Kristi Schwechheimer at SOHO, a once-in-a-lifetime experience
This week was my last week at SoHo Publishing and I can say that I’m going to miss interning here. I’ve have been able to experience great opportunities here at SoHo that I would have not had anywhere else. Along with learning so much, I also worked with a group of absolutely amazing people. Those that I worked with were not only helpful, but also took time to get know me and sometimes laugh at me. Along with being able to experience more than I thought I would, I also have had the best summer living in New York City. The places I have gone and the people I have met have made this a once in a lifetime experience that I am so glad I can say that I have done.
At SoHo Publishing I worked on a number of different projects. Generally, I worked with marketing in our magazines, Vogue Knitting, Knit 1, and Knit Simple, or with our book publishing side of the company. I have never worked for a magazine company before and I was able to learn such a different side of advertising that I had never learned in classes. I enjoyed being able to see the issues of each magazine come together piece by piece and it’s really amazing to see it all happen. Sometimes, it seems like ciaos, but once the copy is finished the pages all make sense together and it is awesome to look through it for the first time. It has felt like such an accomplishment to say that I was able to be a part of it.
Some of my favorite days during this internship were being able to help at the photo shoots. I was able to go along to two of them, one for Knit Simple and the other for Vogue Knitting. The issues that we worked on were for Holiday 2009. It was at first crazy that we were setting the back grounds to look like winter and dressing the models in sweaters, but we were in a studio overlooking a beautiful view of the New York. At one point, I even texted my mom to tell her I felt like I was in a movie! Those days I was able to work closer with some people that I generally didn’t get a chance to work with. The Art Director was really inspiring. He set the background and still shots and really had a great eye for what would be perfect in the magazine. I also worked hand in hand with the stylist. It was amazing being able to help with the outfits and accessories that the models were being photographed in. I was defiantly on cloud nine.
Along with the marketing projects and photo shoots, I also learned so much about the Textile and Knitting industries. I myself am not a great knitter… (at all), but I try and I loved to see the editorial staff knit some of the most beautiful garments I have ever seen. During the lunch hour a group of people would hang out at the table to knit and talk. I would ask what they were working on, and they were knitting the designs created by the designers, which were going to be in the Vogue Knitting magazine. SoHo Publishing employees a group of very talented knitters. Being that I worked in the Marketing Dept. we spent a good amount of time working with Yarn companies all over the U.S. and it was nice to get to know more about the Yarn Industry and all the companies involved in so many different ways.
Overall, I’m so happy that I was able to not only be a part of a great internship, but also the experiences I gained through both The University of Akron and PiPN. AkronU. and PiPN has brought me great opportunities, but also more importantly I have met so many people who really inspire me. As my final days of being an undergrad student at Akron come, it makes me excited and confident to use these experiences and what I have learned while taking my step into the professional world.