Let’s face it, you probably didn’t go into the magazine biz to strike it rich. Still, it’s hard not to envy your friends who bring home bigger pay checks from their recruiting or marketing jobs. Though entry level salaries leave much to be desired, the job often comes with perks that ease the pain of a tiny paycheck (and might even save you money). Ed spoke with junior editors who shared the best off-the-books extras that come with the job. Note: All companies have different policies regarding gifts, samples, and expense reimbursement. We assume that all editors interviewed are following their company’s rules.
Frequent celeb sightings
So maybe you’re not headed to the Boom Boom Room every Saturday night to rub elbows with Kim and Kanye, but being in the magazine industry could set you up to hobnob with your fair share of celebs. “Recently I got to meet Karlie Kloss in the lobby of our building and bring her to our offices,” says Brooke Shunatona, assistant beauty and fashion editor for Cosmopolitan.com. “I got to make small talk with Karlie Kloss.” Rheanna Bellomo, assistant editor at Time Out New York, has had the opportunity to meet Heidi Klum, Nigel Barker, and, most recently, Kristen Bell during promotional events. Chrisanne Grise, who has interviewed James Marsden and Nick Lachey during her time as editorial assistant at Parents, admits that despite making less money than some of her friends in other industries, it helps that she can brag about all the cool people she meets. “It makes other people jealous. My sister-in-law is always asking me, ‘What famous person have you met this week?’ It’s like, well, I still can’t afford much, but I do get to meet famous people!”
Exclusive events (and gift bags!)
Often companies promote their brand by throwing events and inviting media to attend. From learning to decorate a cake with Buddy the Cake Boss or meeting famous authors at a book expo, editorial assistants frequently get to hit up fabulous shindigs free of charge. “My favorite perk is the fact that I get to try out workout classes,” says Samantha Shelton, associate web editor at Fitness. “We get to keep the equipment we use, or get a free DVD of the workout. Companies want you to be aware of their product because if you like it they hope you write about it.” Another perk some junior editors get to take advantage of is attending extra-fancy events normally geared towards more senior editors. “During fashion week, I got to cover some shows my boss couldn’t go to, which was really cool,” says Shunatona.
Product testing
Another bonus of working in media is getting to test out (and sometimes keep) samples that companies send to the office. Bellomo, who previously worked in a lifestyles section of a women’s magazine, says she got to try out all kinds of cleaning supplies, food, and other household items. “It’s a lot of useful stuff—it may not be as glamorous as beauty products, but I have enough dish soap and sponges to last me at least a year!” she says. Plus, it cuts down on grocery bills. Working at a health mag, Shelton also to test running shoes and snacks. “When we work on our Healthy Food Awards we always have to do taste testing, which is nice because we get lots of food,” she says. “We also do gear stories where we test sports bras or running shoes. And if we’re the testers, we get to keep them.” Grise, who helps editors covers kids’ movies, games, books, and music, says that her favorite work perk is getting to preview movies for free. “They’re kids’ movies but I love kids’ movies so I would pay to see them anyway. The best is when you get to see them during the work day as part of your job.” And an assistant in the beauty department, Shunatona gets to test new skincare and makeup that’s sent to her boss.
Closet Cleanout Sales
If you’re dying for some new nail polish or conditioner but don’t get to test them in your department, there is hope, and it goes by the name of the beauty sale. Often beauty editors run out of room to store all of the products that get sent, or they don’t have place for them in the magazine. When that happens, a motherlode of products goes on sale for about a dollar each. Sometimes other departments clean out books, toys, home décor, clothes and other goods from their respective closets and put them on sale as well. “My niece is four and she has gotten an entire library’s worth of books and toys I got from our toy sale,” Grise says.
It all adds up
You might not be rolling in the dough right now, but editors who have been in your shoes before promise that it does get better as you move up. In the meantime, consider how all of these little bonuses throughout the year take the pressure off your bank account and your state of mind. “Everyone in the magazine industry knows you’re not making a ton of money, so getting perks helps balance it out a little bit,” Shelton says. Bellomo agrees, “The money I saved by getting to take home random products like dish soap and laundry detergent allows me money that I can spend on going to happy hour.” Shunatona says that getting to go to fun events at work makes up for not getting to go out as much. “You get so many cool experiences at work that you don’t have to go out and spend money to do fun things,” Grise, who had to really watch her money while working as a temporary editorial assistant, says the same. “I was making just over minimum wage—which is not enough to live on—but I got to go to Six Flags for free, and save money on movies. Even though you don’t make a lot of money you have a lot of fun.”
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