Day 1I was scared, really really scared. As someone who's anxiety is through the roof about pretty much anything that is the unknown, the thought of heading into central London to a building of offices where I would be sat among one of my favourite writing teams in the word, was very daunting. But all that fear and worry was soon squashed. The team are amazingly friendly, I felt like I had been there for ages and I felt like I was learning from them the moment I met them. There was plenty of banter (I got to chat about Biffy Clyro for about an hour) and there were plenty of awesome tunes playing all day.
The first task I was given was to fill out a questionnaire about myself and my music background. It was nice to know I was giving the team information about myself so they could get to know me better and editor, James McMahon even spoke to me about what I had written which I thought was awesome. I then had to complete 3 tasks; first, I had to write 2 album reviews (last album I purchased and my favourite album). I then had to turn a press release into a news feature which I found a bit more challenging as I've never done anything like that before. I then had to imagine I was a freelance journalist pitching a four page feature to the team. Again this was a challenging task but I learnt a lot about what it's like to do this as a profession. Before I left I got to write my Reader's Chart which is awesome because I'm going to be in Kerrang! It's crazy and as far as first days as an intern go, this was the best.
Day 2My second day was much less daunting. With a key pass to the office in hand, I felt happy to return to the office and spend another day with the Kerrang! team. I spent my day reading the latest issue a day before it's release (which was pretty cool) and looking on social media to see who was announcing what (purely for my own interest). In terms of being an intern, I got to sit in on a team meeting where I got to see the stresses and sheer amount of work that goes into creating a publication in a week. I also started to post the latest issue of Kerrang! to the many freelance writers the magazine uses around the world and I helped one of the team come up with new categories, with their songs, for the random chart in the weeks to come. I heard more music which I loved and engaged in more conversation. It was a shame there wasn't much for me to do today but I hope that tomorrow will offer up opportunities to contribute to the magazine.
As much as I had hoped, my third day at Kerrang! did not offer up much more than my second day did. Today, I spent a lot of time working on my own blog (the three posts you might have got to read on Wednesday) which was actually quite nice. I liked writing in that environment rather than my bedroom or the sofa. I felt like a proper journalist and it was nice to feel that way. I also got to contribute to the "Rock Ruck" section in the magazine where I was given a question to argue one side of. I enjoyed doing that and it's exciting to know my answer will be published against a rockstar's opinion! When there was nothing for me to do I was asked to write a review of an album I don't like, something which I found really challenging and took me a lot longer than I thought it would. Hopefully I'll receive some feedback on that, and the pieces I did on Monday, before I leave on Friday. Finally, I spent an hour or so working on a piece for "The Lists" which are published on the Kerrang! website. It might not definitely go up but it was nice to do something like that, as it's a different format to what I'm used to. Like I said, I wasn't really given much to do and although I have had a few thoughts of boredom I just really enjoy being in the office. I got to hear my favourite album of the moment from Issues and the Four Year Strong EP and I even got to hear an exclusive listen of a classic bands new album! It's such a valuable experience just sitting in that office, even if I'm not doing anything directly for the magazine. I love it.
Today I realised the toll a 9 to 5 job can have. I physically ache and I fall asleep straight away when my head hits the pillow. It is tiring and I have a whole new respect for actual working adults. Today I finished off my post for "The Lists" whilst listening to Biffy Clyro's album in full. I then finished posting out issues of Kerrang! to the rest of the world which I realised was a kind of crazy task in itself as I was posting issues to While She Sleeps and Ronnie Radke! I've realised that I'm hearing and seeing things that are exclusive and secret and it's a massive privilege to be treated with trust like that. I was also given the long task of going through a bunch of archived issues of K!, going all the way back to 1997, to find Green Day articles to be photocopied for use. It was a long day but it was more enjoyable than yesterday and I'm looking forward to my last day with the team tomorrow.
My final day and I did nothing. Well nothing for Kerrang! anyway. I spent my day reading Rock Sound and creating new blog posts for here. Being at Kerrang! has made me think about different things I can talk about on my blog that aren't just reviews so I started working on my "an introduction" series. Before I left the office, two of the team sat with me and went through some of the tasks I had written for them. I received praise and was given some tips on how to improve, especially if I want to write for Kerrang! in the future. One of the team also chatted to me about meeting famous people such as Biffy Clyro and Blink 182 and it was really interesting. It made everything worthwhile and reminded me once again how awesome it has been to be with some of the best rock editors in the country. Before I left I got a round of applause and a sense of sadness. I didn't want to leave, it's been an insane opportunity and I've definitely learnt a lot about the business and what I want for my future. I don't want to leave, I want to stay!
Although I wish I could do this forever, life must return to normal for now and seeing as I'm off to Reading next week, the next few days will hopefully bring you some new posts!
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