closet (where many of my friends were stashed at other magazine internships).

9:30am: Staff check-in meeting to discuss weekly agenda, tasks and deadlines.

10:00am: Prep and reexamine questions for phone interview with "Project Runway" cruelty-free designer Jay McCarroll. Interview starts at 10:15am and lasts 45 minutes.

11:00am: Begin transcribing interview from voice recording and start brainstorming story ideas and angles. Contact Jay’s PR rep in NYC and request press photos for upcoming issue.

11:30am: Managing editor gives me stories to fact-check for accuracy and credibility. Ah ha! I found several questionable facts in the document. Check sources provided by writers and contact them regarding dubious claims.

Noon: Now it’s time to show off my gourmet cooking skills, which I have volunteered to do on a weekly basis. I cook a decadent raw vegan meal with dessert from scratch. As if. The cupboard is packed with goodies, but I spring for 2-minute rice noodles with peas in a Thai-curry sauce replete with salad, mango slices and a pinch of love. To me, my concoction looks like mush, but without complaints my peers wolf it down and commend me for my ingenuity in the kitchen. They even go back for seconds. Damn! I’m good.

1:30pm: Back to work. Sponsor coordinator for the Bay to Breakers Centipede Run left me a message about missing information for the VegNews “Vegipede” Team. She never received the packets in the mail and the deadline is in two days! Think: What to do? Hot on my toes, I fax her photocopied documents of the missing paperwork. Pheww…

2:00pm: Red-pen time! Edit documents assigned by the Managing Editor and jot down my two cents to potentially bring a new perspective to the article.

3:00pm: Design meeting with the art director. Constructively critique artwork and spreads for next issue with VegNews team.

4:00pm: Taste test! New Products Editor sets out newly released vegan cheese spread and crackers for the staff to try and comment on. Yum, like cheese but better.

4:45pm: Contact mainstream fashion houses like the Gap, American Apparel and Levi’s for additional high-res sustainable clothing press photos for art director.

5:00pm: Sort through new magazines received in the mail and add to office library (I am the official “VegNews librarian”). If one magazine, so help me God, is out of place, a reminder is promptly sent out over email to remind the staff that organization is key—and for my own sanity.

5:45pm: Oops, I should have left 15 minutes ago. But time flies at VegNews when you are having fun.

10:00pm: Waiting another minute to get back to work feels like torture, so I voluntarily sneak back into the office to get a head start on tomorrow’s work. Disclaimer: By no means are interns instructed to sacrifice beauty sleep for work. But, when you love your job, everything else gets put on the backburner—even some much-needed shut-eye.