Sabrina Proffitt, editor-in-chief of The Zillennial Zine, shares her career path and journey starting her own lifestyle magazine.

1. What made you want to start your own magazine?

I’ve worked for a ton of magazines, newspapers and online publications in the past. And while I’ve loved every opportunity I’ve had, I felt like something was missing. A lot of online magazines focus on older generations – the mommy blogs, the highly curated lifestyle magazines… I was looking for something a little crazy, a little raw and a little real. I wanted to create a space for the messy, penny-pinching, incredibly diverse range of people in my generation. The Zillennials. It’s funny to me because the internet has been so shaped by this generation, but we’re not often represented in the media portion of it. We’re glazed over. The Zillennial Zine is for the people who feel like they are in between two major generations, the Millennials (the dog moms, man buns and “hipster vegans”) and Gen Z (Robloxers, tide pod eaters, TikTok dancers). There are so many of us who are in the middle of these two generations. Who often might have a little bit of a hipster vegan vibe to us (we’re environmentalists through and through), and those of us who will scroll through TikTok all damn day (but won’t dance on it, ever). I wanted to make a space for them. On the Zillennial, TikTok trends are discussed regularly, new musicians and small women and LGBT-owned brands are spotlighted, fashion and beauty trends are extreme and fun, self-care is vital and we fill in that middle ground.

2. And you freelance on the side! Walk us through a typical work day for you.

In order to fund the magazine of my dreams, I have to work a ton of side jobs. In terms of freelancing, I’ve written for a ton of different magazines, newspapers and online publications. I also do some other writing side gigs like SEO work for all different types of clients. You would not believe how much information I’ve garnered about random technology like cybersecurity or the number of articles I’ve written about vasectomies or total knee replacement surgery. Freelance work is all about using your skills to make some extra cash on the side. On a typical work day, I’m usually going down my list of deadlines, checking off my month’s work, all while curating, writing, posting, formatting and working on The Zillennial’s website.

3. Tell us a bit about the Zillennial’s audience. How did you grow an engaging readership?

As mentioned above, it’s a highly curated age range. It’s important to me to write about what’s important to us, as a generation. It’s actually really funny how niche you have to get to harbor a following. Some of our most popular articles have been SO tightly targeted to our generation. For example, one of our most popular articles ever was about which Bath & Body Works candle smells like each Harry Potter character. Our newest most popular articles are about what to wear to a Harry Styles concert or the Utah dirty soda trend. It’s pretty niche and specific because we’re covering things that other publications aren’t. We’re creating a space for information you can’t find anywhere else. What’s a “Hot Girl Walk” or what is shifting? We’ve got it on our site. Along with that, we love highlighting small businesses and small musicians so they can get their name out there (and we can get our name out there too! It’s a win-win!).

4. What advice would you give people who want to start their own online magazine or blog?

Find a niche. You are a unique person with such a valuable and unique perspective. Share that. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Make your magazine or blog your own special place! Find a way to make it unique and unlike anything else out there! On the technical side, watch a ton of YouTube videos. I learned so much about WordPress, SEO, Yoast, social media and so much more about running my own magazine through online tutorials.

5. And then back to freelancing…do you have any tips for people who are just getting their freelance feet wet?

Simply ask around! I found most of my freelance jobs by emailing them directly, asking if they were looking for writers. It’s a common misconception that you have to wait until a publication posts on a job listing site like LinkedIn or Indeed. There are some great opportunities there too, but don’t feel too nervous to just reach out to publications you are actually really interested in. All they can do is say no, but even if they do, they might remember your name later when they ARE looking for someone. Get out there and start networking, whether that’s digitally or in person!

6. Anything else you’d like to add?

Please check out The Zillennial Zine if you have the chance. If you are interested in TikTok trends, new up-and-coming musicians, fashion, beauty and more, give us a read! There are so many cool things to come, so be on the lookout or follow us on social media @thezillennialzine.

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Senior Digital Strategist Eileen Marable shares her career path.

1. Tell me a little bit about your career journey. What different jobs have you had?

I’ve always been curious about everything asking, “why, how or what’s the connection?” since I was a little girl. And when you’re interested in so many topics it was overwhelming to pick one topic of study. I went as broad as possible and pursued an undergrad degree in International Arts and later a Masters in International Arts & Business, hoping I’d find the right path.

My first jobs were tracing lost international mail for the USPS which used my language skills and hinted at my ability to project manage and recognize patterns in data. I then assisted lobbyists at Consumers Union, part of Consumers Reports magazine.

I did everything from organizational duties to help field studies on redlining in banking and grocery stores and special projects related to product safety. I worked on my project management, learned a great deal about research, and how to write to convince an audience.

Throughout these early jobs I liked what I was learning but felt like I was missing a passion. I have said to mentees, who like myself, have may have felt like they were in the wrong job that it’s never a waste to find out what you don’t want to do. The trick is putting yourself out there until you do.

One day in the late 90s, I saw a job ad for a temp at a “major television company” located in Bethesda. Discovery Communications was the only company that fit the bill at the time.

Something stirred something in me. Television and movies had always been a passion for me – anything in the media and pop culture really. I used to sneak downstairs before doing homework to watch re-runs of Laverne & Shirley and probably watched every episode of Great Chefs on Discovery Channel while in college. Don’t get me started about primetime soaps.

I hadn’t studied for a career, creative or otherwise, in television or media because it wasn’t something that was suggested as a career path at my small, all-girl high school and it seemed so remote to me before I saw that temp opening.

I made it my mission to slay that interview and I was hired, beginning what would be a more than 20-year career at Discovery. I’m proof that keeping an open mind about what you do and don’t like until you recognize your goal can sometimes be a good strategy if you don’t feel like you’ve found what you’re looking for.

Discovery was the ideal place for me to thrive. It fed my curiosity in so many ways. I got to work on different topics of programming, such as Monster Garage, MythBusters, Mysteries of the Universe, cars, animals, wilderness shows, and so much more. I got to ask why and get an answer every day.

More importantly I got to learn the ins-and-outs of television production, digital media, and streaming from some of the very best in the business. I learned about quality control, what makes genuinely valuable content, and how to understand data.

I learned from “invisible mentors” about how to be a good colleague, the kind of leader I should be, and what loyalty means. These were some of the senior staff who guided our direction and who got in the trenches with us to make the most amazing things happen. Their work ethic and genuine enthusiasm inspired the best in me and in the colleagues I still call friends to this day.

If you raise your hand, you can do a lot of things in twenty years. During my time at Discovery, I was a Manager for PR and worked my way to Director of Program Marketing for Discovery Channel. When I made the change to digital my role was as Senior Producer of Digital and Social, and I served several networks over time.

As a Director of Marketing, I handled full marketing campaigns for large series, including traditional media, creating live touring events and OOH stunts. When moving to the digital media side as a Senior Producer of Digital and Social, the goal was very similar as it was in marketing. It was still about promoting shows and OTT content, just without some of the traditional tactics.

At the end of the day, everything boiled down to making unique, informative companion content for our programming to help promote our platforms or clients. We also made topical content to keep people coming to our platforms.

2. What does your day-to-day look like right now?

Mike Ring was one of my close friends while working at Discovery. I loved his creative genius on the projects we worked on there and on the projects he’s done since he left and founded his own agency, The Garden Creative.

The Garden is a boutique video production & creative agency, and I had consulted with them on digital strategy for one of their Fortune 500 clients in the banking category. The Garden was creating videos with stories about their employees and clients and their financial goals. My goal was to help optimize them in the digital space, prioritizing YouTube and organic search.

I joined the staff at The Garden and continue to create unique digital strategies for clients as well as drive marketing outreach for The Garden itself.

My day is spent doing research, optimizing inbound and outbound SEO, checking webpages and tags, watching and planning video, and writing. I absolutely love it.

I had wanted to work with Mike again for a long time and I’m glad I can be a part of his incredibly talented and passionate team. I’m getting to scratch my newfound itch for data. And, once again the topics and clients are varied enough to keep my busy brain happy!

3. The digital world is growing at such a rapid pace. What shifts have you seen within digital storytelling in the past few years?

When I first started in digital, one of the biggest things in content were web cams. People would sit for hours hoping to see something that might or might not happen.

Looking back on that kind of basic content and the fluid measurement in place during the early years of the digital publishing makes me cringe. Even then though, there were a few sites and mediums that knew the power of a good story would keep people coming back.

The ability of a story to move people or inform them so that they act is the key to storytelling that is never going to change. You can’t underestimate your audience. You must know what they want and show/tell them how you’re going to give it to them or entertain them.

What has shifted dramatically over my time in digital is the amount of data available. Measurement has become an art form that can be used to keep your loyal audiences engaged with content created just to serve them. Another run of data can give you precise information about what content will best attract potential audiences.

And then of course there is SEO, working with keywords and backlinks to help raise your content in search engine algorithms. I love the variety of data that can help you push just about any kind of content forward for sampling.

It used to be you’d create content and maybe rely more on a paid buy, link swaps, or some other kind of barter to help gain visibility for it. Now you are creating content and thinking of the clues you’ve been given to write it or the bread crumbs you can leave so more people than ever will find it.

I think today’s data and measurement capabilities have really changed how content creators approach their subject matter.

Plus, how we create content will expand as we are on the cusp of Web3. Already we are seeing content in the forms of NFTs, custom or branded avatars or rooms in the metaverse, AI programs and apps just to name a few. The near future will bring an explosion of new forms of storytelling, but it will always need to provide value or move people.

4. What inspires you within your career?

Hands down it has been people over the years that have and continue to inspire me. And teach me.

They are all the people who love their work so much they pass along knowledge of their craft as a matter of daily course. They are the people who are dedicated and serious about their work, but when a job is finished will play “Never Have I Ever” over Zoom to blow off steam. They are the people who are quiet geniuses, some who aren’t quiet, but all are unfailingly kind and helpful.

They are the people you want to work with at your next job.

5. What is your advice to anyone trying to break into this space?

If you’retrying to break into digital media or the media industry as a whole, I’d advise joining student or professional groups to learn as much as you can about the industry, what people are talking about the most, network, and hopefully find a mentor. If not a mentor, perhaps someone whose work you admire whose career you could follow.

As you move forward, I advocate for asking questions. Don’t be shy. It’s how you learn the best information. And, as much as you can and still keep a proper work/life balance, take on new challenges or create new things/processes at work. You’ll become invaluable and gain a seat at some very interesting tables. Pay it forward by mentoring others.

And remember, you are never at a place so secure that you can’t learn something new from those around you. Keep listening, keep learning, and keep making connections.

6. Anything else you’d like to add?

I love the quote from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure: “Be excellent to each other!” It really is some pretty wise advice with some huge payoffs.

Interested in a creative gig? We have some open jobs for you!

Writer & editor Nikki Carter shares her career path.

1. Tell me about your career journey.

Since I was young, I wanted to be a writer. For as long as I can remember, I’ve written stories, poems, and essays. I originally went to college as an English major, but enough people expressed doubts about my future career options that I switched to Marketing. Then I got my MBA.

I graduated right before the 2008 recession technically began, but I had a very hard time finding a job in any business or business-related field after I finished school. I ended up accepting a role in a medical clinic; from there, I transitioned to healthcare administration roles within hospitals and hospital systems.

I began keeping a blog in the early days of the internet but around 2009, I decided to use it as a “portfolio” of sorts to apply to different writing jobs. I got a gig writing 1-2 blog posts a month for a New Orleans travel site—I made $25 a post, and I was over the moon to get paid to write. I also did volunteer work for other New Orleans companies in order to get more bylines and portfolio examples.

Things continued to ramp up with my side hustle and in 2018, I left healthcare completely to focus on freelancing. Now, I mostly work with entrepreneurs or companies in the tech/education/wellness spaces, although I do venture outside of that. I create all sorts of content for my clients, and I still write as myself for different outlets. I also run a monthly newsletter for women of color called Will & Way, and I’m querying my first finished novel manuscript.

2. Have you always wanted to work for yourself?

No, but I did have a challenging time fitting into rigid corporate environments. I think that’s what drove me to where I am now—I wasn’t cut out to answer to many other people besides myself. I was constantly questioning things that didn’t make sense to me, like making everyone adhere to the same work schedule or being more focused on an 8-hour workday than the actual quality of work being done.

I never saw myself becoming an entrepreneur—although when I think back, I was always doing little side hustles to earn money, from babysitting to melting Jolly Ranchers and cooling them around plastic spoons and selling those “lollipops” at school!

3. Some freelancers find it challenging to find a work/life balance. Do you have any tips for achieving this?

I still struggle with this, and I’ve been thinking about doing a weekly 24-hour tech sabbatical. It’s so hard when you feel like work bleeds over into all other aspects of your life. The best advice I can offer is to have firm boundaries and create structure for yourself. If I make myself go to my coworking space for a set time during the day and then completely log off when I leave, I feel better than I do on the days when I just kind of do things around the house and work in between tasks.

I also think “batching” tasks is helpful. If I have a meeting, I’ll try to schedule other meetings on the same day so I’m not doing a stop-and-start every single day to join a meeting. Or I’ll do all of my lead hunting/job board scouring at the same time, instead of looking every single day. It helps you to get into a rhythm and be more efficient.

4. How have you grown your clientele over the years and what tips do you have?

I read recently that opportunities come through people, and I think that’s valid. Let your network know what you want to do and what you’re up to; you may be surprised who reaches out or refers you to someone else.

I belong to a number of online communities, and I stay up to date on who’s looking for what within those communities. That’s helped me meet people, and sometimes those people remember me and refer me to their colleagues or friends.

Beyond that, when I work for anyone, I try to be super responsive, communicative, and to always deliver an exceptional finished product. I tend to have repeat customers for that reason, and a lot of times they’ll pass on my info to other people they know who are looking for writing or editing services.

5. What’s the most exciting part about your job?

A core value of mine is freedom, and I really enjoy that aspect of freelancing. I love that no one can tell me what to do and, for the most part, I get to control how I work and my final work product. I’ve also loved watching my own growth over the years and seeing my earning potential expand. Lastly, I would say getting to network with and meet other creatives is an amazing perk.

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