A Dream Job Achieved From Auburn to New York City

Written by: Avery Welch

Claire Sullivan woke on a November morning in 2014, pulled on a sweater and headed out the door. She glided along a weathered concrete road that turned into bricks arranged in an academic fashion. The air felt crisp, as if it was filled with a newly found hope and an electric buzz of change. Green leaves of summer that turned with the breath of fall swirled at her feet as she pushed open the door and stepped into a session of Auburn University’s J-day.

Sullivan came prepared for the school of communication and journalism career day with her future in mind. The professor of her magazine and feature writing class, Laura Fairley, introduced her to an Auburn alumna present who worked for a widely known magazine in New York City.

Life moves fast, but for Sullivan, opportunities formed rapidly in front of her eyes the minute she met Maria Baugh, the managing editor for Food Network at the time.

That fall day in 2014 marked the beginning of her career. She applied to an internship with Food Network the next day and headed to New York just two months later. Today, Claire Sullivan is the senior beauty and lifestyle commerce editor for Women’s Wear Daily.

As an Auburn alumna, Sullivan’s journey to where she is now in her career serves as an example for aspiring journalists in school thinking about where they want to go in their career and how they are going to get there.

Paths change just as leaves do, and growing in age allows for the pivot of interests to take place. Sullivan entered college with hopes of pursuing a career in photography. Her original plan of double majoring in journalism and photography morphed into one as she discovered more about the magazine industry.

“It’s funny now because looking back, I loved magazines growing up,” Sullivan continued. “I just didn’t necessarily realize it was a career opportunity until I got into it and experienced the trial and error of figuring things out.”

The entry-level journalism classes at Auburn University focus more on hard news reporting and writing. Uninterested in hard news, the left sided brain of Sullivan longed for a more relaxed style of journalism that allowed creative thought to play a part in a story.

While a student at Auburn, Sullivan took her desire to be a food journalist and ran. She documented the lives of local farmers through the lens of her camera and the features that poured from her heart.

Sullivan’s project on the local Auburn farmers helped her earn professional opportunities. When applying for internships or jobs, Sullivan suggests having a piece of writing that you are passionate about in order to stand out as an individual.

“That kind of initiative shows a deeper level of creative thinking,” Sullivan continued. “When you’re in a creative industry, people like to see what your eye is for things and what gets you fired up.”

Fresh out of college, Sullivan took the experiences she gained at Food Network and landed a job as an assistant to two editors in chief at Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Weddings. Magazines come and go, and the jobs produced by publications can vanish in the blink of an eye.

When Martha Stewart Weddings folded in 2018, Sullivan transferred over to Martha Stewart Living. Ownership of Martha Stewart changed in 2019, and publications under their wing dropped like flies, including Martha Stewart Living. Sullivan got laid off in April 2022.

“It’s very unpredictable, but it’s kind of exciting that way,” continued Sullivan. “They folded Martha publications, and now they’re bringing back special edition issues. You know, these things never fully die, they just reincarnate.”

The city that brought her Food Network and Martha Stewart presented her with Women’s Wear Daily, WWD, where she remains today. Founded in 1910 and commonly referred to as “the fashion bible,” Women’s Wear Daily possesses an industry voice of authority for senior executives in the fashion, beauty and retail communities according to PMC.

The environment in the WWD office emanates productivity. Sullivan goes into the office three days a week, where collaboration between co-workers takes place. On Mondays and Fridays, Sullivan works from home.

“When you’re writing and editing, the more focus you can have, the better,” continued Sullivan. “When you’re in an office environment, it’s so collaborative, but having that every single day is not conducive to the level of output they demand of us.”

Sullivan starts off her workday by spending 30 to 45 minutes checking out what competitors covered, reading articles and remaining updated on pop-culture such as celebrities' recent wardrobes.

“For example, I’ve kept up with the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news where she was seen wearing a pair of special edition Nike Air-Force Ones,” said Sullivan. Sullivan and her team then touch base and discuss what topics they think should be covered.

When she first started her job at WWD, she wrote much more than she edited. Today, she edits much more than she writes. Workdays vary depending on what occurs in the world or appears in the media. On top of her editing and writing responsibilities, Sullivan plans content and prepares for upcoming holidays or events.

“As a commerce editor, a lot of the revenue that we generate from our articles comes from Black Friday, Prime Day and Nordstrom Anniversary Sales,” Sullivan continued. “Going into the holidays is always a pretty crazy time and whenever people are shopping, that’s when we get a lot of eyes on our content.”

The job of a senior beauty and commerce editor at a larger publication requires passion, time and dedication, she said. Digital media demands timeliness, and work appears out of the blue some days.

“There are instances where it’s 8 p.m. and something happens in the world that sparks content, and I then have to go write an article at 8 p.m.,” Sullivan continued. “On a Prime Day situation, I’m up at 4 a.m. doing stuff, but that’s not every week.”

The beauty side of the position allows her to be the expert. Sullivan receives knowledge from dermatologists, hair stylists and makeup artists, but also tests the products herself. Like a child playing dress up with her mother’s makeup, Sullivan tries out multiple different beauty products such as face masks, hair treatments and various makeup items sent her way.

When popular fragrance company Sol de Janeiro launched a new body oil, Sullivan tested it out for a month then wrote a full review on the product. Other beauty stories compare products, where Sullivan must write content curated to a variety of individuals that also directs the readers on what might be best for their needs.

“That’s the guilty pleasure of my job. It’s a lot to manage, but it’s fun,” said Sullivan.

The unpredictable nature of working in the magazine industry may be seen as a negative, yet the positives that come with the job far outweighs that fear. Welcoming change when problems arise allow different doors to open, just as Sullivan’s path of welcoming change led her to success.