Arushi Jacob

I was a junior at Emerson College when I had the job interview that kickstarted my career. With one minute left on the clock, I was asked the dreaded question: “Why should we hire you?”

Amidst a summary of my qualifications, I said the one thing that felt undeniably true — I love people.

Everyone has a story worth telling, and I love helping bring those stories to life, whether it’s a local artist painting watercolor portraits for charity, Emmy-winning actress Elisabeth Moss reflecting on how motherhood has shaped her approach to acting, or a college student writing their first personal narrative for a campus publication.

Currently, I’m an Editorial Intern at Variety, where I write daily content, pitch and produce stories across the publication’s entertainment verticals, cover red carpets and live events, and stay tapped into the ever-evolving entertainment landscape.

I realized as a teenager that being chronically online could actually translate into a career. Since then, I’ve developed a strong interest in digital storytelling and audience engagement, building experience in identifying emerging trends across entertainment, culture, and fashion — and understanding not only what people are talking about now, but what they’ll want to see next.