PEW and Smithsonian. Day 5.

On our last day in D.C., we went to PEW Charitable Trusts. We met with the Bronwen Latimer, who runs the multimedia team. She told us to find 10-12 editors and confidants that we could work with for the rest of our lives, and stick with them. That was great advice for me. I’m always looking to expand my network of editors and mentors, and that gave me a little more push.

We finished our week in D.C. at Smithsonian Magazine, meeting with Donny Bajohr, an RIT alum, Quentin Nardi, and Jeff Camppagna. Like Bronwen at PEW, they encouraged us to maintain good relationships with people and keep in touch. I never really think about magazines when I think about potential jobs, but seeing the space that Smithsonian, National Geographic, and AARP can allot to pictures is really encouraging. Donny showed us a story he worked on recently that spread over 15 pages with text and pictures. On top of having more space for pictures, they also have more time to tell stories. It’s not breaking news, but it’s topical issues. After we left the meeting, Donny took us up to the roof that overlooked the entire National Mall. It was a perfect end to the week to look out over D.C. and reflect on everything we’ve learned.