I was very lucky to get my job at BHG.com fairly quickly (in terms of a journalism major) after I graduated—BHG.com was really starting to rapidly expand in terms of content and strategy. I was on the team from the early stages and really grew up with the site, learning the ins and outs of digital media. I also quickly realized that I loved working in digital. 

It’s been amazing to work for Meredith throughout my entire career. In 2009, I moved to the Parents.com team for a brief stint, which was a great learning experience to meet more people within the company and expand my knowledge as an editor. Meredith is split between our original offices in Des Moines, Iowa and then a New York City office. I’ve been able to meet and work with people in both places, and get to travel to NYC often for meetings and events. It’s really the best of both worlds! 

I started working for BHG when I was in college as a student apprentice that my school, Drake University, has in place with Meredith. Throughout my junior year, I was paired with an editor in the special interest media group and she was the ultimate mentor. I was given writing assignments, stories to produce and be on the photo shoots, and most importantly I was able to see how a magazine came together—the good, the bad and the ugly (mostly the good)! It was an amazing opportunity and really made me realize that I not only wanted to work in the magazine industry, but that I wanted to focus on home/lifestyle publications.

Meredith, and especially the Better Homes and Gardens brand, is made up of so many creative and inspiring people that I’m lucky to call my co-workers. It’s truly amazing to see their average weekend projects from around their own homes or recipes they are cooking up! Most importantly, everyone is so genuine that it makes coming to work fun every day. 

I’m lucky to have had my career grow up as digital media has become more and more important to brands. I have a strong background in editing, and I have had to learn about the digital side of the business as it continues to grow, then determine the best way for the BHG brand to embrace that. When I started in my job, Facebook was still a site only used by college kids, and now it is one of the best forms of digital marketing for brands. I report to both our editor in chief and our digital general manager, so I’m able to learn both sides of the business from them and, believe me, I learn so much every day!

For people who are looking to get into the magazine world, I definitely recommend getting hands-on experience. Internships are key when it comes to getting a journalism job. Also, make sure that you understand all elements of the business, both the print and digital sides. If you’re already out of school and trying to get into the business, start with freelance projects. It’s a great way to show an editor your skills while getting a clip for that brand. It really comes down to good networking, but then having the skills to back it up!

Better Homes and Gardens is a brand that has been around for 92 years, the Red Plaid cookbook is the most sold book in America after the Bible. We’ve really been able to use digital media to appeal to the younger generation of readers who trust the brand because it’s always been a staple in their lives, and now we are able to deliver them fabulous content on all the platforms that they are on now. We really saw this through the emergence of Pinterest—we have beautiful content that is achievable and perfect for this inspiration-driven platform. We want to provide inspiration to all of our readers no matter if they are reading the print issue, finding it on BHG.com or through our social outlets. 

Our digital content development supports our e-newsletters, social promotions as well as making sure that we are covering major topics that people are looking for in search. Our editors are able to tap into our massive photo library to create content that best fits what our editors are looking for. We are a very analytical editorial team (something that I never thought I would need when I was in journalism school). We are constantly looking at the data to determine what content is needed, what should be updated and how we can fill gaps that our readers are looking for. It’s amazing the amount of information we can get that really helps us direct our editorial plans.

We often turn to blogs and designers for inspiration. There are so many creative people doing amazing projects that we glean a lot of inspiration from for the site and projects that we can’t wait to feature in the magazine. 

The print and digital teams are very connected—we all sit on the same floor and I’m in meetings with a mix of editors almost every day. While most pieces from the print issue end up online, it’s not an exact replication of the story. We recreate the story to make sense for our digital readers. The digital editors are on their own schedule for content development, but we do try to cross-over our editorial calendars when it makes sense.

My favorite part of my job is also the most challenging—with the digital space always changing, I never know what the next big thing is going to be. It’s fun to get ahead of the digital trends and platforms, and incorporate BHG into them. At the same time though, there is always something new! I never get bored, that’s for sure!

Meetings, meetings and more meetings. I try to block out time on my calendar to catch up on email and work, but often that happens before 8:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m.

I truly don’t think my next position even exists yet. That’s the fun part of working in the digital space—you never know what is next. I know that I will want to stay in the creative space, but it will be fun to see where my journey takes me. In the meantime, I’m excited to keep working for this amazing brand that has been around for a long time, and continue to watch it grow in the digital space!