Jen Chae, Trend Hunter (INTERVIEW)

Jen Chae is known for being obsessed with modernized James Bond gadgets created to make smartphone usage a whole lot easier. Her favorite gadget is a pocket tripod that begins as a flat, business card-shaped structure that fits right into your wallet, but can be folded to create a miniature tripod to hold your iPhone. This makes for some easy selfie-taking, and will make your Instagram profile look clean and polished.

When she's not on the lookout for more gadgets to include in her iPhone arsenal, Jen loves taking photos, exploring the city, and traveling all over the world. Her most memorable travel experience was a six month-long trip to Korea, during which she taught English in different elementary schools. Her passion for this trip clearly shows how Jen manages to brighten her co-workers' work weeks, rain or shine.

1.What’s been your favorite trend so far while working at Trend Hunter?

My favorite trend so far is a Kickstarter project. They’re pocket tripods for iPhones, and they fold up into wallet-sized cards, and they reassemble into these tiny tripods for your iPhone. The pocket tripods were actually inspired by James Bond gadgets, in that they’re compact and concealable. So you think it’s one thing, but it’s actually not. It folds into something completely different and serves another purpose, while being easily portable. I think that’s huge in this market. Multi-functional, concealable, compact gadgets are so useful.

2.What were you doing before you came to Trend Hunter? What prompted you to apply for the internship?

Before I came to Trend Hunter, I interned at a PR firm. I’m studying journalism, so writing has always been an interest of mine, but I also wanted to explore the business side of things, which is what brought me to Trend Hunter. We get to write about a lot of different products and ideas, and I really like that.

3.Describe your trend writing process. How do you go about writing and finding trends?

I’m a blogger myself, so I browse through a lot of blogs. They’re a great source to find articles to write about. I also read a lot of news publications, so sometimes you see that a product’s being released, so there are launches that you could write about.

4.How would you describe the work environment at Trend Hunter?

The work environment is absolutely my favorite part about working at Trend Hunter. You walk through the door, and you see the red walls, and you see all these lovely people, and you just feel so comfortable. It’s a very chill atmosphere, even though we can get serious when we need to. We just have a lot of fun in the office, and I love everyone that I work with, so it’s a really great place.

5.What do you think about Trend Hunter’s open office environment?

In the office, we all get to sit side-by-side, and I find it’s a really cool way of bringing together interns and editors, because a lot of interns might feel intimidated at first, but sitting next to an editor, you really get to connect with them on a different level. They’re right there to help you whenever you need it.

6.What’s been your greatest accomplishment so far?

One of my favorite accomplishments so far would have to be my trip to Korea. I moved there for six months, and I taught English at elementary schools. It’s funny, because I wanted to be a teacher when I was younger, so I kind of got to fulfill that through my trip. I used to make my little sister sit with all my toys, and I used to teach them stuff.

7.Any last thoughts on Trend Hunter?

I love it here. It’s probably the best internship that I’ve had so far, and I’d be very sad to leave.