A Diary of my Internship with Zest Media

First, let me introduce myself, my name is Gant Chinavicharana and I am an intern at Zest Media – starting in early June 2017. My role is content generation assistant.

My internship with Zest Media came about through my university, as part of my postgraduate final project. Prior to this internship I had little to no experience working in an office, mostly working freelance, so I was very nervous when I found out I had an interview with Zest. As I leafed through the Absolutely stable of magazines I felt slightly out of place – at the time, a high-end luxury magazine publisher was not a place I could see myself working. My writing has mostly been rather informal in both style and topic – outside of university I run my own video game blog, which I felt wasn’t a natural fit for Absolutely’s magazines and web sites.

That view quickly changed when I arrive at Zest’s open plan office and seeing how relaxed the atmosphere is. Most of the employees dress informally and the enthusiasm is infectious. My interview went extremely well and a few weeks later, I officially became an intern at Zest Media.

Despite being the publisher of luxury lifestyle magazines aimed at affluent audiences, the enjoyable working environment eased off a lot of pressure that weighed on my mind. Working primarily as a content generation assistant, I added to the creation of Zest’s own content. From writing blog posts (such as this one), taking photographs, helping to conduct interviews, to even having the chance to contribute an editorial piece in the magazine – which was published and credited.

Many of the tasks I was given would see me venturing out of the office to various locations, primarily Wimbledon as I was working closely with that edition of the magazine. From fashion events, to restaurant reviews, openings, and new menu previews, there hasn’t been a week at Zest that I was in the office for the whole week. My personal favourite would have to be all the restaurant and food reviews; being a bit of a foodie, getting to try new food and write about it was a lot of fun and makes the whole internship process more interesting and dynamic.

In the office, aside from writing content, I also worked in various research task to support the senior team. Additionally I was also given access to Hubspot, the sales and marketing software with a collection of online courses to teach users about inbound sales and marketing. Completing these courses and their corresponding test would award me with certificates, strengthening my CV and professional credibility. These more corporate tasks gave me more experience with office work, helping me to grow professionally.

Interning with Zest Media is both an excellent learning opportunity, personally and professionally, as well as being one of the most interesting and fun places to work. I can say with absolute certainty that my 6 weeks at Zest has been one of the most valuable experiences in my life.

Gant Chinavicharana

If you are interested in internships at Zest Media please contact us here

Absolutely Mama fills the gap for a London centric parenting title

Looking at the plethora of pregnancy, parenting and baby magazines available, the team behind Absolutely Mama realised there was an editorial gap in the market for the young, busy and creative woman ready to approach motherhood in a non-traditional way. Absolutely Mama launched to cater for forward-thinking mums and mums-to-be, interested in modern content and design that focuses on the mother. Core themes include health, fashion, beauty, interiors and design.

Absolutely Mama is a parenting title with a real difference – something that’s reflected in its editorial content, design aesthetic and digital strategy.

The driving force behind the magazine is a new generation of enterprising modern mamas: women embracing motherhood as a creative opportunity. These pro-active, digitally savvy ‘Insta-mums’ won’t accept tired styling, bland features or cliched content. They insist upon the same diversity of ideas and quality of content they’re used to from wider women’s lifestyle media. They didn’t lose their sense of style when they had their babies, and they certainly don’t need a magazine to condescend to them when it could be talking to them as a friend and fellow mother.

It helps that the Absolutely Mama team is largely made up of mothers working flexibly while balancing the demands of career, creative interests and child-raising. The magazine is made by the same women it seeks to engage and represent. As a result, the publication resists lecturing to, patronising or making assumptions about its audience and focuses instead on real mothers’ ways of answering the many challenges and opportunities presented to them.

Absolutely Mama is a magazine designed by and for women determined to forge their own distinctive path through motherhood. And while the big brands and major products are represented, Absolutely Mama makes a point of foregrounding independent, design-led and often mama-run boutiques and brands so as to serve and support the revolutionary – and, once again, enterprising – new mothering community in all its forms.

In step with its audience at a critical point in their evolution as a community; leading the charge for the women it seeks to represent; embodying the values and vitality of its community in its forward-thinking design and open-minded, agenda-setting content: Absolutely Mama is the only parenting title with its finger firmly on the pulse of the new mothering culture.

After the success of the first issues, the Absolutely Mama team received encouraging positive comments about the quality and design of the magazine as well as its feel, look and vibe. Being a forward thinking, design-led, mother-focused publication shouldn’t be restricted only to Londoners. Readers from all around the UK contacted us, asking us for the magazine to be available outside London as well. And this is how the team went national. Our subsequent issues has moved its focus from the London mother to modern mothers all around the UK.

For more information on advertising in Absolutely Mama contact us here

Zest Media, publisher of Absolutely, London’s fastest-growing group of lifestyle magazines, is expanding its digital division. Following the highly successful launch of absolutely-weddings.co.uk and absolutely-mama.co.uk, an exciting opportunity has arisen for a digital designer intern to work alongside our UI Designer. The role is based in our offices in Old Street and is for a minimum two month duration.

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

● Help build and grow a leading brand, working collaboratively with the senior team as well as executing your own visions independently.
● Bring your designs to life.
● Communicate your ideas and vision.
● Refine your work through rigorous iteration.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

● The foremost quality for this position is creativity.
● You believe in creating elegant fashion and compelling designs. The details matter to you, and you do not stop till your designs are perfect.
● You know that a good design requires research and multiple iterations. As part of that, you’re able to accept feedback and make rational decisions.
● The details matter to you. They really matter to you.
● You can work independently and reliably.

SKILLS:

WordPress is your best friend! Proficiency and experience in Adobe Creative Cloud with a good eye for typography.
We welcome experience with front-end development (HTML, CSS and Java) and understanding of interaction design, UX and UI principles.

Please send CV and portolio to [email protected] accompanied by a covering letter.

At Zest Media we were delighted to see our friends at New Scientist Live 2016 pick up the award for Event of the Year at last week’s British Media Awards.

Having worked closely with the team, we understand the hard work and long hours that go into planning an event, and know that this award is thoroughly well deserved.

We are proud to have contributed to New Scientist Live’s success by providing the event’s show guide. The show at ExCel played host to over 22,000 people across four days, so it was crucial that a clear and engaging guide was distributed.

As well as producing the print guide, we also created a digital version that was emailed out to the show’s database. By doing so, we built the New Scientist Live’s brand visibility and provided advertisers with extra exposure.

In order to successfully deliver an own brand publication for a client, we devise and implement a content strategy, create all design elements, organise production and generate revenue through advertising sales. We take pride in our content creation and design skills that enable us to provide engaging event guides tailored to select audiences.

Having worked with a vast range of clients, from luxury hotel groups to London’s biggest outdoor events, we have ample experience fulfilling various commercial briefs and delivering expected content on time and in budget.

We are always excited to create new publications according to a client’s brief and need. Contact us now; we’d love to hear from you!

Zest is delighted to announce a fantastic new partnership between Absolutely Mama and Playtime Paris, the international children’s and maternity trade show for the fashion industry.

The event will be held from Saturday 2nd July to Monday 4th July and will provide visitors with the opportunity to meet other professionals and brands within the industry. As part of their 10th anniversary celebrations, the show will celebrate the incredible progression of the children’s and maternity markets over the past decade.

London’s luxury bi-monthly parenting magazine, Absolutely Mama, will be distributed at the event, with copies available to all visitors.  Aimed at stylish mums, it is the definitive magazine for the discerning London parent – someone looking for engaging, informative content, sophisticated fashion and lifestyle trends for both adults and little ones.

For further information or to receive a complimentary copy of Absolutely Mama, please contact [email protected]