NYU Summer Publishing Institute:Star Power at 35

Students gather for the annual SPI Alumni Party

NYU’s Kimmel Center for University Life is humming with a mix of nerves and excitement. The crowd is comprised of everyone who’s who in book and magazine media, including leading publishers and editors. And there are plenty of students sitting there in anticipation: the NYU Summer Publishing Institute’s class of 2013, SPI alumni, and students in the NYU M.S. in Publishing: Digital and Print Media program. It’s a big night for SPI, which is celebrating the 35^th anniversary of the program. A star-heavy panel discussion (The NYU Media Talk) is coming up. And then, yes, there’s an anniversary party hosted by the Center for Publishing, of which SPI is a part.

SPI Day One: Dos, Don’ts, and Diving Right In

Keynote speakers Bill Phillips, Vice President & Editor-in-Chief of Men’s Health, and Brandon Holley, Editor-in-Chief of Lucky

Visualize this: an auditorium full of resolute and eager students who had just graduated from college. There they were, seated and patiently waiting to embark on a six-week journey that will lead them all into the same industry – publishing. It sounds potentially competitive and sinister, perhaps, but hardly so. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, an indication of the terrain that lies ahead for members of the NYU Summer Publishing Institute (SPI) class of 2013, the class that marks the 35th anniversary of SPI. We all sat in chatty harmony awaiting the arrival of the morning’s editorial keynote speakers: Brandon Holley, Editor-in-Chief of Lucky, and Bill Phillips, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of Men’s Health.

BEA 2013: Volunteers and Voices of Change

Volunteers Megan Bender (Summer Publishing Institute), Janea Brachfeld (M.S. in Publishing), and Chris Kottmeier (Summer Publishing Institute)

Students wearing neon green T-shirts with the slogan “Keep Calm and Read On” seemed to be everywhere last week at Book Expo America. There they were in the autograph area controlling crowds, at publishers’ booths helping with signings, at conference sessions, and at author breakfasts. Forty-nine Master of Science in Publishing: Digital and Print Media and 2013 Summer Publishing Institute students were roaming the massive BEA space at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center serving as volunteers and picking up industry knowledge—and plenty of great swag as well. Advanced reading copies anyone? ARCs were there for the picking from bestselling authors like David Baldacci, Scott Turow, Lisa Scottoline, Cassandra Clare, and more. All in all, getting the chance to volunteer at the largest book conference in America was a great treat for students and an awesome way to kick off a summer of studies—and reading!

Meet the Summer Faculty

As we get ready for the start of summer classes, the NYU MS in Publishing: Digital & Print Media program is pleased to welcome three new media experts joining our faculty of leading industry practitioners. Yes, the new members know their subjects, but they also have some pretty cool interests outside school! Read on to learn about some new faces in the classroom this summer… and their passion for sushi, saxophones, and more.

Advice from the 2012 Summer Publishing Institute Alumni

Each year, 110 students enter the Woolworth Building in lower Manhattan with a shared love of magazines, books, and digital media as part of the renowned NYU Summer Publishing Institute (SPI). They come from all over the United States–and, in fact, all over the globe–to study publishing at New York University in the heart of New York City, the media capital of the world. After an intense six weeks, having gained a great deal of knowledge, industry contacts, and job search tips, they pursue their dream job in publishing by meeting with top media representatives at the annual NYU Center for Publishing career fair. And this year is particularly exciting, as it marks the 35th anniversary of SPI.

So, what’s the best strategy to make all these great publishing lessons and connections work for the members of the class of 2013? We caught up with a few of the alumni from SPI 2012 nine months after they left the classroom and asked them to give advice to the Class of 2013.

Hyperion and The Chew: Recipe for Synergy Success

M.S. in Publishing students, including blogger Elizabeth Forrest (back row, middle), pose with: (front row, far left) Hyperion’s Bryan Christian, Elisabeth Dyssegaard, and Mindy Stockfield; (middle row, fourth-sixth from left) Ellen Archer, Hyperion’s President and Publisher; Harriet Abraham, ABC’s VP for Daytime Programming Operations; and Hyperion’s Meg Morse-Schindler.

Delicious donuts (red velvet, French toast, and cookies and cream, anyone?), dancing along with Carla Hall (a chef with cool moves), and learning how to clap and laugh on command as a TV audience member: these were just some of the treats in store for M.S. in Publishing: Digital & Print Media students during a visit to the set of The Chew. We were also given the opportunity after the taping of the hit ABC daytime talk show to meet with the producers and members of the team from Hyperion, who published the bestselling companion cookbook, The Chew: Food. Life. Fun.

Job-Hunting Handbook: What the HR Experts Say

M.S. in Publishing students get career tips from Stacy Berliner (back, left) and Sara Patterson (back, right).

Publishing is a tight-knit community, and for those seeking their first positions in the industry, it can be tough to break in. Luckily, last week, students in NYU’s M.S. in Publishing: Digital and Print Media program had the opportunity to attend a panel discussion moderated by the program’s director, Andrea Chambers, and featuring two senior human resources executives in the publishing industry. Sara Patterson, Head of Talent Management for Condé Nast, and Stacy Berliner, Director of Human Resources at Random House, shared their insights, key networking tips, and job-hunting techniques crucial for snagging that publishing dream job.