By: Jennifer Baguss
As a high school student, Caitlin Kenny had no interest in writing. She was jamming her schedule full of math and science classes, because that’s where she had her best marks.
It wasn’t until a teacher offered her the position of editor for the school yearbook that she really fell in love with publishing.
A 2010 graduate of the Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa joint journalism program, she spent her six-week course placement interning at Flare magazine in Toronto, and has since turned her internship into a full-fledged career.
“Flare has always been the be-all, end-all for me,” she said of her choice of placement. “I adored it from the outside; it was definitely my dream pick.”
But an internship doesn’t always lead to a job.
Luckily for Kenny, her willingness to work and passion for the magazine industry radiated through her accomplishments and impressed her co-workers.
Carlene Higgins, beauty director at Flare, says that Kenny is a star and will go as far as she wants to go in publishing.
“Caitlin is bright, eager, organized and a good writer,” she said. “Plus everybody loves her.”
Higgins also says that one of the things that set Kenny apart was her willingness to pay her dues ‘old school style.’
“There was none of that entitlement crap,” said Higgins. “She’s also a straight shooter.”
Working in the beauty department at Flare is something that Kenny has thoroughly enjoyed so far.
“It sounds fluffy, but it’s exciting,” she said. “I never knew that you could make a career out of hair and makeup other than being a hairstylist.” She has always loved makeup and enjoys being on the forefront of trends, getting to see things before they are actually available to consumers.
Kenny has also had the opportunity to cover the backstage scenes at New York Fashion Week. From seeing renowned hair stylists snap at each other, to experiencing a power outage at Phillip Lim, the experience she says, is crazy.
“Everything we do is crazy.”
A month ago, Kenny was promoted to associate managing editor of the magazine, a position that former editor-in-chief, Lisa Tant, says was created specifically for Kenny.
Her new position sees her on the business side of the magazine. She is in charge of things like ad placement, keeping deadlines on track and deciding the book size for the magazine.
“I have my hand in a lot of different pots,” Kenny said.
Maureen Halushuck, managing editor at Flare calls Kenny an “organizational powerhouse.”
“She definitely steers the Flare ship in terms of deadlines and making sure we meet them,” she said.
Halushuck says that Kenny is invaluable to the magazine because of her ability to take on a variety of tasks and her openness to direction from senior editors.
Kenny’s hard work can almost guarantee her a bright future in publishing.
“I would love to be an editor-in-chief or a publisher for a women’s magazine,” she said. “I’m not sure what path I want to take to get there, but that’s where I want to end up.”