Crystal Bell

Perpetual dreamer in love with the digital world. I tweet, I blog, I document.

crystalb.bell@gmail.com

Recent Tweets @newyorkbell

Posts I Like

Photoset via frankyfitz

Best series.

Photoset via frankyfitz
Link via huffposttv

'Glee' Cast Reveals Details of 'Weird' Backstage Antics

Chord Overstreet and Harry Shum Jr. told my colleague and I all about their behind the scenes...

Link via huffposttv
Photo via fuckyeahdamianmcginty

Photo via fuckyeahdamianmcginty
Video via intentionsoftheheart

The Glee Project - Pairability

The Lady is a Tramp - Damian McGinty and Matheus Fernandes

Video via intentionsoftheheart
Audio post via laurasbloggityblog

So in a beautifully/frustratingly symmetrical unfolding of fate, I’m now standing at the closing bracket of the section of my life time line labeled...

Audio post via laurasbloggityblog

missnicole Asks:

Hey! I found you via Twitter - I am 22 and moving to NYC from Atlanta in January to finish up my undergrad at either Pace or Hunter depending on money (probably Hunter) and I saw you're an assistant at Seventeen - that's exactly the kind of thing I'm trying to get into. I'm currently an English major. I had a previous internship with Teen Magazine's website when it was still being distributed & just finished up an 8 month internship in publishing. Any advice you could offer about breaking into the industry/moving to New York would be great - I'm moving totally alone and don't know anybody which is really exciting but also a little scary. :) Thanks!

crystalbell Said:

Wow! That’s so exciting—congratulations! Well, the industry is definitely all about who you know, so it’s important to start building up a great network in New York. Previous work with Teen Mag and the web is a great plus. Hearst Digital Teen Network (seventeen.com, cosmogirl.com and teenmag.com) is a great internship opportunity. I could definitely pass your resume along to some editors at Seventeen come October/November when the intern hunt begins.

Here are a few things that I suggest to make you stand out:

1. Have some sort of professional social media presence. When an editor googles your name, you need to have an online presence. If you have a Twitter, great! If you don’t—get one.

2. Start a more professional blog and post daily content. This will really impress editors—it shows you’re familiar with CMS, meet personal deadlines and have passion for what you do. It’s also great if internship opportunities from now until Dec. are limited.

3. Get familiar with video and video editing. You don’t have to be a pro, but a little experience will carry you a long way!

4. Reach out to editors (of your favorite mags or websites) in December and try to set up informational interviews for January. Editors love this—and these types of informal interviews are great (and it keeps you on their radar!)

And for apartment hunting, if cost is an issue (and it is for 99% of New Yorkers) don’t be afraid of Craigslist. You can search for rooms and sublets easily without dealing with an expensive broker.I’ve had nothing but positive experiences on Craigslist—you can even get cheap/free furniture on Craigslist which is amazing (speaking from personal experience)

To be honest, I love Brooklyn and you can save so much money living in Brooklyn—it’s just cheaper than Manhattan. But if you’re looking for cheaper areas in Manhattan, look for Financial District, Lower East Side, East Village.

And don’t worry about not knowing anybody—because now you know me haha. Honestly, I love New York and I think it’s really great that you’re taking that step and coming out here by yourself. It’s okay to be scared, but I assure you that you’ll have no problem meeting people :)

Hope this helps somewhat. If you need anything, let me know!