What Is the MuggleNet Internship Experience Like?

by · February 3, 2017

For a majority of Harry Potter fans, MuggleNet internships are one of the best ways to get more involved with the amazing fandom! As a Creative Editorialist intern, I was able to write some of the articles that MuggleNet publishes every day. Interns are given a mentor, who guides them throughout their internships (shoutout to Stephanie for being the best!). I was able to gain experience writing and then see it published in a place where other fans enjoy seeing the new content.

For my position these past few months, I wrote articles for the website that I thought would be enjoyable for readers. I learned how to create posts in many formats and more about the writing world. I got to meet many great people, including my mentor, during this experience. I gained more confidence with my writing than I thought I would going into this. With this newfound confidence, I applied for and got a freelance writing position, and now I get paid to do something I love! My favorite part of my internship experience was interacting with Stephanie and leaving her many late-night messages that only sometimes made sense.

Applying for this internship was one of the best decisions I have made in recent months. I can only speak from the perspective of a member of the Creative Team, but there are many other MuggleNet teams to join. So on that note, I asked some of the other interns to share more about their experiences. Check out what they have to say below!

I implore anyone with any interest at all to apply for an internship when applications open up again! You will be hard-pressed to find a better online environment with a greater group of people with the same interests as you. Just keep an eye on our social media accounts to know when applications are being accepted. With our internships ending soon, it’s exciting to think about where our MuggleNet careers will head from here!

 

 

News Team Interns
Name: Megan Fischer

Position/Brief description of what you did: Journalism Intern. I got to cover some breaking news stories and try out some creative writing (listicles, etc.) What you feel you got out of the internship: I learned a lot as far as what makes a good story and the do’s and don’ts of reporting stories. Favorite part of your experience: I got to “meet” so many new people. Regardless as to whether the internship turns into something more, I’m thankful to MuggleNet for opening this door and helping me make new friends! 🙂

 

Name: Lauren Wood

Position/Brief description of what you did: Journalism Intern. I was able to write up a range of exciting news stories for the website! What you feel you got out of the internship: I feel like I now know so much more about what it takes to work in journalism, from how to take a relatively boring story and make it fun, to how to format a proper article. Not only that, but I’ve gained a new confidence in my own writing style, and not to fear feedback so much – it’s only there to help! Favorite part of your experience: Pretty much everything about it! From the moment I found out that I was joining the team, to now, I’ve had a blast! Although I’m fairly shy, I’ve loved seeing how everyone interacts and witnessing the love of all things Potter shared by the MuggleNet team!

 

Name: Shachi Tiwari

Position/Brief description of what you did: Journalist Intern. Read breaking news stories and other types of posts (interviews, updates, etc.) in order to write interesting news articles for MuggleNet.com. What you feel you got out of the internship: Apart from learning how to write up and format an informative, yet fun news story on WordPress, I have obtained so many skills from this amazing opportunity. Including better time management, a boost in self-confidence in my writing, and most importantly, the ability to just be me and continue learning during this incredible internship! Favorite part of your experience: I truly cannot pick a favorite part when the whole experience has been nothing short of amazing for me. It has been surreal to be a part of ‘The World’s #1 Harry Potter Site’ and I have enjoyed every single minute of it. I am also extremely grateful to have met so many wonderful people on the MN team, from my fellow interns to the staff members who provided me and others with excellent feedback and encouragement! Words will never express how full of gratitude I am for receiving this internship at MuggleNet as it has been one of the most fantastic experiences of my life. 🙂

Content Team Interns
Name: Emily Wells

Position/Brief description of what you did: Archivist Intern. Managing old content such as backdated posts and retrieving lost content from the Wayback Machine. What you feel you got out of the internship: A massive boost to my archiving skills (I’m a grad student pursuing my MLIS), experience doing new things with WordPress, and the opportunity to make new friends and collaborate. Favorite part of your experience: I’ve been following MuggleNet as a Harry Potter fan since the early 2000’s so being able to see it from another perspective is an opportunity I never thought I would have.

 

Name: Katie McCrudden

Position/Brief description of what you did: Archivist Intern. Working with old content on the website and using the Wayback Machine to retrieve old posts. What you feel you got out of the internship: Some coding, which I never thought I would be exposed to, as well as collaborating with others on tasks via social media as opposed to in person. Favorite part of your experience: Using the Wayback Machine to see MuggleNet back in the early days brought back so many great memories, and it was awesome to see how far the site has come! However, getting to be apart of the MuggleNet family, made up of some of the coolest and kindest people out there, has been something I will cherish forever.

Creative Team Interns
Name: Nathalia Velez

Position/Brief description of what you did: I was on the Creative Team and got to write tons of fun articles and lists about my favorite thing in the world. What you feel you got out of the internship: The opportunity to think and write about something that has been such a big part of my life on a platform that I've always loved and respected. Favorite part of your experience: Being surrounded by other Potterheads who are extremely creative and talented and getting the chance to learn from them and share ideas.

 

Name: Holly Peckitt

Position/Brief description of what you did: Creative Editorialist intern. My role in this position has been writing innovate and hopefully inspiring articles for MuggleNet in the form of listicles and blogitorials. What you feel you got out of the internship: I feel like this has given me a lot more faith in myself and my writing. When I was informed I’d received the internship, I was thrilled but panicking that my writing wouldn’t be good enough or that people would hate what I’d written. However, the response has been the complete opposite of that, and with every new article, I can see my writing progressing so much. This has left me not only with an improved ability to write effectively but with a lot more confidence in what I am writing. Favorite part of your experience: Between meeting so many Harry Potter fans and feeling a little less isolated in my Potter obsession, my favorite part has to be the writing. Writing for MuggleNet has been a dream of mine for years, and the best part of it all has been seeing my writing on the wizarding world go live on my favorite website and reading the comments on the article and on social media. Being able to do something I love with my most learned topic, and watching people understand where I’m coming from in my thoughts is the best feeling. No matter what happens at the end of this internship, I’m so proud to say that I have done this!

 

Name: Bella Chadwell

Position/Brief description of what you did: Creative Team Intern. I wrote fun articles about my favorite thing in the world. What more could you ask for? What you feel you got out of the internship: I had the chance to write in a professional environment on a team of people who are just as passionate about Harry Potter as I am. Favorite part of your experience: More than writing, I found new friends who love Harry Potter and with whom I was able to share stories of how this series affects my life in weird and wonderful ways. MuggleNet is a family… A family of wonderful, amazing, awesome, and talented nerds. Like others, writing for MuggleNet has been one of my dreams for years, and to see it realized this way has been something so rewarding and I can’t even believe it happened.

Social Media Team Interns
Name: Katie Harrison

Position/Brief description of what you did: Social Media Team Intern (Facebook). I schedule different articles/posts for the MuggleNet facebook page with all of the other lovely members of the Facebook team. 🙂 What you feel you got out of the internship: I’ve learned what makes a good post and what doesn’t. Also, what type of post brings in a lot of likes/comments. Tracking the posts that I’ve put up and seeing the reactions of the Harry Potter fans has helped me plan out my next post, and I’ve truly enjoyed seeing the conversations that take place between different people. Favorite part of your experience: I’ve had such a lovely time getting to know all of you! Although it can be difficult to talk sometimes because we’re from different parts of the world, it makes me so grateful to know that I’ve made friends across the globe. I’ve enjoyed every second of talking about my favorite series with all of you. I also went to the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them premiere in New York (where I met some of you for the first time!) and was able to meet Warwick Davis, say hello to Eddie Redmayne and Ezra Miller, and also see JK Rowling from a few feet away. 😀 It was one of the most interesting experiences!

 

Name: Ellie Vengala

Position/Brief description of what you did: Social Media for Twitter What you feel you got out of the internship: I learned so much and it was so cool feeling so involved in something as awesome as MuggleNet. I love our entire Social Media team and they added us to all the MuggleNet groups which was so cool getting to see everyone’s posts daily! Favorite part of your experience: Seeing HP in concert in San Jose. Felicia invited me after she saw that I was one of the MuggleNet people in Bay Area! It was so so awesome.

 

Name: Abby Sherlock

Position/Brief description of what you did: Posted content on the Facebook page! What you feel you got out of the internship: More insight on how social media pages are run (something I’ve always been curious about/interested in), and a way to share all of my favorite Potter memes out to the world! Favorite part of your experience: I loved getting to talk and share ideas with some fabulous, passionate fans! Everyone on the social media teams were so nice and willing to help, so I always felt I had a support system!

 

Name: Neil Bascos

Position/Brief description of what you did: Creative Social Media Intern What you feel you got out of the internship: Back then, I was so unskilled in doing captions because it was either corny or too plain. But when I joined MuggleNet, I improved my skills in terms of making clever and funny captions for posts. Partly because it’s about Harry Potter; that’s why I can come up with captions to pair the posts with. Favorite part of your experience: I believe that what I cherish the most in this internship is the friendship I built with my two co-interns, Brian and Disha. I did not expect that we’ll be close to each other (we even greet each other on holidays, share stories, and basically chat about our life, among others).

 

Name: Brian Selcik

Position/Brief description of what you did: Creative Social Media Intern. I essentially read articles and wrote a small blurb about them that makes more people read the articles. Then I posted them on MuggleNet’s Facebook Page. What you feel you got out of the internship: I’ve had a great experience working at MuggleNet. I learned how to format posts so that they reach a larger audience, and I was able to work with many different and amazing people to help me improve what I’m posting! Favorite part of your experience: Everything has been so great, but I have really loved the new friendships I have with the other two CSM Interns. Disha and Neil have been so much fun to talk to and we always help each other out if we need to. Everyone on every team is so supportive, and I’m so happy with the lifelong friendships I now have. Also, I’m able to do work based on Harry Potter, which is more than I could ever ask for.

 

Name: R. S. Disha

Position/Brief description of what you did: Creative Social Media Team Intern. I act as an interlink between the Creative Team and the Social Media Team. What you feel you got out of the internship: This internship helped me enhance my writing skills. I learned how to utilize my time in doing something creative and of keen personal interest. I learned to multitask. I managed my time amongst various activities like going to school, my regular studying hours, and working in a schedule. I also learned to collaboratively work in a team. Favorite part of your experience: This internship has been by far the best thing that happened to me in 2016, and I feel as if I were part of something important. Everything has been great, but there are a few things that I will never forget. First of all, the friendship I made with my teammates Brian and Neil. They have been so great to me and I will always cherish our friendship. It has been fascinating because all my experiences were a first of their kind for me. It is my first job, the first time I interacted with people across the globe, and I was part of important meetings despite working from a different time zone.