Are you dreaming of a career in journalism and don’t know where to start? Whether you’re a college student, a recent grad, or looking for a career shift, it’s never too late to chase your dreams.
Cassie Gill is an established entertainment and lifestyle editor based in Los Angeles, California, who has covered and attended some of the most-known events in the world like the Oscars, the Grammys, and the Golden Globes. She’s also worked as a Senior Editor for one of Hollywood’s best-known celebrity news sites, Bonnie Fuller’s HollywoodLife, as well as written for publications like Bella magazine, inTouch/Life&Style, ELLE Canada, NUVO, VITA, Daily Hive, and more.
We chatted with Cassie to get her tips and tricks on how to pursue a career in the industry, as well as how she got her start.
Q: What did you go to school for?
A: Interestingly, I didn’t go to school for journalism but rather, communications – and I think that’s worked in my favor in my career as an editor because a communications degree can be applied in so many different ways. You learn how to write and edit, but also, other aspects of the industry like public relations, marketing, and production – all of which crossover. For example, I work with publicists in my day-to-day life as an editor and writer so understanding both sides of the fence is definitely a benefit.
Q: How did you get started as an editor?
A: I actually didn’t know that I wanted to be an editor during university. I started out by doing a bunch of different internships in various aspects of the entertainment industry, including one with Canadian publisher St. Joseph Media on their titles FASHION and WHERE Vancouver.
I got a first hand look at the writing and editing process, and also got my first bylines at the internship – which was a hugely exciting milestone!
Q: Did you intern anywhere else?
A: After that, I did a public relations internship at Citizen PR where I worked on a slew of clients around the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. This was another massive milestone as it was history in the making, especially getting to assist with clients who were official Olympic sponsors such as Bell and General Mills. Getting to host events with Canadian and U.S.
medalists, pitch stories, and attend some of the biggest ticket events of the games was a great hands-on experience. I always say that I learned the most in this internship!
From there I did a production internship at CBS with ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ which was so immensely fun. I learned about all aspects of making a soap opera but the part I loved the most was working with our PR team on press appearances for our actors, which also included showing media around when they visited and working the red carpet for the Daytime Emmy Awards. Another experience that taught me a ton about the industry.
Q: What advice do you have for people who want to get an internship but don’t know where to start?
A: I always say that no one is going to advocate better for you than YOU yourself. You have to put yourself out there, which isn’t always easy for people. I started with a simple google search – looking into contacts at media outlets and PR agencies I was interested in working with and just sending cold emails, or in some case, cold calling to ask if they were accepting interns.
I was very keen and I think people appreciated my tenacity. I received a lot of ‘no’s but even when I did, I stayed in touch with those same people for potential future opportunities – which is how my Citizen PR internship ended up working out. When I landed the gig at St. Joseph Media – and I don’t necessarily recommend doing this – I even dropped my resume off in person to show interest. The hardest one to figure out was probably the CBS internship but again, I was keen and kept emailing and calling until I found the right person and didn’t forget to follow up.
Q: Was there any internships or jobs you applied for that didn’t work out?
A: Plenty! One was actually interning with NBC during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. I went for an in-person interview, which went really well – and the woman told me that they would be in touch soon. I didn’t realize that you SHOULD follow up at that age, and waited, and waited, for them to contact me.
It never happened and that was forever a lesson learned to be proactive and follow up no matter what someone says. I’m glad I didn’t get that job, in a sense, because it taught me a huge lesson.
Q: What was your first job in media?
A: I did one last internship at CTV, which is Canada’s largest broadcaster before I graduated. There, I started at the news desk and then eventually migrated over to CTV Morning, which is one of the largest morning shows on-air in the country. I eventually stayed on as a producer where I also got opportunities to write and edit online content, appear on-air, and book all of the “fun stuff” like celebrity and lifestyle guests.
I also attended and covered all of the major award shows with CTV including the Oscars, Grammys, Golden Globes, and more. It was such a great time working there!
Q: How did you end up in LA?
A: I have family members in Los Angeles, and I very much enjoyed my time there as an intern with CBS. I ended up with the opportunity to join the HollywoodLife team under my former boss Bonnie Fuller in 2019, two year after she and I had met in person over breakfast in New York City. I was a big fan of Bonnie prior to working with her, particularly as I grew up reading Us Weekly and Marie Claire, both of which she held editor-in-chief titles at.
Working for Bonnie was a transition to becoming a senior editor full-time, and I learned the ins-and-outs of handling breaking celebrity news, writing up interviews with celebrities, as well as covering events on a larger scale.
Q: You also are a freelance writer – what tips do you have to get started with that?
A: Freelance can seem daunting at first, but it’s all about who you know to start. I was able to make so many connections in the Hollywood media scene just by attending and covering events – and much of the time, you end up attending events with the same journalists on a weekly basis. Once I fostered relationships with my colleagues, freelance opportunities came naturally – especially from those who are looking for contributors.
On that note, I think you can also take a more keen approach and reach out and pitch. I think it helps, as well, to ask editors what they might be looking for so you can avoid wasting your time and theirs. I think that e-commerce is a hot content area right now that a lot of outlets are looking for, so that could be something to get started with.