You didn’t think we didn’t have more interns to feature, did you? Good, because, we’ve got more of ’em coming up! Today, meet Jiayi from e-marketing.
Name and role at the Press: I’m Jiayi and I’m the e-marketing and social media intern, which, among other things, means that I get to tinker around the website, reach out to authors for blog posts, and brainstorm and research cool ways to get the word out online about upcoming NYU Press releases.
- Major/minor/year at NYU: I’m a rising junior, majoring in economics with a Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology minor—which I decided to undertake after finishing both Friday Night Lights and Downton Abbey (while, mind you, keeping up with the nearly-dozen shows I follow) during a flu-stricken January 2012.
- Any previous internships you’d like to note?: Aside from NYU Press, I have also been interning at Of a Kind, a fashion start-up that focuses on up-and-coming design talent, where I’ve had the amazing opportunity to work with and write about some of the designers. Other than that, I’ve also done fieldwork in the fashion area—interning with a designer and helping with everything from show production to, well, whatever came my way.
- How did you hear about this internship and/or why did you decide to intern with NYU Press?: I went to a marketing club event last semester and was a bit blindsided by how serious some of those marketing kids were (think, talking about their favorite brands and their recent campaign strategies as casual conversation topics). So, I guess in a bit of a competitive spirit, and wanting to learn through experience, I went on CareerNet and saw that NYU Press had an opening. I’ve always been interested in publishing and wanted to learn hands-on what a press did to get the word out about its books—and the position married those two interests perfectly. What I really liked, though, was that NYU Press wasn’t a ginormous press so that I could still actually be hands-on and work directly on projects.
- What are you most excited about doing/learning during your summer with NYU Press?: I feel like I can’t fully answer that yet. In the short while that I’ve been here, I’ve done things and learned things that went beyond what I thought marketing entailed, so I’m going to hold off and see what other interesting things I’ll come across. I am, however, very excited about the author interviews we’ve got coming up, so…this isn’t a totally wasted answer!
- Subject area NYU Press publishes in that most interests you: I’m willing to read anything as long as it promises to be interesting. Case in point: I’m itching to read The Notorious Elizabeth Tuttle—I mean, who doesn’t want to read about a madwoman?—when it comes out in October, although history books have generally had the effect of putting me to sleep.
- Any Spring/Fall 2012 titles you’re looking forward to getting your hands on?: I got my hands on a copy of Single for research, and was really excited about that. Other than that, I’m also really looking forward to Authentic™ by Sarah Banet-Weiser. Outside of the NYU Press scope though—ever since taking a psych class a couple of years ago, I’ve been fascinated by how our brains and memories work, so Moonwalking with Einstein is also on my to-read list. And, although it’s not an upcoming release, Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me—for way too long, I’ve been trying to find a time to read it, so now that it’s summer and I’ve announced it to the world, I can’t really opt out anymore. Self-inflicted peer pressure.
- Favorite thing about NYC (or, favorite New York moment): My favorite New York moments are when I’m en route to Grand Central, getting out of New York. Don’t get me wrong—I love New York and am in awe of it as much as the next tourist is, but it’s always nice to get out, and go on a long road trip where you barely see any traffic of any sort for hours. I don’t even have a driver’s license, so I’m always a lot more appreciative of how accessible the city is after coming back.
- Summer-in-the-city survival tips?: Whenever a publication comes out with an “100 things to do in New York over the summer” list, I pore over it but never do a good job of actually remembering the date and getting out. So my recommendation would be to read those articles and actually noting the dates. But I will say that if you ever find yourself on the Staten Island ferry, the lower deck—all the way to the front, past the tourists, where the commuters take their bikes—is a must. If only because the last time I went on, the breeze was amazing, and I saw the cops chasing a boat that was going in front of the ferry all action movie-style—gun, or at least a large machinery that looked like one to me, and everything.
- Favorite social network du jour?: Ever since Instagram for Android came out, it’s been on the top of my list. I’m not too active on any social network (says the social media intern…), but I do appreciate that Instagram lets me see what’s going on with my friends and the cool things they discover.
- Favorite app you’re hooked on?: I didn’t have a smart phone for so long that even after owning one for almost a year now, I still went all dinosaur and said, “Wait, but I have no internet,” when one of my bosses said she’d sent the password for internet connection to my email. “But your phone does!” All that’s to say is that those years with a phone whose only function was call, text, and take pictures gave me pretty good self-control for when it comes to my phone these days, and I do not have an app (ok, besides Instagram…) that I’m obsessed with…currently.
