Who Are Your PubCom Editors-in-Chief?
Written by Evanka Annyapu
Photography by Tori Tiso
Ryan Mulrooney Junior | English | Illumination
What drew you into being a part of the team for the magazine you’re an EIC for? I wanted some sort of outlet where I could be creative, especially outside of the heavy literature-based and research classes on this campus, and Illumination provided that.What’s the best part about being an EIC? The brainstorming process for the print edition layout. I look at a ton of different publications online and pull font inspiration from that one, contents page inspiration from this one, and it's just really inspiring and enlivening to have all of these exciting ideas in one place. What’s your favorite part about the process (writing/editing/outreach/design/etc)? The writing. It's the English major in me speaking, and I love being able to craft my Letter From The Editor and Final Thoughts page, as well as publish something on our website every once in awhile. It's just so powerful to know you can write anything and everything about and for your publication, and the feeling when you get the message just right is awesome.What are your plans after college? I'm starting grad school this summer at UW for Secondary Education-English, with plans to teach middle or high school English afterwards.Most favorite memory of working with your teamThe Fall 2018 Launch Party for all of the publications! Loved being able to recognize how hard my staff (and submitters) worked to make Illumination possible.Career highlights and accomplishments I increased the number of events Illumination publicly hosts or co-hosts from 4 per year to the projected 13 for the year.What is something that you want people to take away after reading your magazine? There are so many talented, artistic, young people out there, and more of their voices should be heard and appreciated. Go find some, or share your own.
Ruth Brandt Senior | Strategic Communication, Political Science, Spanish | Souvenirs
What drew you into being a part of the team for the magazine you’re an EIC for? I have always loved travel and writing. Spring semester of my freshman year, I coincidentally met the EIC of Souvenirs at the time, who convinced me to blog for the magazine while I was abroad that summer. I fell in love with Souvenirs, and the rest is history.What’s the best part about being an EIC? The best part about being an EIC, for me, is the first time you hold the print issue in your hands. It's such an amazing feeling to hold a magazine that YOU helped create and seeing months of hard work turn into something beautiful and tangible.What’s your favorite part about the process (writing/editing/outreach/design/etc)? Although I don't do any of the layout design itself, my favorite part of the process is pulling all the elements of the magazine together and creating the actual, physical magazine. I love picking the order of the pages, providing creative input for layout, pairing photos with stories, etc.What are your plans after college? None yet, but I want to be somewhere far, far away.Most favorite memory of working with your teamSeeing the first magazine I was ever EIC of (the fall 2017 print issue) and holding it in my hands alongside my co-EIC, Sophia. We both cried.Career highlights and accomplishments Coming into college, I NEVER planned on being part of a publication, let alone being the EIC of one, however it's been one of the highlights of my college career. Sophia (the other EIC) and I, with the help of an amazing team of students, have taken Souvenirs and turned it into something stunning. This year, we won a Silver Addy from the American Advertising Federation for publication design - that was cool.What is something that you want people to take away after reading your magazine? That travel can be so much more meaningful than simply hopping on a plane and going somewhere- that it can change lives.
Sophia Dramm Senior | Journalism and Mass Communication & History; Certificate in European Studies | Souvenirs
What drew you into being a part of the team for the magazine you’re an EIC for? I originally joined Souvenirs to blog when I studied abroad.What’s the best part about being an EIC? The best part about being EIC of Souvenirs is knowing that I brought together a wonderful group of people who all happen to love travel, turning a bunch of strangers into best friends and making the world a little better place by creating love among us.What’s your favorite part about the process (writing/editing/outreach/design/etc)? I love seeing the stunning written and photo submissions we receive for print because they show how amazingly talented and inspired students are.What are your plans after college? I'm most likely going to work for an advertising agency in Chicago. But I'll be close to O'Hare so I will definitely be doing trips when I can!Most favorite memory of working with your teamThere are too many! But I fond memories of working late into the night on layout with our art directors and being tired and burnt out, but still being silly and having fun designing our beautiful magazine and bonding with each other.Career highlights and accomplishments Leading the production of four print magazines is my biggest accomplishment of my career thus far! Winning an ADDY for magazine design from the American Advertising Federation is also a huge accomplishment, as Souvenirs can now be called a award-winning student-run publication. I've also run a couple PR campaigns for my internships that led to great success.What is something that you want people to take away after reading your magazine? I hope Souvenirs brings the a bit of the vast beauty of the world to readers and inspires them to seek that beauty themselves.
Logan Rude Senior | Journalism and Strategic Communication | EMMIE
What drew you into being a part of the team for the magazine you’re an EIC for? I love all things music, so when I decided to pursue magazine writing, joining Emmie was a no-brainer.What’s the best part about being an EIC? The best part about being the EIC of EMMIE is working with so many incredibly talented students.What’s your favorite part about the process (writing/editing/outreach/design/etc)? Being EIC comes with a lot of challenges, but being able to hold a physical product at the end of each semester after starting from complete scratch is an incredible feeling. Starting off with a speck of an idea and nurturing it until it's a full-fledged magazine is unlike anything else.What are your plans after college? I'll be working with Madison Magazine over the summer, then in September I'm off into the great unknown.Most favorite memory of working with your teamMy favorite memories are the meetings at the start of each semester where we try to figure out what the theme of the next issue is going to be.Career highlights and accomplishments Writing the cover story for our Spring '18 issue. Being able to profile several other artists as I've grown as a writer has been thrilling.What is something that you want people to take away after reading your magazine? At the very least, I want people to feel driven to explore new music.
Cassie Hurwitz Senior | English Literature & Communication Arts; Certificate in Gender & Women’s Studies | Moda
What drew you into being a part of the team for the magazine you’re an EIC for? I started at Moda as a freshman, and more than just the incredible content that was produced, I saw a group of incredibly strong and successful people that I wanted to be a part of. I met a few amazing mentors who guided me to where I am today––pushing me to see my potential and teaching me more than I could ever learn in class.What’s the best part about being an EIC? I'm actually Moda's Deputy Editor, which is the right-hand position to EIC, but my favorite part is overseeing the content from the bud of an idea to a fully-formed piece in the published magazine. From the brainstorm process to the final edits done by the EIC and myself, this is what I find satisfying.What’s your favorite part about the process (writing/editing/outreach/design/etc)? As a staff writer, I loved the writing process, but now I can't get enough of editing. I could sit with a piece for hours and work on improving it, making it the best it can be.What are your plans after college? I'm heading to New York to take part in a six-week summer publishing course at Columbia. After that, fingers crossed that I'll find a job in book or magazine publishing!Most favorite memory of working with your teamThe best part of this year was celebrating with everyone at our launch party. Although I had seen the finished print issue before, seeing the look on all the writers' and editors' faces when they saw it showed me what a successful semester it had been.Career highlights and accomplishments My favorite issue so far was our February 2019 Monthly, which was dedicated solely to sex. As a campus publication read largely by self-identifying women, we have a unique voice where we can share ideas that many professional publications do not. We aimed for this issue to be very relatable, talking about issues that many people might have questions about. We received quite a bit of praise for it, so I'm very proud of that.What is something that you want people to take away after reading your magazine? That anything they're going through is normal and any way they choose to present themselves is perfect.
Eva-Delilah Wieland Senior | Marketing, Management, and Graphic Design | Moda
What drew you into being a part of the team for the magazine you’re an EIC for? The people! I always say, Moda attracts the most ambitious and talented creatives on campus!What’s the best part about being an EIC? Our events and celebrating a final product with my staff.What’s your favorite part about the process (writing/editing/outreach/design/etc)? I think the most rewarding part of the process is the design. It is where a writers words and an artist's creative vision come together and can tell a more well rounded story. Very satisfying.What are your plans after college? Traveling, moving to Detroit, getting another yoga certification, and finding my dream job!Most favorite memory of working with your teamLast fall, the Editorial Board took a field trip to Chicago to attend the Teen Vogue Summit. There were so many creative visionaries there, we got to meet Elaine Welteroth and it was a great chance to bond, shop, and eat in Chicago with the Modies!What is something that you want people to take away after reading your magazine? I hope readers learn something totally new every time they read Moda and finish feeling an elevated sense of confidence, self love and motivation.
Grace Miller Senior | English & Economics | The Dish
What drew you into being a part of the team for the magazine you’re an EIC for? I have always loved food, and the recent surge in information about sustainable eating and new, innovative restaurants gave me a rejuvenated interest in the culinary scene. I wanted to highlight all the amazing places in Madison that were shaking up the traditional restaurant format and also bring attention to Madison's plethora of great, authentic restaurants that serve some of the best dishes I've eaten at a very affordable price point.What’s the best part about being an EIC? The best part about being an EIC is helping each and every member of my team realize their point of view and grow artistically! I've seen so many people's styles blossom, and that brings me such joy.What’s your favorite part about the process (writing/editing/outreach/design/etc)? I'm obsessed with the process of taking a rough draft, cutting it to pieces, and editing it back together to make the article the best it can be. So, editing has been amazing. Also, realized an absolute love of graphic design through the layout process, so I would have to give a shout-out to that as another favorite part.What are your plans after college? I'm moving out to the San Francisco area to pursue a career in book publishing. My pipe dream is to create and curate a literary journal-- fingers crossed on that one!Most favorite memory of working with your teamLate nights finalizing layout, for sure.What is something that you want people to take away after reading your magazine? Food and culture are intertwined more than meets the eye.
Jake Horwitz Senior | Finance, Investment & Banking; Economics; Risk Management & Insurance | Sifting & Winnowing
What drew you into being a part of the team for the magazine you’re an EIC for? I have always had a passion for politics and research. I was inspired by S&W's first EIC to join the team to help promote student research. I am so proud of the work my staff does and how we are able to help give a platform to the incredibly smart students who contribute to our journal.What’s the best part about being an EIC? Having the opportunity to work with such a diverse group of passionate, informed and motivated staff is the most rewarding part of my undergrad experience. I often feel I don't deserve the incredible staff I have.What are your plans after college? I'll be moving to Chicago to work in wealth management. I am hoping to become a Certified Financial Planning in the near future and continue to help individuals and families navigate complex financial issues. Most favorite memory of working with your team2016 Election Watch Party Career highlights and accomplishments As a relatively young journal, I've had the opportunity to be with S&W though all four of its publications, watching and helping it grow from a staff of six to over twenty in just a few years.
What is something that you want people to take away after reading your magazine?
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who reads even one story from our journal. Many editors and authors have worked countless hours over the past year to get to a point where we were comfortable with publishing. We never feel that our work is perfect and there is always room for improvement, but we are happy to share this student research with as many people as possible.
Some rapidfire questions! Your favorite magazine to read (which isn't a PubCom publication)
Ryan: GQ Ruth: ALT Magazine, another magazine on campus!Sophia: Conde Nast Traveler Logan: The FaderCassie: AllureEva: Vogue, of courseGrace: PAPER Magazine Jake: Bon Appetit
A song which is a MUST in your EIC music playlist
Ryan: TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME - The 1975Ruth: Africa by TotoSophia: There Will Be Time, Mumford and SonsLogan: Miki Dora by Amen DunesCassie: I can't pick favorites, but Here Comes the Sun is always goodGrace: Tieduprightnow by Parcels Jake: American Teen- Khalid Favorite movie (or book- or both!) Ryan: A Midnight in ParisRuth: Pride and Prejudice - both book and movie!Sophia: All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony DoerrLogan: Movie - Blade Runner 2049, Book - Frank Herbert's DuneCassie: Again, can't pick favorites, but I'm a huge Harry Potter fanEva: Moonrise Kingdom Grace: Two movies I could watch over and over again are The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moulin RougeJake: Movie: Dead Poets Society; Book: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
I wish I could meet…
Ryan: Aziz AnsariRuth: the Fab Five from Queer EyeSophia: Michelle ObamaLogan: Denis VilleneuveEva: Rihanna Grace: Lady Gaga, no question. Jake: Malcolm Gladwell Did you know…Ryan: that you shouldn't turn on fluorescent lights unless you plan on leaving them on for fifteen minutes. It shortens the lifespan of the bulbs.Ruth: I did classical ballet for 14 years.Sophia: I know a ton of fun facts but I'm terrible at coming up with one on the spotLogan: I love cooking.Eva: I grew up on a farm raising pigs. Oink! Grace: that Kate Winslet keeps her Oscar in the bathroom so her guests can hold it and make acceptance speeches in the mirror without feeling self conscious? A true American hero.Jake: I have a twin sister
I describe myself as…
Ryan: Ned from the Try GuysRuth: One of the friendliest people you'll meetSophia: Nerdy Logan: Creative and Ambitious Cassie: OrganizedEva: A mermaid, a creative, a dreamer, a yogi and a friend Grace: interested in almost everything. Jake: Indie
What’s one thing that’s on your bucket list?
Ryan: Go to the OlympicsRuth: Exploring AsiaSophia: Writing a book Logan: Visit Europe Cassie: Visit all 50 states! Eva: Saving the world :0 Grace: Hike the Appalachian Trail Jake: See the Great Barrier Reef before it dies What can’t you live without? Ryan: CoffeeRuth: MusicSophia: The Bro-rito from Salads Up lolLogan: My headphones Cassie: My computer, probablyEva: Hugs Grace: My bullet journal! Jake: Pizza and Dogs