5 Minutes with Ed’s Summer Trust Fund Winner

You’ll have to forgive Ed—he lost track of the summer and ended up letting tons of time fly by before grabbing some time with this summer’s Trust Fund winner. Don’t get him wrong: not all that time was spent gallivanting to the beach and sipping margaritas (more like investing in ShamWow to mop up his sweaty bald forehead). Since he’s not one to let you down entirely, he caught up with winner Christen Brandt (left), a Pennsylvania native who’s heading into her senior year at Syracuse University. The magazine journalism major spent her summer as an unpaid intern at O, The Oprah Magazine—here’s what she had to say.

Ed: How was your internship at O? What were your expectations going in, and how has your experience exceeded those expectations?
CB: I loved my time at O! Going in, I definitely expected it to be a lot of administrative work: answering phones, making copies, you know — typical work for interns at a big magazine. But before long, I was doing a ton of research. I learned a lot about conducting interviews, contacting sources, and the newest findings in the realm of psychology.

Ed: When did you realize you wanted to work in magazines? Who are your key role models in the biz and why?
CB:I decided I wanted to go into magazines in high school, when I was editor in chief of our yearbook. I fell in love with design (though I wasn’t very good at it), and I had always loved writing, so the magazine industry felt like the perfect fit.

After this summer, my role models have become O-centric. Now that I’ve seen them in action,  I really admire  Susan Casey (editor in chief), Gayle King (editor at large), and Sally Abbey (managing editor). Susan has this intense drive — that woman is focused — and Gayle has this huge personality that really sets the tone for the office. Meanwhile, Sally has incredible organizational skills; she keeps the magazine running each day. From the three of them, I learned a ton about what it takes to be a real leader and a great editor in our industry.

Ed: What magazines do you read? What was the first magazine you ever remember reading?
CB: I remember reading each month’s J-14 with my best friend, Molly, when we were in elementary school. We lived for the horoscope charts! But the first magazine I subscribed to was CosmoGIRL!. I’m a little heartbroken it isn’t still around; I loved that magazine! As I got older, I also subscribed to YM and Seventeen (another fave, even today). With how often my address changes now, subscriptions have become a hassle, so I’m much more of a newsstand shopper. I’m an ardent Newsweek fan (I’ve been following the sale closely, and hate that Jon Meacham is leaving!), and I love to pick up Glamour and Esquire whenever I can. Other than that, I shop by interesting covers and stories — Wired and Vanity Fair often pull me in that way — and I of course pick up the latest copy of O.

Ed: What was it like applying to the Trust Fund? Tell us a little about what you feel made your application stand out. What is your advice for future applicants?
CB: I’ve always loved the way Ed2010 is branded — it’s an organization, and yet it has this made-up front man, Ed, who has a personality and who you can almost connect with on a personal level. So in tribute to that, I wrote a letter to Ed, describing how I first fell in love with him, detailing my love for the industry, and explaining my current financial needs. It was creative, but it was also very, very honest. I’m not usually one to lay out a sob story, but I was in a very difficult place financially (as anyone who has interned unpaid in NYC will tell you). I explained that to Ed, and though it was difficult to do, it was worth it.

My advice for future applicants, then, is to follow those two themes of creativity and honesty. Find a way to make your essay stand out and grab the board’s attention, and then tell them why you need the Trust Fund. Be honest and show them your talent to weave with words, and they will respond to that.

Ed: Any words of wisdom that you can give to your fellow interns?
CB: Don’t stop asking questions, don’t become complacent, and do remain enthusiastic. We’re here to learn and to prepare for the real world of the magazine industry — every photocopy is a step toward becoming an editor, even though it may feel like the farthest thing from it.

Special thanks to Charles Ludeke for capturing this great photo from the night.