extra information !

[maddie !]

ABOUT THE MAGAZINE !


shock magazine is a tabloid among the ranks of people, star, and
us weekly - actually, it's even more popular than those two, and at
the moment, it's the reigning tabloid king, per se. it publishes stories
about celebrities, relationship advice, fashion, sex tips - whatever you
could want from a tabloid, really, though like any tabloid, it specializes
in its stories of scandals, relationships, and corruption. it's extremely
famous and controversial, and the editor in chief is quite a powerful
woman. however, a myriad of law suits have led to a financial decline
of shock, and it has recently been bought out by a trio of partners that
intends to change the magazine and make it more along the lines of
elle, glamour, and marie claire. there's been talk of a power struggle
between the three male partners and the female editor in chief, and
while it has yet to be decided who will win the battle, sides are starting
to be taken. it's only a matter of time before something big happens,
but until then, shock will remain everyone's favorite dirtbag tabloid.

[maddie !]

EDITORS !




editors are what keep a magazine running. there are different
kinds of editors in a magazine, and their jobs vary depending on
what they're supposed to be in charge of. the editor in chief
oversees the magazine and is in charge of carrying out its editorial
policies. it's mainly an administrative job, but the editor in chief
is responsible for the magazine in its entirety - pictures, stories,
headings, captions, so on and so forth. the chief editor of shock
also has the privilege of writing editorials, short essays that show
the point of view of the magazine (or the editor - it really depends
on the topic of the editorial) on a certain subject.

other editors, such as junior editors, editors, and editors of other
titles, have the overall responsibility of reading and editing articles
for shock. they generally do not write the articles but shape them,
revise, and, if they deem it necessary, write headlines. they plan
the artwork of each story and work with the graphics and design
teams to look at and okay layout designs and the like. copy editors
are in charge of proofreading more so than the other editors; they
check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation, as well as facts, but
are still paid well. many editors have assistants.

HEAD STAFF !






the head staff of shock is a group that includes the partners, the
head of design, the head of public relations, and the advertising
executive. the job of each depends on what they are in charge of.
it is their job to say what goes through to the editors and to make
sure that their section of the magazine is running as smoothly, as
efficiently, as well as possible.

the three partners of shock make many major decisions for the
magazine, most of them being financial, regarding the overall
magazine itself, or employee-related. because the partners are
basically producing shock - that is, keeping it running with their money -
they have final say on important decisions. they are the people who
have bought stock for the magazine, and they are first and foremost
businessmen.

the head of design is in charge of the overall layout of the magazine.
she chooses where things go, what they should look like, and looks to
improve the basic aesthetic of the magazine, whether that means
colors, shapes, sizes, whatever. the head of public relations deals
primarily with just that - the public. she also is largely in charge of
legal affairs and giving them a positive spin, playing down law suits
against the magazine and playing up law suits of the magazine. her
job is extremely important because of the nature of shock, and she
often works hand-in-hand with the advertising executive. his job
includes handling the magazine's own advertising as well as the ads
literally in the magazine. he decides on ad campaigns that require
knowledge in marketing, promotions, creative design, and public
relations. the head of photography is mainly in charge of picking
photos for the next issue and of assigning certain photographers to
different assignments. he often meets with the independent
photographers whose work shock uses to pick and choose the photos
he likes best for the magazine.

[maddie !]

WRITERS !






reporters get the story. they research, plan, and write stories
assigned to them by the editor; they keep the public informed of
the going-ons of the stars (considering the tabloid nature of shock).
reporters at shock might be assigned to a scandal, a tell-all, small
blurbs, reviews; whatever the editor sees fit for the upcoming edition.
they spend a large amount of time investigating and researching
before they can actually write the story and are extremely active in
their jobs. reporters have passes and invites to all of the most
important events because companies and people want their events
published positively. these people often rub elbows with the famous
and are often sucked up to because nobody wants to be portrayed in
a bad light. however, they're also somewhat disliked for their careers,
and the balance is a pretty fine one. at shock, there are also junior
reporters, who are relegated mostly to the more boring or less
important pieces so as to have them "work their way up" to the bigger
and better stories. some reporters are columnists and are assigned a
certain type of story every week - for example, relationship advice,
book reviewers, and movie reviewers.

PHOTOGRAPHERS !






photographers are, of course, in charge of providing the magazine
with photographs - but it's a lot trickier than it sounds. using tools
like cameras, lenses, and lights, they really are highly skilled
technicians whose real job is to capture someone's attention and
to make them feel something simply by looking at a photograph.
most photography for shock also involves the use of digital cameras,
as it's the easiest way to transport quality photos to a computer and
to use them in the magazine. photographers at shock are assigned
different jobs depending on their 'title' - for example, a features
photographer is in charge of features, meaning cover stories and the
like. entertainment photographers cover events. independent
photographers are not on the payroll for the magazine; they are hired
on a job-to-job basis and may photograph anything from a cover
story to a small blurb to a celebrity photoshoot.

[maddie !]

INTERNS !






interns are in charge of the grunt work for the magazine. they
often are given menial tasks such as sorting mail, fetching coffee,
and organizing files. it's not necessarily a fun job, but it's a very
informative one and looks fabulous on later job applications.
interns are often very young and just breaking into the business;
they are the freshmen of the office, so to speak, and spend quite
a bit of time groveling in hopes of good tasks or recommendations.
some interns are assigned to a special team - design interns work
primarily for and with the head of design and her team, photography
interns do the same with photography. general interns work with
the editor and reporters. however, any intern may be called upon
at any time to do work for someone higher-up in the chain of
command. internship requires plenty of patience, but can be highly
rewarding in the future, and those who stick it out are dedicated to
their choice of career. many interns are putting themselves through
college while they work and others hold second jobs - shock does
pay their interns, but it's not a high-rolling occupation.

STAFFERS !






staffers at shock might be anything from the maintenance staff to
the personal assistants to the office cleaners. it's an extremely
general term and includes a myriad of shock employees - the canteen
or cafeteria staff, accountants, receptionists, first aid, and security are
all part of the staffers. maintenance, too, are shock staffers. really,
this is a far-ranging position at the magazine.

PAPARAZZI !






the paparazzi are the most hated people in the entertainment
industry. they primarily follow around stars and take pictures of them
doing anything and everything - normal chores, working on movie sets,
fighting with a loved one, punching out fellow members of the
paparazzi. they often take a beating for their job and have been sent
to the hospital by more aggressive stars, and many have restraining
orders on their records from getting too close to a subject. it's a hard
job and not necessarily a rewarding one, and it requires plenty of
cunning and sheer determination. paparazzi are different from staff
photographers - they do only the "dirty work" and often follow stars
around for days without getting any pictures. some have been known
to doctor photos, too, and quite a few have good knowledge of graphic
programs like photoshop.

[maddie !]

MODELS !






models pose for still cameras and sometimes even television
cameras, depending on their specific category. runway models
primarily work with fashion and the runway and can be seen at
various events such as fashion week wearing the latest clothing.
glamour models are photographed for sexuality and beauty and
not necessarily with all their clothes on. body types differ; it
depends on the type of modeling. for example, runway models
are all tall and rail-thin with zero curves; glamour models are
prized for their curves. print models and television models work
for clothing advertisements, fashion spreads, and television
commercials. fashion models must be able to wear clothing well,
as well as accessories; they must bring out the best in the clothing
and have to be able to move in it. photographic models are the
most highly-paid of models, with the exception of the elite few
known as supermodels. modeling is a demanding job that often
requires strict dieting, particularly with fashion and runway models.
television models are the most realistic-looking and are often actors
and actresses trying to break further into the business.

CELEBRITIES !






celebrities are just that - celebrities. they are known either for acting,
musicianship, or even for their partying in the case of celebutantes.
celebrity is a harsh world and it's not hard to be pushed out of the
limelight by others; most fight tooth and nail for a place on the a-list
and it's a highly coveted one. celebrities can range from the d-list to
the a-list, the latter of which are constantly stalked by the paparazzi
for a good story. they might experience a decline in popularity with a
scandal, whether that scandal is made up or real - or, if they're lucky,
a rise in fame.

CITIZENS !






citizens are the normal people of the world with jobs unrelated to
shock magazine. they could be nurses, students, shop owners, lawyers,
business people - even unemployed. citizens are just citizens of new
york city, but they too are impacted by the celebrity world, and because
of that, they are impacted by what is printed in shock magazine, whether
they want to or not - and whether or not they even realize it.