Ok. Ok. So I have REALLY been trying to post before the magazine conference on Saturday because I knew once it happened I would have a lot to talk about. Well after writing two full posts and having them malfunction before posting i guess it wasn't meant to be to tell you I yelled when J-Hud won and thought Ellen was great, loved how Beyonce was acting like Jay-Z in the Upgrade video, decided Im going to Miami/ATL/NY for spring break. But it was meant for me to let ya know the conference was BANANAS(sp.:)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I mean, absolutely great. Cover to Cover's 4th Annual Magazine Conference. iMAGine:Dream. Believe. Achieve.
Friday night we had this sexy MAGtini Mix & Mingle on Ust that was so hot! Our 13 friends from UNC Chapel Hill made it and it was great to see the Ed2010 network at work. I felt cute . . .even I was a little overdressed. Probably just excited for the upcoming trip to Miami where my dress season officially begins again!
Remember last summer how it was one of my goals to meet Mitzi Miller, who made me want to go into magazines? Well, we met and somehow I finagled my way into her life and she is my homie/mentor/friend!
And I wasn't even extra greedy to try and keep her to myself and was so psyched she was able to accept my offer come to the conference. Now my friends keep talking about her and saying how cool she is and
I'm loving it. So, her mentor (and mine too) Joyce E. Davis was able to come too from Atlanta! Mitzi interned for her at Honey and I interned for her at Upscale . . .and her mentor is my closest professor Yanick Rice Lamb.If that didn't remind you to be pleasant at all times because EVERYONE knows EVERYONE, our lovely keynote speaker Danyel Smith of Vibe was sooo cool and her husband Elliot came too, the EIC of XXL. He was so funny and chill. Like, absolutely hilarious and actually got my jokes.
But just imagined if all you wanted to do was cover hip hop and you messed up with her . . .you really think you got a shot at XXL?
You would think them being at two magazines whose readers overlap would be an issue or something juicy, but he really broke it down and its really a beautiful thing. My main regret of the conference - I didn't take a pic of Danyel with her shoes or me with the two of them for the conference to have next year, I was on my 'I'm not a groupie" tip and didn't think about it till they left, which felt so presidential as I escorted them to their c
hauffeured car out front with the wind blowing through me and Danyel's hair.. .i know, way too much:).
Joyce had forewarned me Danyel gave a good speech and would have people eating out of her hand. Well, she was sooo right.
Danyel had people who weren't interested in writing or editing re-thinking their career goals. And she did it all while wearing these sick patent leather 3 1/2 inch red pumps.
Even with people who wouldn't know what hard work is if it bit them in their pompous ass tried to play like Im just the dictator from hell, my good mood and that feeling of job well done was there to stay. Im a compromiser. So if we are going to argue over whether a book signing or career booth should be at a round table or rectangular, I'll just sweetly ask the people who are using the table what they would prefer. Each said rectangle. Have you ever been to a book signing at a round cafeteria table? Anywho, I digress . ..but while Im at it. If you scream on me about you being in charge of something, than damnit, see it through and not slink into a corner proving my point of how you dont follow through . . .
hauffeured car out front with the wind blowing through me and Danyel's hair.. .i know, way too much:).Joyce had forewarned me Danyel gave a good speech and would have people eating out of her hand. Well, she was sooo right.
Danyel had people who weren't interested in writing or editing re-thinking their career goals. And she did it all while wearing these sick patent leather 3 1/2 inch red pumps.
Even with people who wouldn't know what hard work is if it bit them in their pompous ass tried to play like Im just the dictator from hell, my good mood and that feeling of job well done was there to stay. Im a compromiser. So if we are going to argue over whether a book signing or career booth should be at a round table or rectangular, I'll just sweetly ask the people who are using the table what they would prefer. Each said rectangle. Have you ever been to a book signing at a round cafeteria table? Anywho, I digress . ..but while Im at it. If you scream on me about you being in charge of something, than damnit, see it through and not slink into a corner proving my point of how you dont follow through . . .
Back to Danyel and Elliot and Mitzi and Joyce, yeah, it was great. And all the attendees were so fly all the speakers kept saying how they were keeping in touch with this bright bunch. And I'm all like me too.
Mitzi's freaking working on a screenplay with Malcom Lee, who did my beloved Best Man. Hot right?
Corynne Corbett, the executive editor at Real Simple, came and was great! Even cooler my summer buddy is her new EA and sent the comp. issues of the magazine to us. Yasmin Shiraz donated her sexy novel where the main character is what-a magazine journalist. I've probably already said this to you as I do everyone, but please please get up on myspace! It's a great networking spot and in a field like magazine journalism who you know
has a lot to do with even knowing a job is open, let alone being considered.
Corynne Corbett, the executive editor at Real Simple, came and was great! Even cooler my summer buddy is her new EA and sent the comp. issues of the magazine to us. Yasmin Shiraz donated her sexy novel where the main character is what-a magazine journalist. I've probably already said this to you as I do everyone, but please please get up on myspace! It's a great networking spot and in a field like magazine journalism who you know
has a lot to do with even knowing a job is open, let alone being considered. That pic in the tan dress is from Friday with me and my Johns Hopkins homie Jan who interned at Vixen last summer in beauty. We are both Mean Girls/Andre 3000 lovers. Weird, right? She is so . ..me. It's so much more I could tell but I actually have to get back into school mode and do actual work:(
Well, we did get great press for the event and will be in the Washington Post later this week. Miss YBF herself was in the building, who my BFF absolutely loves and quotes on the regular, and was a panelist and even shouted us out on the blog! Yep, alls well that ends well and this ended FANTASTICALLY!
Well, we did get great press for the event and will be in the Washington Post later this week. Miss YBF herself was in the building, who my BFF absolutely loves and quotes on the regular, and was a panelist and even shouted us out on the blog! Yep, alls well that ends well and this ended FANTASTICALLY!
My last year as president, something I was the first of for this newly formed group when I was a freshman, has really come full circle. The closest thing I ever have had to a kid after my little sister is this club. I did my thing and am ready to move out the way for the next bunch and take all of the speakers and friends up on their offer to "stay in touch"!
Best,
CJ
CJ
wow, magtini.... really the whole thing sounded like so much fun/ networking that I felt a little pang of jealousy...