Category: Industry Voices

What made you want to work in the magazine industry? Can you chart your journey from when you started out to your current position?

I’ve always wanted to work in the magazine industry in one way or another and grew up devouring magazines like Smash Hits. I left school with the dream of being a journalist, but when I ended up leaving my university degree early, I assumed it would never happen. Instead, I ended up pursuing a career in events, which eventually lead me back to the magazine industry.

It was from there that I discovered and fell in love with the world of indie publishing and the incredible and beautiful niche magazines that people are making, mainly as passion projects. I couldn’t find the job I wanted within the magazine industry so just decided to create it myself. It might be something we do around our full-time jobs (I work as a Publicist for Picador Books and Emma Hardy [Co-Founder of Foul Play] is a freelance book cover Designer) but we get to have a lot of fun making a magazine that we absolutely love.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

I wear quite a lot of tartan and I like a white shirt and a chunky shoe.

What do you turn to when you’re on deadline – tea/coffee/snacks?

Crisps and music. If it’s particularly stressful, I go to a Spotify playlist I quite like called “Calming Classical Music for Dogs.”

What’s the most unusual situation you’ve found yourself in because of your job?

As part of our first Foul Play event, I got to interview an award-winning true crime Podcaster and Journalist, which felt surreal!

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

Some people are surprised when they find out that we all do this remotely and also that we managed to launch Foul Play with no funding whatsoever. We’re continuing to do it on an absolute shoestring, but I think it’s probably a lot more difficult and you have to be quite creative in how you do it. It’s definitely possible to make a new print magazine without raising a lot of money, though.

Walk me through your typical day.

We all have day jobs, so the time we spend on Foul Play tends to be done remotely in the evenings and over weekends, but we try to meet every Wednesday evening as a team. The weekly meets have been crucial to us staying on track and making sure we all know what we need to be doing. We go through the latest flatplans, look at spreads and discuss any content ideas that we’ve had. Everything lives in a Dropbox!

I’ve been trying quite hard to make sure we are all happy with our separate roles so it means that we can go away and work on them and report back. We spend most of our time otherwise chatting over WhatsApp or email. We book out the weekend before press day and make sure that we’re all together, though. This means we can all sign off each page together and it feels like a proper team effort. We then celebrate by going to the pub.

What inspired you and Emma Hardy to start Foul Play in the first place?

Emma and I were both working for a literary magazine and we kept constantly taking the same books from the shelves. From there, we discovered our mutual fascination with true crime, but also a love of indie magazines. There has been a really exciting new wave of high-quality and contemporary true crime podcasts, TV, film and books, but no one was making the magazine equivalent, which really surprised us. We couldn’t find what we would want to read so decided to make it ourselves. This is by no means the first true crime magazine, but it is the first true crime magazine to be made by women that focusses on being respectful and non-sensational.

We’re also really keen to make a magazine that looks at crime from different angles, not just horrific murders. Instead, Foul Play is full of long-form features, beautiful photo stories and lots of advice on what you should be reading, watching and listening to. For instance, our second issue included a photo-essay about botanical theft, a story of the greatest natural history heist of all time (“Fowl Play” – see what we did there?) and an interview with a man who collected and made art from over 8,000 drug baggies. There are so many interesting angles and stories out there when you get past the standard female victim murdered by serial killer thing.

Why do you think it's important to have a magazine that doesn't glorify killers or the crime acts themselves?

It’s really important that people remember the human element involved on all sides and that ultimately, you’re quite often choosing to consume someone else’s trauma as entertainment. As part of our ethos, we don’t publish any serial killer cover stars or any crime scene photos as we don’t feel like it’s necessary. These people get so much airtime, we all know what they look like. There’s also a seedy side to the true crime community where there is an element of hero-worship. This is definitely not that.

What can we expect from your session at Magfest?

We’re going to be taking part in an indie magazine session organised by magCulture’s Jeremy Leslie. Hopefully we can give some insight on how we’ve managed to launch and grow Foul Play over the last year.

Why do you think we're so fascinated with true crime?

It’s a very good question. I think it’s totally different for different people. For some, it’s the fascination with the macabre and for lots of people we’ve spoken to it’s a self-preservation thing. Fact is quite often much scarier than fiction.

What's next for Foul Play?

We have some exciting plans! Issue three is just around the corner and we’ve just had our very first event at Waterstones in Tottenham Court Road where we spoke to Rachael Brown, who created the hit podcast Trace. We’re going to be hosting a regular book club and working with publishers to help promote high-quality true crime literature. We also have plans to develop our online presence and will be launching a podcast in the not too distant future…

If you didn’t have to sleep, how would you use the remaining hours in the day?

I’d love to be able to get on top of my reading. I have to read a lot as part of my day job, but I’d also like to be able to read more for pleasure and for Foul Play. There aren’t currently enough hours in the day…

What is the last photo you took on your phone (at time of interview)? Why?

I’m obsessed with the tips pages in Take a Break and Chat magazines. I save my favourite ones in a folder on my phone. Compiling those would be my dream job.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

See above!

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

Julia Davis. I love her.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

That going to university is the only option if you want to end up with a job in publishing. This is true also for book publishing. I wish that someone had told me back then that it isn’t for everyone and that there are other ways.

What/where is your happy place?

There’s a really beautiful spot in the middle of the New Forest where I’m from called Puttles Bridge. I went the other day while visiting home and it really is the most beautiful and serene place that pictures and descriptions don’t really do it justice. It has restorative qualities. Plus, it’s full of animals just wandering about.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

That I redraft text messages multiple times before sending them.

What would be in your Room 101?

Eggs. I don’t understand how people aren’t repulsed by them!

Introvert or extrovert?

Bit of both.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimist.

Film or television? What are you binge-watching at the moment?

Probably film, but there are so many good things on television at the moment that it’s difficult to keep up with them all. I spent a lot of time during my week off at the beginning of September re-watching Frasier from the start. It’s my all-time favourite.

Sweet or savoury?

100% savoury.

Morning person or night owl?

I’d love to say morning person, but it’s definitely not true.

Tea or coffee?

I’m off the coffee, so I’d say it’d be green tea.

Emojis – cool or cringey? Which emoji do you use the most?

They’re good in moderation! I use the black heart the most.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

Reading my mother’s copies of ELLE and Vogue growing up and wanting to be a part of that world, but very rarely seeing women like my mother or aunts represented on the pages.

Can you chart your journey from when you started out to your current position?

My path was quite linear in that I started by traveling to New York to do magazine and newspaper internships when I was at university. From there, the relationships I built during those internships led to my first position as a Research Assistant at a now defunct magazine called Jane (formerly owned by Condé Nast). Then I just rose up the ranks from there, leaving Jane three years later as an Assistant Editor to join another magazine as Features Editor and so on.

Eventually I moved to London to take a position as Global Style Director of Metro International newspapers, a network of free newspapers across more than 100 cities. While there, I launched a digital fashion pure play, recruiting and leading a team of Editors and Writers based in London.

My career has always vacillated between print and digital. Afterward, I joined ELLE UK as Acting Content Director, leading the features across the mag and website before becoming Fashion Features Director and now Deputy Editor.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

Usually a men’s crewneck jumper and graphic skirt or jeans, but I’m currently in my final stage of pregnancy, so these days the go-to is anything the size of a tent.

What’s the most unusual situation you’ve found yourself in because of your job?

There have been a few, like breaking my vegetarianism during an all-women’s deer hunt in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. I was on my first travel assignment for Jane as a young junior staffer. I was writing about a rise in all-women’s hunts happening across the country. I just remember watching this woman gutting a deer right after she’d killed it (I had to hold the hind legs while she cut it open) and feeling both repulsed and ravenous. She later cooked it into a stew, which I happily ate – I have been a venison lover ever since.

One of the other standout awkward moments was going undercover as a music video extra during a time when music videos were incredibly misogynistic. Again, all stories from my days as a junior. The women were treated terribly – it was such a degrading experience! But the story had an impact.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

Because of films and television shows like The Devil Wears Prada, The Hills, Ugly Betty, etc, people tend to view women’s magazines as either being a) unbelievably glamorous or b) filled with incredibly insufferable, shallow people. People are usually surprised to hear the stereotypes aren’t necessarily true. For example, my friends and families are always struck by how demanding fashion weeks (in theory, the most “glamorous” time of year) can actually be.

Walk me through your typical day.

They vary wildly, but are usually filled with quite a lot of meetings, whether this is an external meeting with a fashion PR or internal meetings at Hearst to discuss editorial planning, commercial projects, events, marketing, PR or circulation. Then there is my time at my desk editing stories and working with our section Editors and Writers, as well as reviewing and reading layouts from our art department.

If it’s ready-to-wear, cruise or couture season, my work day looks completely different and involves travel and representing ELLE at various runway shows, events and showroom appointments. It runs the gamut.

If you didn’t have to sleep, how would you use the remaining hours in the day?

Reading. I’m always fighting to find more time to sit in a quiet room and read.

What is the last photo you took on your phone (at time of interview)? Why?

My husband and six-year-old during our holiday in Iceland.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

Barack and Michelle Obama who embody all the goals. Or Sade, simply because she’s so elusive and I’d love to know what she’s up to.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

A professor at university once encouraged me to manage my expectations and pursue “more accessible” career opportunities when I told her I planned to move to New York and become a magazine Editor.

What/where is your happy place?

A beach, anywhere hot.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I have a life-long obsession with whales and wanted to be a Marine Biologist when I was little.

Introvert or extrovert?

A mix of both.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimism, always.

Film or television? What are you binge-watching at the moment?

American Horror Story (late to the party on this, I know).

Sweet or savoury?

Sweet, with a pinch of sea salt.

Morning person or night owl?

Night owl.

Tea or coffee?

Matcha.

Emojis – cool or cringey? Which emoji do you use the most?

I’m very pro emoji. Lately it’s been the lightning bolt.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

Magazines have always been my comfort blanket. One of my favourite childhood memories is my mum letting me pick a magazine at the end of a shopping trip, which I would usually have read cover to cover by the time we got home!

I’ve written for online publications and the odd newspaper, but working in the magazine industry had always been my first choice. There is no bigger buzz than flicking through a copy of a magazine and knowing that everyone on the editorial team has gone through blood, sweat and tears (not so much of the blood!) to produce the best content possible for our readers. I will never stop filling up with pride whenever I see my byline in a national magazine.

Print has had no choice but to evolve to find its place in an increasingly digital world, but the magazine industry has risen to the challenge and there is still a healthy market for magazines. Long live print I say!

Can you chart your journey from when you started out to your current position?

I originally studied History at the University of Leicester. I wrote for the student newspaper, and after I graduated, I continued to write whenever possible, alongside my main job in administration. From being a journalist for a community newspaper, to starting my own blog, I never stopped writing.

Then, bam! Nine years later, I went on to complete my master’s in Magazine Journalism! It was a long time coming – I always knew I wanted to be a journalist, but thought it was more of a dream career than anything else. After some pinch-myself-am-I-dreaming internships at publications including The Sunday Times Magazine, I then went on to land my first job as a Features Writer at that’s life! magazine. A year has gone so quickly and I’ve loved every second working in the real-life field of journalism.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

As soon as I started my job at the magazine, I noticed the dress code was much more relaxed compared to where I worked prior to my master’s.

I now mix and match smart and casual pieces. For example, I will team a white shirt with a pretty floral skirt or a smart dress with some strappy sandals. I have the best of both worlds!

What do you turn to when you’re on deadline – tea/coffee/snacks?

I treat myself by getting a free Waitrose cappuccino or picking at chocolate/sweets from the communal snack table! The caffeine usually perks me up and gives me the extra drive to meet my deadline.

What’s the most unusual situation you’ve found yourself in because of your job?

I attended a Christmas in July party to meet very poorly children who may not make it to Christmas this year. It was such an emotional experience speaking to the parents about their child’s story and how they are making the most of the time they have left together. We put money towards presents and tried to make their party as special as possible. I feel so proud to be part of a magazine that donates money towards charitable causes like this event.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

That 98%of my job can be completed at my desk. Some people visualise journalists running here and there for their next big scoop, but I do a lot of my chasing through social media after going through the nationals. It might be a different scenario for journalists working in other fields, but real-life journalism is quite stationary.

Walk me through your typical day.

I’d get into the office, make a cup of tea and then go through the local and national papers searching for real life stories to chase. I have to be quick off the mark because other magazines and agencies want to sign up the same stories for a fee too.

Then I’d check my diary to see if I have any phone interviews booked in for that day. I interview all signed case studies over the phone unless they require a home visit. If possible, I would start writing up copy for the story after the interview while it’s fresh in my mind, but only if I don’t have any looming deadlines (which I usually do!).

Throughout the day I help to manage the magazine’s social media pages. We have a large following on Facebook, so we make sure we interact with our readers on a daily basis. We post story requests, opinion polls and also lighten the mood with some memes!

The flatplan for an issue can change at the drop of a hat so we are prepared to pitch in and write emergency copy when needed!

If you didn’t have to sleep, how would you use the remaining hours in the day?

I want to say travelling, but I think I would take advantage of the quiet early hours to self-indulge and start writing a book or screenplay. It’s that cliché thing that most journalists want to tick off their bucket list but never find the time to do.

What is the last photo you took on your phone (at time of interview)? Why?

The last photo I took on my phone was of The Victoria pub in Dalston. I went there as part of a feature to check out the birthplace of EastEnders. I visited Fassett Square – the ‘real’ Albert Square – and then checked out The Victoria, which could easily have been mistaken as The Queen Vic!

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Listening to The Chris Moyles Show on Global Radio – it’s one of Bauer Radio’s main competitors, but I’ve been a big fan since his Radio 1 days so I think I should be let off on this occasion…

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

That’s a tough one – there are so many phone numbers I wish I had! At the moment it would have to be Simon Pegg. Spaced is comedy gold and he seems like such a down-to-earth funny guy. Simon actually answering his phone and talking to me is a whole other question…

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Don’t go back to university to study. Sometimes you may not have your life path figured out at the age of 21 so it’s never too late to return to education.

What/where is your happy place?

Somewhere away from the crowds – either staying in a beach hut on the coast or hiking in the countryside. I love you London, but I need to escape every so often to rejuvenate!

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I have quite a dark sense of humour.

What would be in your Room 101?

I’ll do the UK a favour and put Piers Morgan in there.

Introvert or extrovert?

Introvert. Contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t mean that I’m a recluse or hate talking to other people, because then I wouldn’t be a journalist, but I’m definitely a thinker first and a talker second. I also need time away from people every so often to restore my energy levels.

Optimist or pessimist?

Anxiety may push me towards a pessimist outlook, but fundamentally I’m an optimist. If I can’t achieve something one way, then I will try other ways until I can reach my goal.

Film or television? What are you binge-watching at the moment?

Television shows, but I watch them on-demand. I tend to get stuck into a box set that people have watched ages ago. I’ve just finished the BAFTA award-winning mockumentary This Country and it was amazing.

Sweet or savoury?

I have a massive sweet tooth. I have to have some kind of sweet treat after my dinner, even if it’s just a piece of chocolate.

Morning person or night owl?

I think I’m more of a morning person because I feel more productive at an earlier hour. Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t spring up from my bed with loads of energy in the morning.

Tea or coffee?

Definitely tea, even though I have a coffee machine at home. I drink regular tea at work and decaffeinated green tea in the evening.

Emojis – cool or cringey? Which emoji do you use the most?

If they are overused, then they can be very cringey. I tend to use the crying with laughter one the most, but I don’t think I use emojis to their full potential. There are pages of heart and flag emojis left unused on my phone’s keypad.

What was the first magazine that you bought?

My magazine/comic relationship started with The Beano, although I did dabble with the The Victor.

What was your first job?

Along with some newspaper delivery my first proper job, whilst studying for 'A Levels', was repairing beer barrel pallets for Whitbread's, also learnt a bit about beer too!

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Fortunately I have many as I have weaved and ducked my way through all things magazines, from retail, through Wholesale, via Distribution and then Publishing. But I guess my role at HELLO! is definitely up there as it's such an iconic brand, which epitomises everything that is good about magazines.

What do you enjoy most about working with magazines?

Along with the skill of the people across this industry, the fact that magazines are probably the most FMCG of all products; every issue is different, every topic you can think of is covered, and when you get it right the impact is immediate. What more could you ask for?

Who has been the biggest inspiration in your career?

Always a great question, but always a difficult one to answer. To be honest as my career developed I was in contact with and inspired by many different people, and for different reasons. Having said that and apart from my father, I would say my first manager who taught me to 'take one step at a time' and encouraged me to remain 'agile'.

What’s next at HELLO!?

What next indeed, well the exciting thing for HELLO! is that its content resonates so well across all media channels, due to the brand's philosophy of positive reporting and nurturing relationships with key talent, and its unrivalled access to all things royal. So our next steps will be to expand this ethos across more channels, although the magazine will always be at the heart of our business.

What would be the biggest change you would like to see in the magazine category?

I would like to see the industry genuinely working together and in partnership, for the sake of the whole category. Magazines are under threat, the days of the massive sellers are gone, and if we ignore this fact, we do so at our own peril. There has never been a more relevant time for magazines to demonstrate their value and relevance as a whole, to both consumers and advertisers!

What would your ideal magazine promotion look like?

Magazine, Product, Retailer (tri-party), linking a brand advertising in a magazine with a product offer in store, exclusively to a retail group, to the benefit of all three brands whilst offering extra value to a consumer.

Where do you think the biggest opportunities lie in the category?

To bring more theatre to the category. Individually a magazine's content covers exciting and relevant topics, lifestyle trends, hobbies etc, but you could be forgiven, when looking at a typical news run, for failing to see the energy and get that vibe. Too often magazine displays are flat and lifeless, hiding what is really going on. I think it is the responsibility of publishers, retailers and racking manufacturers to come up with more innovative approaches to bring the category alive and make it relevant to today's audience, as it was in the past.

Which magazines do you read regularly?

Apart from HELLO!, The Beano remains an important read (just kidding!). I don't really have a favourite one, instead I tend to be a sampler and pick one up if a cover catches my eye, or a headline my interest. Although I am partial to Time, GQ and What Car.

How do you spend your time when you’re not driving magazine sales?

Two grandsons and one more on the way keeps you active, along with restaurant hopping. I have also been known to travel a lot with my wife, particularly holidays in the sun.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

I work for mainly one mag (Grazia) and one paper (The Times – though sometimes The Telegraph). I didn’t set out to do this. I have written for as long as I could hold a pen, but it never occurred to me when I was younger that I was a) any good, or b) could make a living out of it.

I came to London originally because I got a job in a cocktail bar, somehow parlayed that into a very low level job in fashion PR, where I started meeting journalists and writing press releases, and wondered if I might be able to do this for a living, too. It turned out that I could. My main aims then (and now) were (are): make a living from writing and do something glamorous.

Can you chart your journey from when you started out to your current position?

Fashion PR Assistant, Junior Writer job on a magazine called Minx (which I got after two solid years of applying for anything and everything and writing freelance pieces on spec in my lunch hour and at weekends – it wasn’t a breeze at all), got a comments and analysis column in The Guardian circa 1999/ 2000, was appointed Features Editor on ES Magazine, then Commissioning Editor on The Observer Magazine, then Deputy Editor on Observer Woman, went freelance in 2010, wrote a controversial book in 2015 [Hot Feminist]. Knackered just thinking about it.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

I have so many. I love clothes, love getting dressed, mess about with it all the time. I am winning this ridiculous summer from a style perspective, no question.

What do you turn to when you’re on deadline – tea/coffee/snacks?

I’m actually fine with a deadline. It’s all I’ve ever known and I’ve been doing this for 20 bloody years. My trickiest time is starting a piece. If I haven’t got an intro already in mind (which I do about half the time) and I’m at home, I do often hit the fridge out of sheer performance anxiety, but once I get going, I’m always fine.

What’s the most unusual situation you’ve found yourself in because of your job?

In a bikini on the beach of Le Club 55 in St Tropez, lying down with a lobster on my stomach, posing for a magazine cover shot. I’d gone to the market to buy the lobster earlier in the day and they’d given it to me still alive. I’d had to take it back to my hotel kitchen to get it killed and cooked. Actually, that isn’t even the most bizarre situation…

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

It doesn’t make you rich, it doesn’t make you famous, the celebrities you meet don’t end up being your friends (and most of the time, that’s a relief) – yet it is, without question, the best job in the world.

Walk me through your typical day.

No such thing!

If you didn’t have to sleep, how would you use the remaining hours in the day?

I’d definitely find a way to sleep. I love sleep.

What is the last photo you took on your phone (at time of interview)? Why?

Selfie of me in a sunhat and new shades for Instagram. I was chasing exterior validation – and freebies. It’s not doing that well, actually.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

I don’t believe in the notion. If you enjoy something, just enjoy it – the idea you have to preface that with some sort of “I’M MUCH TOO CLEVER FOR XXXXXXX REALLY…” qualifier is just daft. I love Love Island. I love the Real Housewives of both Cheshire and Auckland. I love Taylor Swift and Game of Thrones, karaoke and Diet Coke. I have absolutely no guilt about any of it.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

I have all the phone numbers I need – boyfriend’s, best friends’, Uber. Uber’s not really a phone number, is it?

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

God, so much. I’ve always been pretty sure of my own mind, but it’s incredible how many people think they know how to be you, better than you do. They don’t.

What/where is your happy place?

A Pilates mat. Regent’s Park on a sunny day. My flat.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I think I have quite a haughty looking face. I actually don’t take myself as seriously as I seem to – though I do take myself a bit seriously.

What would be in your Room 101?

Twitter.

Introvert or extrovert?

Bi.

Optimist or pessimist?

Realistic optimist with significant blue moments.

Film or television? What are you binge-watching at the moment?

TV. I don’t binge-watch. I savour.

Sweet or savoury?

Depends dunnit.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee. Don’t understand the point of tea.

Emojis – cool or cringey? Which emoji do you use the most?

Good in very specific circumstances. I use the boxing glove one a lot. I do a boxing training class once a week, so when I use it, I mean it in the most literal way.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

Magazines are more than just glossy pages and fantastic images. They can add a huge amount of value to a person – whether you read them as a source of information, like The Week to stay up to date with current affairs, or Cyclist to fuel a passion/hobby. You might turn to them for helpful tips on self-improvement, wellbeing or just for the juicy celeb gossip to take a break and escape for an hour. Some of the content can really make a difference to the people who read it. I got the opportunity to be part of the industry and I'm incredibly lucky to have ended up here and to be working with such talented people!

Can you chart your journey from when you started out to your current position?

I started my career as a lot of young students do – with a Saturday job in retail. When I left education with no clue what to do, this became a full-time job. I quickly progressed to be a Store Manager at places including Reiss and Warehouse. I loved being in a customer-centric environment. I had a contacts book of regular customers who made the phrase retail therapy very literal. Marriage issues, IVF troubles – I've heard it all! I liked the feeling of helping my customers, even if it was just providing an open ear and a perfectly fitting dress. When I finally decided I needed a work-life balance (I missed my weekends and the Christmas holidays), I was asked to join the recruitment agency who I had approached to help me with my job search.

I'd never thought about recruitment before, but it offered me a role where I could continue to add value to people’s lives. I think most people stumble into recruitment. I eventually grew out of the country – I grew up in Cheltenham – and moved to the big city five years ago. I was lucky enough to be approached by ZenithOptimedia to build out their in-house recruitment team. I loved working for an agency, but magazines are where I wanted to be. Dennis is a fantastic business with a purpose much greater than creating brilliant brands, which it does!

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

Lipstick and heels! I'm 5ft 3½ – the 1/2 is very important! I never go anywhere without stilettos, the pointy kind. Our environment is quite relaxed, but I love office wear and I'd always rather be overdressed than underdressed. After all, you never know where your day may take you!

What do you turn to when you’re on deadline – tea/coffee/snacks?

When I'm really feeling the pressure, I turn to wine, even when I'm not on a deadline. I think it's a by-product of both media and recruitment! I am also a tea addict. My nan used to drink about 10 cups a day – it's the Irish in me!

What’s the most unusual situation you’ve found yourself in because of your job?

It's more awkward than unusual, but I once interviewed a candidate who decided she would like to make her interview a forum to talk about how she had caught her husband cheating on her! It was one of the longest, strangest interviews of my life.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

In-house recruiters are one of the most important functions in any organisation. Hiring the right talent can make or break a business and its profit – but it is often the least valued. I'm lucky enough now to work for a company who hold my team in high regard, but surprisingly this hasn't always been the case!

Walk me through your typical day.

My role is so varied, but usually I get in and catch up on emails, scan through Slack to see what's going on in the business that day and action anything urgent. A large part of my role is talent attraction and I'm responsible for all our social media channels (I'm @LifeAtDennis), so I’m always on the hunt for photo opportunities, capturing what life here is really like and showcasing some of the amazing talent I work with.

I always have a list of candidates to call or interviews to attend. I meet our Hiring Managers regularly for updates and I spend a portion of my day working on larger projects. There are too many to list, but they include our apprenticeship programme and toolkits for recruitment best practice.

If you didn’t have to sleep, how would you use the remaining hours in the day?

Sleep is one of my favourite things to do, so I find it hard to imagine a world without it, but I would take up all the hobbies I wish I had time to do now and exercise more!

What is the last photo you took on your phone (at time of interview)? Why?

We hosted a Drupal Show and Tell and I took a lot of pictures of our attendees. It's the first one we've had since I joined the business and it was a huge success, with 50 people coming to hear about some of the things we're doing with Drupal, Behat and Terraform [software systems]!

What’s your guilty pleasure?

A Jackie Collins novel. I know, super trashy, but so good!

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

Maya Angelou – Poet, Singer and Civil Rights Activist. Her poetry speaks to my soul.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Not sure I have ever been given bad advice, not that I have listened to anyway. Best piece of advice was from my mother – Things can't always be black and white, they’re not always so simple. She's a very wise lady.

What/where is your happy place?

It sounds cliché, but wherever my family and friends are.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I'm quite creative and I love making things. When I was in school, I spent a lot of time in the woodwork shed and pottery class. My poor parents have a lot of candlesticks, boxes and vases in their house!

What would be in your Room 101?

Semolina pudding. No amount of jam makes this an acceptable pudding! Selfishness would go in there too. If you can do something to help someone you should, because life's short and the impact on you may be little, but the impact on them could be great!

Introvert or extrovert?

Both.

Optimist or pessimist?

An aspiring optimist.

Film or television? What are you binge-watching at the moment?

Films, but at the moment I'm re-watching Desperate Housewives, and I'm glued – again!

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury.

Morning person or night owl?

Neither. I like a lie-in and an early night. I told you I love my sleep!

Tea or coffee?

Tea.

Emojis – cool or cringey? Which emoji do you use the most?

Some are cringey depending on the context, but generally I'm a fan. The speak no evil monkey is the one I use the most.

What inspired you to start Pugpig?

Back in 2010, Jon Marks and I had been working at News Corp, building a brand new consumer business that would allow people to buy bundles of digital media to be consumed on mobile – a lot like Apple News will be in about a year from now. It was pretty ground-breaking stuff (the iPad had yet to be announced when we started the project) and we were collaborating with the biggest media and technology companies in the world. Unfortunately the project got canned six weeks before launch and so we decided to go and do it ourselves, not as a consumer brand, but as a b2b platform – we took our experiences from News Corp and used them to create Pugpig, a platform that was truly unique in the market at that time.

Can you chart your journey from when you started out to your current position?

We kicked off in February 2011 and our first customer was Dennis Publishing, who asked us to build an app for The Week. It was the beginning of a wonderful relationship, and to this day, they remain one of our most important customers.

Launching The Week put us on the map. From there, we picked up business mainly through word of mouth and gradually grew the team. We’ve taken no investment, so our growth has been pretty steady over the last seven years. Recent highlights have to be taking on The Economist, Condé Nast and Hearst, along with a current run of high-profile news media brands. Right now, our goal is to build the future platforms for the publishing industry and in order to do that we’re working more and more closely with our customers to determine exactly how those platforms need to work.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

Sadly, yes I do – black jeans and black t-shirt (although they’ve all faded, so these days it’s more of a dirty grey).

What do you turn to when you’re on deadline – tea/coffee/snacks?

Nothing really – I think I just get on with it, although I have often been seen with my hands full of tangerines when we’ve been up against it (very rock and roll).

What’s the most unusual situation you’ve found yourself in because of your job?

Flying home from Las Vegas in a private Boeing 737 with Rupert Murdoch.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

I don’t have a pug. Or a pig.

Walk me through your “typical” day.

Right now I’m based in New York, so I get up, run along the West Side Highway, have a shower and then have calls with the UK team and the odd European client. From mid-morning onwards, I’m either trying to meet up with publishers based in the USA or getting together with potential partners. I also seem to be doing a lot of conferences right now – I think for a business like ours, it’s important to get out there and meet as many people as possible.

If you didn’t have to sleep, how would you use the remaining hours in the day?

I’d most likely be cooking.

What is the last photo you took on your phone (at time of interview)? Why?

A loaf of sourdough that I cooked yesterday.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Walkers cheese and onion crisps.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

Damon Albarn’s – he’d be great to headline [tomorrow's] Pugpig Picnic…

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

“I’m pretty sure they’re not poisonous.”

What/where is your happy place?

Hanging out with my kids.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I have pretty old kids! Immie who’s 19 and Oscar and William who are 17 and 13.

What would be in your Room 101?

My room 101 would be crammed full of people misusing apostrophes and referring to me as “yourself.”

Introvert or extrovert?

Introvert masquerading as an extrovert.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimist.

Film or television? What are you binge-watching at the moment?

Film, although I watch endless food programmes (currently on a rerun of Floyd on France).

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee (although I swap it for green tea when I’m trying to be zen).

Emojis – cool or cringey? Which emoji do you use the most?

Cringey. Although, I heard that they increase push notification open rates by 124%, so use them! I probably use flushed face the most.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

As a child, my first career choice was to be a musical theatre actress because I loved acting, dancing and singing, and my second choice was a journalist because I loved writing and reading. I realised quickly how hard it is to get into theatre (and that you have to be absolutely amazing at it, which I’m not!), so I concentrated on writing instead. Now I indulge in my love of words during the day and get my fix of theatre by watching a lot of it and performing on weekends and evenings.

Can you chart your journey from when you started out to your current position?

I started as an Editorial Assistant before becoming a reporter for independent convenience retail trade title RN. After four years, I moved over to its sister title Retail Express as Associate Editor, Deputy Editor and then Editor. At the start of this year, I became Editor-in-Chief at Newtrade. I’m responsible for the company’s print and digital content for RN, Retail Express, Better Wholesaling, betterRetailing.com and betterwholesaling.com.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

I alternate between black jeans and a top/shirt and dresses.

What do you turn to when you’re on deadline – tea/coffee/snacks?

Since we write about convenience retail and product launches, there’s always a steady flow of treats in the office, which is great, but really dangerous for waistlines.

What’s the most unusual situation you’ve found yourself in because of your job?

Possibly whizzing around Silverstone on the back of a motorbike. It’s not something you’d immediately link to writing about convenience retailers.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

Despite the abundance of free food, I don’t just eat crisps and chocolate all day.

Walk me through your typical day.

When I was the Editor of Retail Express, it was much more structured, with deadlines for content and projects following a similar pattern across a fortnightly press cycle, but now each day and week changes depending on what I’m working on for each title. I spend much more of my time in meetings, but my favourite kind of day is one where I can get my head down and plough through work. It’s really satisfying to leave the office after a day like that.

If you didn’t have to sleep, how would you use the remaining hours in the day?

Sleeping is one of my favourite things to do, so I’d do it anyway.

What is the last photo you took on your phone (at time of interview)? Why?

I’ve just been to Iceland, so it’s of the Blue Lagoon, which we stopped off at on the way to the airport.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Watching programmes about modelling. I’ve watched so many that I’m convinced if I was taller, thinner and younger I’d be the next Gigi Hadid.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

Tim Minchin. He’d be a pretty entertaining contact.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

“Don’t go into journalism, because it’s unstable and poorly paid.” That was a careers adviser when I was 14.

What/where is your happy place?

Indoors – a theatre. Outdoors – anywhere where the sun is shining.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

That I perform in and choreograph musicals and concerts in my spare time. Though I don’t keep the fact that I do it secret and I’ve already given it away in the first question of this interview…

What would be in your Room 101?

The new Elizabeth line trains.

Introvert or extrovert?

A little of both – depends on the situation.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimist.

Film or television? What are you binge-watching at the moment?

Television and The Handmaid’s Tale. I’m a little late to the party as I’m only nearing the end of season one, but that makes it easier to binge-watch.

Sweet or savoury?

Sweet.

Morning person or night owl?

Night owl – I’m a repetitive alarm snoozer.

Tea or coffee?

Tea.

Emojis – cool or cringey? Which emoji do you use the most?

I’m not sure they’re cool or cringey, but I do use them. A big, cheesy grin is probably my most used.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

*Mike Pretious (far left), Editor of The Spur, designed the front cover. Andy is second on the left. *

The opportunity to make mischief. I was on the editorial committee of my school magazine back in the day. We produced this thing, the head master saw it, and, determining that it was puerile garbage, he ordered all 1,000 copies to be burned. I still have one copy left.

Some members of the editorial committee stole a couple and entered the magazine into The Sunday Times school magazine competition, which it duly won, or at least it was the joint winner. One of the judges was the head master of Eton at the time – Michael McCrum – who described it as "gloriously irreverent".

 

The magazine was called The Spur. My friend Mike designed the cover and he cloned The Sun_’s logo. It was punk-inspired before punk even existed. I produced a comic strip, presenting various members of the economics and history department in various situations. There was some bad poetry, it was a bit _Viz. It was just absurd, twat-ish sixth form stuff.

There was a big stink and we all nearly got expelled. It was such a big fuss. I thought, “This is such fantastic fun. I want to do more of this.” 

Can you chart your journey from when you started out to your current position?

My first job was working on _Horse and Pony _magazine in Peterborough. They wanted a Designer. I was at college and I'd worked on the college magazine. It was a pretty open field, because I don't think anyone wanted to live and work in Peterborough, so I applied for the job and I got it. There was no other Art Editor or anything like that, so I was in charge from day one.

It was a privileged position, but one I took very seriously. I studied magazine craft very carefully. I spent a lot of time looking at Smash Hits, because that was the power in the land. I spent a lot of time looking at continental news monthlies, including Stern _and _Aktuell. I was very inspired by those.

I went from Horse and Pony to Melody Maker, Melody Maker to EMAP, working on the launch of Look, then the launch of Q, Empire, Mojo and Total Sport. Then as an independent contractor I worked on the launch of Ride and did redesigns of Angling Times and other specialist titles.

Then I went to News International and was the Creative Director of their magazine division and then from News International I went to America where I became the Creative Director of Mademoiselle for Condé Nast. Have you ever seen The Devil Wears Prada? Stanley Tucci – that was me and the job I had to do.

Then the title closed and I got lucky again – right time, right place, Fred [Woodward] left Rolling Stone, so I applied to be Art Director.

With Rolling Stone, the content is fantastic, but what’s really interesting to me is the audience. It’s fundamental to align what you believe, what your mission is and what your purpose is as a media brand with that of your audience.

Rolling Stone is about freedom, freedom to live your life as you wish, freedom to listen to what you want to, wear what you want, love who you want, be who you want, freedom to be part of the extraordinary opportunity that America can offer the world at its best. That idea of freedom, liberty, is something that's not gone away.

A couple of years after that, I wanted to return to the UK, so I spoke to Mike Soutar, who had a big launch programme at IPC Media and we agreed that I would come back and be the Creative Director for IPC. When Mike left the business, I became Editorial Development Director. I did that role for about 7 and a half years, developing new digital propositions, working on Good to Know, Trusted Reviews, Woman, Woman's Own, Now, Marie Claire, Ideal Home and lots of telly titles.

I left the business five years ago and set up my own consultancy, so I continued to work with clients in America, doing development work on People and TIME, and in the UK, increasingly with  b2b businesses, working with The Media Briefing and Centaur on their homes divisions.

This year, I created my own agency, which is based on winning a big piece of business with a management consultancy called Vendigital, which does work with publishers. I'm continuing to develop magazine brands for media owners. I've got several clients that I'm working with on projects and I'm also now doing a lot more training and workshops.

I ran some brand development workshops around design guidelines for Ascential last year. This week, with my colleague Andy Pemberton, we ran a Guardian Masterclass on PowerPoint mastery.  

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

My boots. I have a very nice pair of very dark blue brogues. I love them. They make anything look good. 

What do you turn to when you’re on deadline – tea/coffee/snacks?

I start with coffee and end with biscuits – whatever can be snaffled or that the kids haven't eaten.

What’s the most unusual situation you’ve found yourself in because of your job?

I was doing a talk at Earl's Court at a big trade show. I had just started doing talks about my work and I wasn't very experienced. 

A celebrated designer called Vince Frost was on before me and this was in the days of Kodak carousels with slides. He had taken my slides thinking they were his and put his back on. I was then standing up in front of 200-odd people, having to fill 10 minutes of airtime without any slides before he came back with them.

I invited members of the audience to share what their favourite media brand was and effectively psychoanalysed them on that basis. It showed me that your audience is everything. It also showed me that everybody can do extraordinary things if they have to. I was a very shy person prior to this event.

It was quite a long time ago, but I still use this as part of my stage act. It always works. With your choice of media brand, you are what you reflect back to yourself and to others. When I'm in the company of The New Yorker, I'm a really urbane, sophisticated person and when I'm in the company of Dagenham Dog Breeder Monthly, I'm someone else. 

Walk me through your typical day.

I run a small agency with a wide variety of clients. I like collaborating with people. I'm either pitching, I'm fulfilling, I'm writing, I'm designing or I'm talking –  there is no frame into which I fit. I used to have one of those when I had a "job", but I don't have a job.

My studio is at home. I'm sitting at my desk, I'm writing this slide deck, I look at my calendar, I go downstairs and have a cup of tea every 45 minutes. If you come from old school magazine media, you're used to working in a cupboard, and I can and I do. I can and will work anywhere.

If you didn’t have to sleep, how would you use the remaining hours in the day? 

I’d like to read more books. Antony Beevor is a fantastic historian and he has a new book about Arnhem that I’d like to read. I'm halfway through Neil Perkin and Peter Abraham’s book on digital transformation.

What is the last photo you took on your phone (at time of interview)? Why?

Inside my shed. I really like my shed.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Twitter – what a time suck that is. I periodically take it off my phone and then I have to put it back on again for business and then I take it off again. I read other people's stuff. I don't tweet so much myself.

Whose phone number do you wish you had? 

I'd love to meet up with Bruce Springsteen. I did meet him one time on a photo shoot. I was so paralysed with fandom and also I was trying to work on the shoot. 

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

I don't think I've ever been given advice, let alone bad advice. What makes it a bad piece of advice? If you action it, and it turns out not to be the case, well that's your responsibility. If you think it’s stupid and you don’t action it, then it's not advice, it's just an opinion.

What/where is your happy place?

I do like my shed. I like sailing. I like walking on hills. 

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I was running down the West Side Highway on 9/11 and I saw both planes go into both towers. I was thinking, “That's pretty weird. There's no point of reference for that.” Also bizarrely, when I saw the first one go in, it was so far up, I couldn't recognise the fact it was an aeroplane. I thought it was a light aeroplane. I didn't understand the magnitude of what I had just seen.

Besides, I needed to go to work and had some stuff to do in the office. I completely under-functioned around it – to my wife's considerable distress, and to my regret. I wish I had not gone to the office on that day and had spent the time with her. It was a state of shock clearly. I had a redesign to present. I was working for Mademoiselle at the time and I had a show and tell the next day – a big one, with Si Newhouse [Chariman of Condé Nast at the time], which still went ahead.

What would be in your Room 101?

The tax man. 

Introvert or extrovert?

Can I be both? I'm an extroverted introvert. 

Optimist or pessimist? 

I manage my expectations, but I would say at heart I am an optimist.

Film or television? What are you binge-watching at the moment? 

Film. I don't watch much telly, but the last film I saw, I Feel Pretty, was with my daughter. Amy Schumer is a powerful force of nature – I really enjoyed it.

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury. 

Morning person or night owl?

When I was younger, I was a night owl, but now I've got kids, so I'd say probably mid-afternoon person.

Tea or coffee?

Both please, thank you. 

Emojis – cool or cringey? Which emoji do you use the most?

They're cool. I use the heart emoji the most.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

Back in the day, my stepdad got the Monday issue of The Guardian, which had a media supplement. He showed me an advert for a graduate

scheme with a Dutch publishing company called VNU Business Publications. It's now called Nielsen.

I read newspapers quite vociferously at the time and I was not quite sure what technology or IT publishing was, but I thought it seemed interesting. The scheme was based in London and I was keen to move to London.

My stepdad probably takes the major credit. Without him pointing that advert out, I probably wouldn't have sent off my CV, so advertising does work. That's the overall moral to this story.

Can you chart your journey from when you started out to your current position?

I joined the graduate scheme in 2002. I started working in sales. My background was advertising sales. I was quite lucky, because technology publishing or IT publishing was the first to go from print to digital and it went really, really early – probably a decade earlier than a lot of other b2b brands or magazines, so I quickly started working on digital products.

We were thrust into it – changing advertising budgets and the changing needs of clients, so that probably helped me progress quite quickly.

I moved into key account management until Incisive bought VNU in 2007. Incisive Media is the company I'm at now, so technically I've been at the same company, albeit under different names, since the age of 21 [Alan is 37 now].

I became Head of Sales for one of our IT brands. Then in 2009 I became Head of Sales for our legal division. The digital, print and events teams were created at that time, so I was responsible for all of that. This was quite new for b2b publications and was good for getting events experience.

I got the first publishing gig in 2010, running the whole of a brand. I published in 2010 across our financial enterprise and clean technology markets. At least two of those aspects were international publishing remits as well, so I've had a lot of travel to the US over the last few years.

I took over our Enterprise Technology group, which is the job I'm doing now, in 2015. The sector we're in – technology – has moved so quickly that you get a lot of experience in a short period of time.

Do you think events are the way forward in publishing?

Yeah, totally. Incisive’s focus in terms of growth has moved in the last five years to be in events. We have an integrated marketing services model. We work to deliver a full suite of services for our audience, but also for our clients. All of our sales teams and key account managers offer digital as well as event-based solutions.

The future of b2b is offering clients services and solutions to be as close as possible to their audiences. People will always want to do business face-to-face and will always want to learn best practice at conferences or network at conferences.

We have a big awards programme, so we do a lot of that as well. In my group alone, we have about 15 or 16 awards that we do across the UK and the US [mainly in New York, but previously in San Jose and San Diego, California], so it's certainly one big part of the future for any successful b2b brand, because advertising doesn't do what it did a decade ago. Technology doesn't even do what it did two decades ago.

The difference will be some of the trends you're seeing now in our sector happened 10 years previously in the tech sector, so we're quite nimble on our feet to evolve quickly. We conduct research, create content and provide almost agency-type solutions to clients – like production, shaping content and creating videos for them, but also offering bespoke events or expanding our conference programme.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

When I started, it was all suits and ties. Even big clients, like the Microsofts and IBMs of the world, don't expect people to wear that. It's become a lot more relaxed. You typically dress to reflect the markets you serve or the clients that you speak to, so I'm probably in a shirt and smart chinos – you probably get told that a lot. Guys typically will wear what they feel most comfortable in. We don't challenge ourselves in the dress sense at work, so something nice and simple, which you can sit in.

What do you turn to when you’re on deadline – tea/coffee/snacks?

It's probably coffee – I’m caffeine-driven. Also, the fear of missing a deadline. I always hark back to my university days where I had to hand in about three dissertations in one day for my History degree [at the University of Sussex]. It was something ridiculous like 26,000 words, but I always harness the fear of that feeling when I've got a deadline. I go back to that place and I don't think it'll ever be as bad as that. It drives my adrenaline and I can work 25% quicker.

What’s the most unusual situation you’ve found yourself in because of your job?

We used to have this big exhibition 12 or 13 years ago at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. Everyone’s job was to spot tyre kickers, people who were rocking up to the exhibition clearly not as who they said they were, but to get freebies or nick things.

They would normally wear completely inappropriate clothing, so our job was to spot them and then gently encourage them to leave the building. We were trying to determine between who was not meant to be there and who was just really badly dressed, so we could massively offend people. It was quite a fine line to tread – 80% of the time you got it right and 20% of the time you got it wrong.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

If I say I work in publishing, people first think that I do books. If I'm in a "funny" mood, I say, "Yeah, I publish books. I do the Harry Potter books" – just to slightly wind people up. People always think you are a publisher literally or some people think you're a literal publisher of books.

People are quite surprised at the complexity of what we now do in the event era in the digital age. People have a view that it's basically just magazines, websites and we sell some ads and go to the pub, which maybe would be a nice thing, but those days ended a long time ago.

Walk me through your typical day.

I have a hands-on role running the Enterprise Technology division, so a lot of time is spent in meetings with the management team. We've got quite a strong new product development – we call it NPD – culture running through Incisive, so a lot of those meetings deal with new product ideas, getting the product to market and making sure things are released or launched on time, whether they be new events or new research services.

Most of my time is managing the existing products we have and all the things that we offer on a week-to-week, quarter-to-quarter basis, but also driving for new product development and new services to our brands.

If you didn’t have to sleep, how would you use the remaining hours in the day?

I have an experience of this, because after having kids, you don't sleep that much and you wish you could and you lose the ability to sleep, which is a bit gutting. If I didn't have to sleep and I had more time, I'd probably read a bit more. I used to read vociferously. Nowadays, having content on my smartphone, I do read a lot in 5-10 minute bursts, but it’s nothing like an end-to-end read, where you properly subsume yourself into the narrative. I'd like to read Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff.

What is the last photo you took on your phone (at time of interview)? Why?

A photo of my daughter – she’s 10 months old. I probably bore the world with photos of her. Most of the photos are of her just sleeping peacefully, but I show them to people and I can't help it.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

When I go to watch a football game, it's eating what I know to be awful, awful food and having some, frankly, watered-down lager, which tastes a little bit of urine.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

Barack Obama’s. He keeps a cool, calm demeanour, and because you call people in times of crisis, you want to call somebody who has words of sage wisdom and who's pretty composed. He strikes me as all of those things. He's a fantastic orator with a great, soothing voice. I think even just listening to him would calm me down.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

On the way to the Rio Carnival in 2009, I sat next to this Brazilian guy who said he would show me the places not to go in the city. He got a map out of his pocket and then proceeded to cross off 90% of the city in red pen!

I stuck to this advice for 24 hours and couldn’t really work out why the Carnival wasn’t living up to expectations, so I decided to ignore what he had said and just go with the flow. I went on to find the best parties and meet the coolest people. It taught me a key lesson – be bold and trust your own instincts rather than other people’s caution!

What/where is your happy place?

Watching the cricket at Lord's.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I swam a mile when I was only the age of six. When I was in swimming class, you got given badges – for 400m, 800m. Obviously nobody under the age of eight or nine had swum 1,000m and I went over 1,000m. I went over 1,500 m and I just kept going. For a small period of time, I was a swimming prodigy. I attempt to swim now and I'm surprisingly tired. When I was six, I was at my dolphin stage. I peaked at the age of six in terms of sporting prowess, which is worrying.

What would be in your Room 101?

It's a fear of heights with open spaces, where I can literally look over the edge. I can’t bear it. Closed heights are fine.

Introvert or extrovert?

Extrovert.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimist.

Film or television? What are you binge-watching at the moment?

I would have said film back in the day, but now in the age of Netflix, I would say television. I'm watching Suits, also _The Defiant Ones_. It's about Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine working together and the whole hip-hop era.

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury.

Morning person or night owl?

Night.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee.

Emojis – cool or cringey? Which emoji do you use the most?

It depends who's doing them. If my dad's doing an emoji, it’s 50/50. I like to think normally cool. It’s probably because I'm not as funny as I think I am, but I tend to put the crying with laughter emoji. Hopefully the people will feel like following it and actually laugh.