Days during my Internship at CLARA Magazine

My artwork, featured on CLARA Magazine 10th Anniversary Issue

I have always been intimidated by luxurious fashion stores. I don't even have the money to afford anything there! but this internship made me enter Fendi. This internship made me almost touch Prada shoes. Yes, this internship also made me enter Calvin Klein stores and we could choose anything we wanted --- well it was the stylist's choice, not mine. But I still could watch!

I have always wanted to work in a magazine, thanks to Andrea from The Devil Wears Prada. I am not fashionese, (wish I was), but I just seemed to enjoy the vibe of the lifestyle industry. Besides that, I've always wanted to be a journalist, and I've always been agreed with the media, I'm more team media than team public relations. So it's like my calling to experience the most precious 2 months at this company.

THE MEDIA GROUP
Okay, one thing you should know before looking for an internship at media company (either printed, online, or electronic ones), you gotta learn about the group. There are pretty much a lot of media group here in Indonesia, the biggest ones like MRA Media Group (They own franchise magazines like Cosmopolitan, Cosmo Girl!, Esquire, even radio stations like Trax FM, KIS FM), and there's Femina Group (They own Femina Magazine, Gadis, Dewi, and they hold the annual Jakarta fashion Week). There's also DestinAsian, they own magazines like Prestige, Da Man, and Joy. CLARA Magazine is actually owned by PT. Livimbi Media, a media group that also publishes internal magazines for corporates, they also produce Living World, Moments, Good Living Magazines, et cetera. Before choosing what magazines you want to work or do an internship at, you have to know that there are many options, really by just looking at the media group.

CLARA MAGAZINE
There's a reason why I love CLARA Magazine. I like the way they produce their editorial spreads. I think it's always been very touching and emotional. I actually proposed an internship application as a writer 6 months before but they weren't hiring so I tried again the next semester, precisely around June 2017. I actually applied as a Business Unit Intern last year. Anyways these are some of editorial pictures of CLARA Magazine.

src: http://clara-indonesia.com/dejavu/

http://clara-indonesia.com/this-time-tomorrow/

THE INTERN LIFE

mini canapes that I captured during the food tasting session 

Food Tasting on the First Day

I remember my first day as an intern, I had to accompany my supervisor, Mbak Caca to do a food tasting for the upcoming Fendi event. Okay, I have never once in my life attended any food tasting, second, I have never once in my life have anything to do with Fendi omg. I could still feel the thrill and excitement. I mean it was my first day and it started off so fun. The problem is, it was Ramadhan, and I was fasting. I was staring at the canapes and the drinks, oh my god. 

The Devil Wears Prada Day

Do you remember that scene on the Devil Wears Prada when Andrea was running in heels from store to store to pick up the clothes????????? I did that! I was Andrea, except I wasn't wearing heels. It was so fun omg I wish I could do this again. I had to visit the retail company of Givenchy and Tory Burch, and I also did visit Miu Miu and Calvin Klein store. I was actually assisting the stylist, she chose the stuff and I did the administration thing but it was so fun.

Photoshoot Assisting

When I was still an intern, CLARA Magazine was going to publish their 10th anniversary issue. So I had the chance to assist the photoshoot, featuring 10 ah ma zing women like Bunga Citra Lestari, Teuku Chanela Jamidah, Intan Ayu, Andien Aisyah, Renata Kusmanto, Dian Muljadi, Cathy Sharon, Lia Candrasari, Sarah Moerad, and Widi Wardhana. 

Fendi Collection Preview Event

This is probably my first project here at CLARA Magazine. We were planning to hold a Collection Preview event, along with styling tips talkshow at Fendi, Plaza Senayan. Like I told you before, I've never had the courage to enter these kind of stores, you know. I mean I don't have the money! So it was really my first time entering a luxurious store. The event consists of showing the upcoming collection to 50 invited guests. There was also live painting by Dinda Puspitasari.

This is my very first event where I participated from planning process to evaluation process. Thus, I made this as the main topic of my internship report.

Very, Private Dinner with Priority Customers

Another thing that highlights my intern life is this private dinner that we held along with this international bank. We invited 38 priority customers from all over Jakarta. I even made this event as my internship report. This dinner theme was about Meat. We even invited a star chef, Arimbi Nimpuno to serve the food and give a little information about meat in culinary world. During the planning of this event, I learned so much. You might think it's easy to hold a private dinner. But I think, the smaller the event gets, the bigger the detail shows. Get it?

Got my Artwork Featured on CLARA Magazine's 10th Anniversary Issue

One day, one of the editors called me. His name is Andreas. I call him Kak Andreas. He was like, "Fidya, can you help us attach one of your artworks on Beauty and the Beast feature?" I was like, "YES OF COURSE." I was so ecstatic. It was probably one of my "achievement" last year. It felt so nice, really.

the crew and I on my last day, too bad I didn't have proper goodbye with Kak Eca, Mbak Caca, Kak Claresta, and Kak Andreas:

THE DAILY BASIS

Despite of all those highlights, okay, I don't really like the word "highlight" because people are overusing it. Despite of all those things I mentioned above. My job description on a daily basis is that I handle advertising placements and event partnership. Business Unit intern is like an account executive intern: you connect your company with your client. Advertorial offers, event planning, I handled those kind of things. my job description is indeed similar to public relations' job. It was really hard for me at first because I'd feel pressured when talking to someone who has higher position and somehow I've always put my position lower than my clients', which isn't right. I think i am quite submissive, so it was really hard for me at first. But as weeks went by, I learned that each partnership had to give win-win solution to both sides, so I wasn't afraid anymore.

LESSONS LEARNED

Working in a media company as a public relations student did make me understand that there could be a beautiful mutual understanding between media and PR themselves. All this time, I would hear from PR's perspective that media are obnoxious, or from media's perspective that PR can be so annoying. In the end I feel great doing.a public relations function in a media company. 

I am glad I had the chance to meet so many interesting people from various business sectors: banks, hotels, restaurants, fashion retail, beauty retail, interior and architecture, even technology. This has been an amazing experience. Thank you so much for the opportunity!