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Beauty Writing

How to do it, how to get a job doing it

Course is closed.

WHEN
Thursday, February 9, 7-10 p.m.

WHERE
mb classrooms
494 Broadway, 3rd Floor
(between Spring and Broome)
New York, NY

WHO
Ideal for any journalist or writer who is interested in writing about beauty or would like to incorporate beauty-related coverage into their writing

PRICE
$65 ($50 for )
more info

Course Details

Beauty pages always rank among the most-read in any magazine. Beauty assignments customarily carry the biggest payday for freelancers. Beauty editing provides a path to power and glory at fashion and general-interest titles. And beauty coverage continues to expand exponentially at men's titles, teen franchises, celebrity scandal sheets, and the latest spate of shopping magazines. So how can you cash in?without selling out?

In this seminar, you'll get a list of magazine and PR contacts, find proven paths to a place on the magazine masthead, hear how to get hired without beauty clips, and learn how to land lucrative assignments without losing journalistic credibility. Because covering beauty takes more than putting a pretty face on a few press releases and product placements.
 
In this seminar you will learn:

  • how to come up with coverlines-and then spin them into stories
  • when standard interview techniques won't work (and what to use instead)
  • the jargon you'll need to know to understand your editor
  • how to hunt down and kill off the worst clichés of the genre
  • what editing tricks can turn a promise of "clear skin," "shiny hair," or "thinner thighs" into a solid service story
  • how to make your way through the minefields of product mentions and public relations placements

    Come prepared for role-playing and lots of class participation.

Instructor Bio

Mary Lisa Gavenas's Courses

No courses available at this time.

Mary Lisa Gavenas
Mary Lisa Gavenas has been a senior editor at Glamour, Mirabella, and InStyle and a columnist for Elle. She has also worked as editor-in-chief of a trade magazine covering children's fashion and editor-in-chief of custom publications. Her freelance work has appeared in Family Circle, The New York Times Magazine: Fashions of the Times, People, Redbook, Travel & Leisure, and a slew of other titles. She has appeared on CBS, CNN, and NBC as an expert on beauty and the media. Most recently, she is the author of Color Stories: Behind the Scenes in America's Billion-Dollar Beauty Industry, published by Simon & Schuster.


Testimonials


I learned a lot from Mary Lisa about writing and the Fashion/Beauty industry in general. I would like to thank her for her time. -- Kate Glum, Intro to Fashion and Beauty Writing alum

"Mary Lisa's Beauty Writing seminar was the better than any class I ever took in college! It was real life experience and invaluable contact information that was meant for anyone thinking of going into this industry." -- Alana Newton, Marketing and Events Coordinator, Philadelphia magazine

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