University of Western Ontario graduate Ryan Louis has stepped out of the lecture halls in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies and onto the pages of House and Home magazine.
After a national online search by House and Home Media and Samsung Canada for a style intern, where the public was asked to vote online for their favourite candidate, Louis was selected for the three-month position in Toronto to learn about magazine publishing, lifestyle branding, marketing and advertising.
“Working for a publication was exactly where I hoped to end up after graduating,” says Louis. “I was fortunate that it came so soon and that even in these hard economic times there was a special position open.
“Aside from the media-related aspects, I’ve always loved design and this was the perfect combination,” he says, adding he is “looking forward to working in different departments to find my strengths and interests, and perhaps find the perfect match to pursue for a life career.”
Louis will use his skills in digital imaging, website design, graphic design and animation to assist both companies in a variety of areas, including the production of presentations; photo shoots; videos and microsites; event planning; promotional magazine layouts; marketing and press release writing; and merchandise development and product design.
“I’ll be able to see what it’s like working in the magazine’s many departments, as well as developing content for video and web,” he says.
One of the perks of the job is a furnished condo in downtown Toronto where he’ll live throughout the duration of the internship from June to mid-August.
Louis credits his experience at Western for giving him an edge on the internship competition.
“I think I came out on top because they saw that I could bring something fresh and different to the company,” he says. “My work was a little out there compared to what you’d normally find in the magazine, but different was what they wanted.
His educational background provided a solid foundation for meeting the internship expectations, he adds.
While a student at Western, Louis worked on the student-run Style Review magazine and the annual Canadian Asian International Students’ Association fashion show. He also completed an MIT internship at Museum London.
“I feel fortunate to have landed a position related to what I’ve studied in school so early after graduating,” he says.
As part of the requirements of his internship, Louis will be writing a weekly blog about his experience at www.houseandhome.com/innovate.