Chatting with Courtney Lindstrand, Web Producer at DuJour

DuJour‘s web producer dishes about her love for the digital side of magazines.

What is your career backstory? Did you always want to go into journalism?

Pretty much! I was a magazine junkie growing up. I would devour every page and then proceed to cut them all to pieces creating collages and mood boards that I would hang up around my room. As I got older, I got really into long form journalism—the process of telling a wildly interesting story and sharing it with the world truly excites me. I nerd out over that kind of stuff.

You’ve worked in web and print. Why did you end up following the web path?

The web is my home. I’m on the internet every hour of the day. I love the instantaneousness of web publishing and all of the rich data that answers questions we wouldn’t even think to ask before digital publishing was a thing. How cool is that? (A: Very, extremely cool.)  I’ve recently gotten interested in product development and how it can be applied to publishing. I love journalism, but even the greatest story can be made even better with the help of innovative multimedia elements and beautiful, customizable design.

What is a favorite published piece you’ve written/contributed to?

This piece about my first acupuncture appointment was a lot of fun to work on. I love first person stories that also have an informative element, so it was cool for me to experiment with writing in that style. At Teen Vogue, I was lucky to be able to pitch and write about a very wide variety of topics. News writing kept me on my toes and taught me how to write quickly and effectively for a web audience, whereas evergreen, reported pieces served as a chance to stretch my writing muscles and work on developing my voice.

What’s a typical day for you at DuJour (if there is one)?

As a web producer at DuJour, my job is made up of several different tasks. I put together analytics reports to see which stories hit and why. I produce stories, which just involves formatting text and making it digestible for the reader as well as scheduling stories out according to our editorial calendar. In addition, I help our Chief Digital Officer and development team plan, test, and launch new features on the site in a project management-type role.

What is your current trend obsession?

I’m very into athleisure, very into jumpsuits. Any trend that allows me to feel like I’m wearing pajamas in public while still looking “chic” is my kind of trend.

Twitter or Instagram?

Twitter for work (sourcing story ideas, keeping up on industry news), Instagram for play (pictures of dogs, mostly).

What is one skill you recommend whippersnappers perfect?

It’s all about finding the skill that interests you the most and really honing in on it. If you love design, learn everything there is to know about it and also branch out and understand the other offshoots of it (web design, product design, etc.). Always stay curious and hungry for new knowledge.

What is your advice for college students trying to break into the industry?

Keep in touch with people you’ve worked with or have met through networking. You may feel like you’re being a pest, but you’re not. If you’re polite, respectful of people’s time, and genuine with your requests, people will recognize that and be more than willing to give you advice or even a recommendation.