Pitch

During my editorial internship at MyNorth Media, my primary role was writing regional lifestyle stories, local interest pieces and travel content for the digital site. But no intern had ever written a feature for the print magazine, and I was determined to be the first.

When I discovered that hot air balloon tours were operating just outside of Traverse City, I knew this was my opportunity. The pitch—a feature-length narrative that would not only highlight the local tourism opportunity, but also profile the pilot, Jeff Gilles—got the green light.

I met with Gilles one-on-one to interview him about his history with hot air balloons before getting into one myself, armed with my Canon and a notebook.

Deliverable

The result was a narrative feature that takes the reader into the air over Northern Michigan wine country—equal parts profile, travel guide and love letter to the region. It even ran in Traverse Magazine’s print edition—a milestone no other intern had reached.