Category: Industry Voices

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

I don't think I ever intended to work in the magazine industry, I sort of fell into the role. I'm a pharmacist by training, I worked in pharmacy prior to this and I was a bit disillusioned with the sort of role I had at the time, which I wasn’t really enjoying that much. I took it upon myself to do a Masters, and this was in Science Communication and Public Engagement, I didn’t have any intentions of being a journalist at the end of it.

As I previously studied a vocational degree, when I chose this masters as I wanted to build up my experience and try different things. While studying I wanted to earn some “pocket money”, so I was still working as a pharmacist on the weekends as a locum. It happened that one of the magazines which you get delivered to the pharmacy, was a B2B title called Chemist+Druggist. I would regularly read through them and then a job came up for a pharmacist to be a reporter. I’ve been here for four years now.

What have been your career highlights so far?

I enjoy the daily grind of producing and editing content. That being said, a couple of years ago, I got to thinking about how, when I was a younger pharmacist, I didn't really know what I wanted to do with myself. So, I made a proposal to the different managers in the company, about creating a careers event that I would host and bring in different people from different sectors to do talks about where they came from, how they got to where they are, and highlight that there are lots of different avenues pharmacists can take.

There I was, organising a free careers events for our readers. I've loved my job, but this was completely different from the norm! It was great to not only be able to help young people but to generate a new revenue stream for the business. It was so rewarding, and we got new readers out of it as well, because it tended to be young pharmacists attending. The magazine is online only and if you’re not in front of people’s faces it can be a new way to engage with the audience. For me it has been a huge highlight.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

I’d say it’s pretty smart, casual, kind of a David Attenborough look: blue short, sleeves rolled up and beige chinos. It used to be more casual, but there was an occasion when I was asked to go into BBC News to speak about issues in the sector and I was dressed inappropriately casually. [More on that later!]

How do you handle deadlines?

What I think really helps me is writing things down. I have an online Google Sheets document, where I just record everything; times and emails, when they went, that sort of thing. It just means that you can look at it and it captures what you've done and what you completed in the past, which helps you keep on top of things. I’ll also set up reminders on my calendar like a little safety net.

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

The BBC interview! So basically, it was an issue at the time about patients in the NHS, that there was like a large chance of a mistake or an error occurring with their medicine, and so I went on to say, “this is not representative of our readers or community pharmacy in general”.

It was strange, because I'd never been asked to do live national news before. I didn’t have the right clothes and my hair was long and I hadn’t combed it. A friend lent me her hairbrush to tame my hair. I thought it would be much more glamorous, but the reality was sitting in a room with a green screen and some buckets of pain in the corner. Being prepped by my Editor who had done this kind of thing before was a huge help. It was definitely something to do again, though I’m not sure they’d have me!

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

That I need to be a pharmacist to do it? When I won the PPA 30 Under 30 Award last year, I was speaking to my boss afterwards, and he said, “you’re probably the first ever pharmacist to win it!”

I don’t think a lot of pharmacists leave pretty secure, well paid jobs to go into journalism.

Walk me through your typical day.

A typical day is, firstly, come in and deal with emails which have already gathered up overnight.

Then I’ll be cycling through the content I have. During a standard week, you produce a brief for a feature to be written, you edit one, and then you go with any questions of the Editor.

I work quite closely with like the sales team on some of our promotional projects as well, like pharmaceutical clients, recently, some promotional content with them, because they are trying to prove their product to be legitimate. We act like a sort of guard dog, making sure they're not saying anything which is incorrect or misleading.

I think most days though, it's mostly editing and commissioning and then speaking to the rest of the team, because I'm the only pharmacist in the team, I tend to be the go-to if they have any questions about pharmacy or medicines.

How has being a member of the PPA helped you/added value to your brand?

Not coming from a straightforward background, I’m sure there's always plenty of things to be learned. It’s so helpful to have more information available and seeing other people's pathways is beneficial. It’s also about having the chance to go to things like the different awards and networking and just seeing what other people are doing.

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

I'd probably put more work into my professional development, because sometimes it can be mentally exhausting. If I didn't have that exhausted, I probably just keep on going. I also love to binge watch television series so would probably do more of that.

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

I’m working towards my clinical diploma to top up my knowledge and on Sunday, I went to the park and I brought my work. There were some dog some owners there with a sausage dog wandering about the place and he/she just hopped up beside me as I was revising. So, I took a picture of him or her because it was very cute.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Can you really feel guilty about something that brings you joy?

I think it would have to be audiobooks. I'm relentless with them and they help you to switch off. So, audiobooks are probably my guilty pleasure because they're nothing to do with the real world.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

David Attenborough

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

My dad used to say, “if something's worth doing it is worth doing right,” and that really stuck with me.

What/where is your happy place?

Whenever I was studying, I had a happy place years ago; I’d picture myself on a beach at night. You know, the warm sea breeze and the heat.

This has changed recently, when I went on a trip to an island in Wales, where all the puffins are. I went there with a friend, and you just sat there and these little tiny puffins fly by you, catch their fish and stuff like that. So now, often, when I think about getting away, I think about that peaceful island.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I love board games and often spend weekends at board game cafes around London, learning new games.

What would be in your Room 101?

The new meaningless words that people are coming up with like “on fleek” and “dab”, it's maybe a sign that I’m getting old but I'm starting to hate them.

Introvert or extrovert?

Extrovert.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimist.

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

Film, but I did binge watch Good Omens this week, which was amazing!

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning person.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee.

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

Cringey but I enjoy using them in an old school way. I use the laughing face most.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

I’d just left university, and having tasted working as a life assurance salesperson, I thought telling stories and joining in with people’s passions would be more fun than selling them life cover. It was.

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

I started in magazines, and then in the late 90s, I saw an opportunity and my boss at the time let me go and make some websites with what were our print brands. I built a bunch of sites using a WYSIWYG [what you see is what you get] editor, then moved into digital editing, audience development and now I work in the product team at Time Inc. UK.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

Shirt, jeans and brown brogues. I think there’s a rule somewhere that states: “All middle- aged middle-managers will wear this uniform in media”?

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

Nicotine.

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

Doing 196mph on the wrong side of a drag strip with the car’s front wheels off the ground (and subsequently no control of the steering).

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

It’s really easy – you just have to be careful how you say “no” to people.

Walk me through your typical day.

Stand up with team, delete emails, try and come up with a good idea, make sure everyone is okay, go home.

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

Running and really hoping someone at least invents naps soon (I love sleep).

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

Some dirty washing up, because I was testing some new filters on the photo app Enlight.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

I don’t believe one should feel guilty about any pleasure, but Monkey 47 gin is a favourite.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

I would love to be able to message HRH The Queen – how cool would that be? Imagine the conversations you could start with, “I’ll tell you what the Queen thinks about that…”

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

“Don’t worry about it fella” when I asked about a barcode on a magazine cover proof. We printed the entire magazine run with the wrong barcode and it had to be stickered one at a time before distribution.

What/where is your happy place?

Brixton Academy.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

That I’m only pretending to like them.

What would be in your Room 101?

Wheelie bags and people who insist on dragging their luggage behind them, instead of picking it up and carrying their tiny bag.

Introvert or extrovert?

Introvert.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimist. The outcome is the same, but you are less grumpy while you travel there.

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

The final season of The Bridge.

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury. It feels more sustainable than the “quick hit” pleasure of something sweet.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning.

Tea or coffee?

The only person who has ever made me a cup of tea died in a Cambodian nightclub, so deffo coffee.

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

Cool. Face with rolling eyes, the one that was approved as part of Unicode 8.0 in 2015.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

It was never actually my aim to work in the magazine industry – I have a degree in Drama Studies and English Lit, and spent much of my formative years working backstage in theatres. For the vast majority of my university days, I was working toward the goal of becoming a Theatre Manager, but at some point in my last year one of my English lecturers suggested I try looking at careers in publishing as well as theatre, and the first job I was offered just happened to be on a wedding magazine. The fact that I really enjoyed it was a wonderful coincidence – and the hours are much better (as is the pay!) in publishing.

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

I started out as Editorial Assistant on Perfect Wedding magazine, then I spent two years on a craft title before moving onto Immediate Media’s bookazine team as a Production Editor. That was a hectic role – a team of seven produced 26 titles a year for brands such as BBC Wildlife, Focus magazine and BBC History. One of those titles was an entry-level history bookazine, which was such a success that Immediate decided to launch a new monthly mag: History Revealed (though I still believe it should have been called Epic – a much stronger name). After a couple of years as History Revealed’s Production Editor, I moved onto Homes & Antiques as the Deputy Editor, and then I was promoted to Editor just before Christmas last year.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

Not really, but as a general rule I like to keep it simple. Now that it’s spring I love to wear a sassy tee with a midi skirt, or a loose shirt with skinny jeans – and sneakers, whenever I can get away with it.

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

Tea and snacks really help me cling to my sanity through a stressful deadline. We often brag that Homes & Antiques has one of the best snack tables in the office. Right now, I can see a pack of brioche, Percy Pigs, two kinds of chocolate biscuits, a tin of treats from Biscuiteers and (for a pathetic nod in the direction of a healthy alternative) some strawberries. We often joke about getting the gin out, but thankfully things haven’t quite got that bad (yet!).

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

Last week, I found myself holding a silver pitcher worth somewhere in the region of £17,000. That was an unusual Tuesday! I had to wear special gloves when handling it and, once I had it in my clutches, I really didn’t want to put it down! It was an extraordinary piece – it had been hammered by hand and, though it looked totally smooth, you could feel all of the hammering marks through the gloves.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

Maybe that we don’t actually see that many antiques in the office. We see some when we are out and about, and plenty at shoots, but they are rarely knocking around our desks. We don’t drink out of antique cups! Though I wouldn’t say no to having a samovar full of tea…

Walk me through your typical day.

Every day starts at around 9am with a cuppa, while I hack my way through the absurd number of emails that have accumulated overnight (who’s sending press releases out at 2am?). Then, depending on where we are in the schedule, I might move on to preparing copy for layout and editing picture selections, or working on future issues, brainstorming and planning features for down the line.

We plan our photoshoots very far in advance, so that requires a lot of consideration, and the houses we feature are like an ever-evolving puzzle. Barely a day goes by when the Houses Editor and I aren’t consulting on them. Equally, I’ve always got part of my mind thinking about the cover, or a future cover, and cover lines usually evolve over the course of an issue.

I definitely lose at least half an hour to Instagram every day – it’s a valuable tool for our market, as it contains so many feature leads, but it also contains many adorable dogs. And cats, for that matter…

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

I’d sleep anyway. Sleep is wonderful.

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

Genuinely, it’s a picture of the inside of the mag. I took a few pics of some particularly beautiful features for Instagram.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Neighbours. I do love that god-awful telly. It’s pure trash, and an excellent way to completely switch off your brain for 20 minutes.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

Hugh Jackman’s. I’d get him to sing to me whenever I needed cheering up. He has the most beautiful singing voice (and face). I first saw him perform on stage when I was about 12 – I think before he made it big in LA – and I’ve been mildly besotted ever since.

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

I’ve been pretty lucky on the advice front. There have been some excellent role models in my career thus far. I did once have an Editor tell me that I shouldn’t pitch ideas above my station, after which it took me a long time to regain my confidence to pitch anything at all. Now I’m an Editor myself, I respectfully disagree with that advice. Having recently gone through a redesign, I have seen first-hand that the best ideas can come from any member of the team, no matter what their level of experience.

What/where is your happy place?

A sunny, comfy window seat with a good book and a cup of tea. If it could be sunny and rainy at the same time, that would be ideal. And could the cup of tea magically replenish itself? And biscuits – obviously there would need to be biscuits. (And Hugh Jackman singing to me from the corner.)

What would people be surprised to know about you?

As anyone who has had a conversation lasting more than five minutes with me will know, I have a filthy potty mouth. On a previous team, the Staff Writer and the Art Editor would save up bad news and then place bets on what my swear word of choice would be when I eventually found out.

What would be in your Room 101?

Coriander. I swear that stuff isn’t actually edible. I have been trying for years to make myself like it, or even tolerate it, but I just can’t.

Introvert or extrovert?

An introvert, trying desperately to seem like an extrovert.

Optimist or pessimist?

A pessimist, trying desperately to be an optimist.

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

TV – I love to binge-watch great telly shows. I hardly watch live telly at all anymore. I’m currently working my way through Legion, interspersed with Russell Howard & Mum: USA Road Trip when it all gets a bit much.

Sweet or savoury?

Sweet.

Morning person or night owl?

I suppose I’m slightly more of a night owl…

Tea or coffee?

TEA! Yorkshire English Breakfast, milk, one sugar, to be specific.

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

Cool, but only when used sparingly. My most used two are the sleep ones!

What made you want to work in the events industry?

I was duped into it.

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

Having slaved over econometrics for five years at university I got sent for an interview by a recruiter who never mentioned events. I was told it was a research role in banking and finance. I walked through the doors of financial publisher Euromoney and started my career in what turned out to be conference production. I never looked back.

Euromoney was a truly phenomenal learning school for me. It was founded by one of the giants of Fleet Street, Padraic Fallon. He turned the business into the giant of b2b information, events and data that it is today.

Padraic was charismatic, but also ruthless. He instilled the most amazing sense of entrepreneurship and competition throughout the company. If you had an idea that could make money, you could fly with it, no matter how junior you were.

Two days into my new job, I was boarding a plane to the US to research my first event. Soon after, I was on a plane to Turkey and then to Brazil. For the next 10 years, we built one of the most phenomenal and profitable global b2b event operations to come out of a legacy print publisher.

We put together an amazing and well-oiled machine. Working off solid foundations and processes with a bottom up, content-first strategy, we matched it with a thought leadership sponsorship sales operation. As soon as we spotted a new trend, we would be on the first plane out of London to corner a market.

We were also lucky to be in the right place at the right time. My formative years in b2b events coincided with the shift from print publishing to online and from ad revenue to event sponsorship revenue – together with the growing need for events to provide business networking and deal-making opportunities. Add to this the boom in capital markets and in emerging markets and we literally couldn’t produce events fast enough.

Then 2008 happened. It hit us hard – really hard. It was a humbling but unique learning experience. By this stage I was in charge of a large P&L and a team of amazing colleagues. One of Padraic’s maxims had been: “Cut fast and cut deep. A beautiful rose is a well pruned one.” It tested me and formed me. You can only really say to have run a business if you have been through a downturn and come out alive at the other end – and we did.

After Euromoney, I made the most exciting jump from conferences to expos and ended up running some of the world’s largest b2b trade shows for DMG Events. It was a tremendous experience running mega shows with hundreds of exhibitors and tens of thousands of visitors in remote corners of the world. Content-led events and trade shows have always been distant cousins who rarely crossed paths – those worlds are now converging at rapid speed.

The experience taught me about the power that trade show providers now have in leveraging content to build new communities and grow stand sales and an exhibition footprint. It also taught me the wonders of scale as a barrier to entry. Bigger is definitely better in the events world.

I am thrilled to now be leading the effort at Haymarket with a fantastic array of market-leading b2b brands and professional associations by putting in place an exciting growth plan across our portfolio of conferences and exhibitions.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

I’m a suit kinda guy. It’s a mental state of mind. You put on your suit first thing in the morning and your mind switches into work mode. Since moving from financial information, I have dropped the tie, but ask anyone and they will tell you they have never seen me in casual clothing, not even on a Friday!

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

Working in events, you’re on a constant deadline – coffee in the morning, strong builder’s style tea in the afternoon.

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

Collecting $30,000 in cash from a sponsor in bills of $100 in a hotel suite in Bali while trying to keep a straight face and an air of nonchalance while I counted it note by note in front of the client.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

That we don’t pay speakers. Industry outsiders are always amazed. I am always amazed that they’re amazed.

Walk me through your typical day.

Don’t be silly. It’s events. It’s organised madness. That’s why I love it.

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

Laughing – with my family and my true best friends, ones I can call in the middle of the night, the ones I can count on one hand. When all the chips are down, that’s all you’ve got. Never forget it and hold on tight to them.

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

Me at the Learning and Development Show build at Olympia. I am always there for a show build. I love it – it’s the best part of the job.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Artichokes – in Rome, my native city. They are serious business there. I could eat them all day, every day.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

Martha Argerich.

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

Not to buy Bitcoin in 2009. I remember my boss telling me, “You might as well put that money straight down the toilet.” It taught me to follow my instincts more. My gut feeling isn’t always right, but most of the time it is. I now say to myself, “Go with your instinct and manage the downside the few times you get it wrong. On average, you’ll be in the money."

What/where is your happy place?

The Lincoln Center in New York, with my mother. We can visit the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic on the same day within 10 steps of each other. The top opera house and orchestra in the world wrapped around one of the most stunning architectural settings of the 20th century in the greatest city in the world – it doesn’t really get much better than that.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I spend a lot of my weekends in a prison doing voluntary work.

What would be in your Room 101?

Email chains. Hip-hop. Fixed seat venues. Parsley.

Introvert or extrovert?

Introvert. I am a listener, not a talker, but when I do talk, I wave my hands a lot! That’s the half Italian in me, other half being Irish.

Optimist or pessimist?

I get depressed by humanity’s foolishness that we see played out in the world everyday, so I tend to always play out in my mind and prepare for all eventualities.

When I stand back and look at what mankind has achieved in the past 100 years, let alone 2000, you can’t but admire the spectacular progress we have made.

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

TV. I would be very happy with having just Prime Suspect, Doctor Who, Yes Minister and Fawlty Towers on a loop.

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury. Nobu’s spicy rock shrimp tempura is my second guilty pleasure.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning.

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

Man facepalming. It’s me all over, but GIFs are where it’s at now. Some of them genuinely make me laugh out loud.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

I’ve always been a film nerd and consumed movie magazines – as a kid I couldn’t believe that reporting on-set was a job a person could do and I became obsessed with one day being a journalist watching a movie being made on location. The day I found myself watching Daniel Craig shoot guns in Istanbul while filming Skyfall was when I knew my 13-year-old self would be chuffed!

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

As a 14-year-old, I got work experience with Just Seventeen and that only whet my appetite for journalism, so I applied for work experience at The Yorkshire Post. I was so tenacious/precocious that I ended up freelancing for them on their ‘Youth Style’ page though my teens – writing reviews, interviews with celebs of the day (Phillip Schofield, Jakki Brambles [now known as Jackie Brambles], Spandau Ballet) and think pieces.

I was the Film Editor on my student paper and then completed a diploma in Periodical Journalism at City, University of London. During my time there I propped up my student loan with shifts on The Sunday Times newsdesk, and after graduation, started my first salaried journalism job as Staff Writer on free film mag Flicks.

From there, I freelanced for Total Film and various other non-movie corporate and consumer outlets (working in B2B titles was a valuable learning curve) until I got the job of Features Editor on Total Film. From there, I became Acting Editor, Editor, then Editor-in-Chief. I am currently Group Editor-In-Chief of Film, looking afterTotal Film and SFX.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

Anything that doesn’t have mad patterns and isn’t green, so that if I’m asked to do a TV chat I’m green screen ready!

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

Our team spends a lot of time in the States, particularly LA, on film sets and at junkets and we’ve become very fond of American candy called Swedish Fish. It’s now mandatory for anyone going to America to bring a bag back specifically for deadline sugar lows.

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

The great thing about my job is that it’s never the same each day ­– I’m often in odd, far-flung locations watching scenes being filmed that look really odd until the SFX, sound, score etc are added later – or interviewing actors in weird spaces.

Often the most unusual things that happen are the things I can’t really talk about without betraying confidences – the time I had to dispose of an actor’s wee in a beer bottle when he’d been caught short during an interview (there were no loos), talking to a star off the record about a hugely famous romantic bust-up, driving round LA with an actress listening to bonkers audiobooks in her car…

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

That we don’t watch films ALL day.

Walk me through your typical day.

There’s no such thing as a typical day!

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

Watching films. No matter how many we watch there’s still so many more I want to see.

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

A picture of the current issue of Total Film to social because communicating with readers via Twitter and Instagram is an essential part of my job – and it’s great for star stalking before an interview!

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Watching videos of Dr Pimple Popper [also known as Dr Sandra Lee] squeezing spots, boils and cysts. I don’t know why, but I love it!

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

Tiffany Haddish. No matter what she says, it’s funny. I feel like she’d be a great person to call if you’d had a bad day.

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

“Try the tripe, it’s actually really tasty.” It was not.

What/where is your happy place?

On a transatlantic plane knowing I have 11 hours of no emails or calls, a ton of movies to watch and dinner on a tray. My team know I love it so much that they call it my ‘spa in the sky’.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

That I’ve never seen Mean Streets or The Seventh Seal.

What would be in your Room 101?

Embargoes.

Introvert or extrovert?

Extrovert.

Optimist or pessimist?

Pessimist.

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

Obviously film – but I do like TV binge-watches. I’m currently getting through Manhunt: Unabomber.

Sweet or savoury?

Sweet.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning person.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee, but – perversely – decaf.

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

Neither, just unavoidable. Most used is probably the glass of red wine. Oh dear.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

Well, I didn't want to work in magazines first of all. I wanted to be a news reporter on a newspaper and that's really where my interest in journalism started. Then, in my early to mid-teens, I discovered the NME. I discovered ads for gigs in places that sounded terribly exotic – in London and Northampton. I started to fall in love with music.

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

I started in a very small way at a free sheet in north Belfast called The Link. I realised I needed to get some proper qualifications, so I did a post-grad in journalism. I managed to convince the people at The Link to pay for that for me – as long as I kept on doing some work for them.

Then I went to The Fermanagh Herald. I did my training there and I became friends with a guy called Colin Murray, who is now a very successful tv and radio host, in Belfast. We set up a magazine called Blank not really knowing what we were doing, but it was great fun – we learned a lot and made a lot of mistakes.

After that, I went to the NME and did four years there. I went freelance for a while. The Big Issue was changing things around in Scotland, so I went over to Glasgow. I started out as Deputy Editor of the Scottish edition, then became Editor of the Scottish edition, then things changed around and I became Editor of the British edition.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

I'm quite simple, old-fashioned. I like to wear a well-cut shirt, trousers and a good jacket – that's about it.

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

Coffee. It's always very strong, black coffee – and as much of it as I can find.

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

When we were working on a special edition of The Big Issue, Mark Millar, the comic book creator, was guest editing the magazine. It was on the theme of heroes and he got different people he knew or that he was associated with to interview their heroes. We had Mark Hamill, who is Luke Skywalker, interviewing Ray Davies from The Kinks. I was in a very strange position where Luke Skywalker was asking me for pointers and I was helping him construct questions that he was going to ask Ray Davies. That was pretty weird.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

With any Editor, people are always asking, “What is it you actually do?” If they were to find out what Editors do, that might be a surprise for them. I don't know how much I can reveal, or what I'd want to reveal. I can't spoil the magic.

Walk me through your typical day.

We tend to start with a conference. It's a catch-up with editorial and production, reviewing where we are, where things are digitally, making sure everyone's clear on what they're doing and that we're getting the best out of the pages. It’s quite a brief thing – 15 minutes. We've got people in our office in London and people in our office in Glasgow, so it's just so that everybody is happy.

After that, I might have a couple of other meetings or phone conferences. I start to check pages, I'll start to answer correspondence. I will then think about content that we're missing, content that I'd like to see in, correcting some things. There's quite a lot of discussion with commercial teams and with advertising. There's invariably some new talent who will get in touch with different ideas, so we'll take a look at that.

How has being a member of the PPA helped you/added value to your brand?

You meet a lot of people that perhaps you wouldn't otherwise and you learn things from them, like how to make your magazine better. You share ideas and content thoughts and you look to raise your own standard. It's about introductions, opening doors and possibilities.

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

I'd eat everything. I'd like to develop some elements of the magazine, work out how I get more pages in and get better pages in. I'd read a lot more and I'd probably visit a lot more churches. I love church architecture and I don't have half enough time to go and visit churches and cathedrals.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

I don't feel guilty about any of the things I like. I like 15th/16th century choral music, so every now and again when I want a particular atmosphere in the office, I'll put on some choral music, which I know might annoy people.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

Eric Cantona. We would chat about everything – football, Manchester United, nothing too heavy – going out for a pint just to chew the fat.

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

“Stay working with me, because although the money isn't very good, you'll learn an awful lot.” The guy who gave me that advice, a few weeks later, the company went bust.

What/where is your happy place?

I like being out somewhere barren, remote, on the top of a hill. The landscape looks quite bleak – it's hard to see through a misty rain. There are no people around. There’s no phone signal. I’m just wandering about there, the dog running in and out of heather.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I really like church architecture. I have a favourite cathedrals list for cathedrals in mainland Europe and also for churches, depending on the period of church. My favourite religious building is Durham Cathedral. It is the most incredible piece of architecture with that late Norman look to it, vast incredible ceilings, great architecture and beautiful rose windows. There are also some very small churches in Brittany that I really like – weird churches with only windows on one side and a single door. I can usually find something in most that I like.

There's a few cathedrals in mainland France and Germany that I want to see and there's one in Finland that's got particularly curious architecture. I take a lot of photos – I'll take photos of the door and of arches and of windows. I am a terrible bore.

John Bird, who's the founder of The Big Issue, shares my enthusiasm for church architecture. We used to arrange to have meetings once or twice a year to review where the magazine is and where it's going, but we'd have it in cathedral cities. We'd each go and take in a cathedral, we'd have the meeting and then we'd go our separate ways. We went through different cathedrals across Britain in that way.

If The Big Issue was solely my interests, it'd be churches, cathedrals, Manchester United, red wine and music. It'd be very niche and I'm not sure it would sell an awful lot, so I tend not to put that in too much.

What would be in your Room 101?

Missing a deadline – that we wouldn't get into print or making a terrible mistake. I worry all week that something bad has happened to the magazine. That is a constant low-grade, gnawing fear.

Introvert or extrovert?

Probably more extroverted than introverted.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimist.

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

Television. I keep going back to old comedies. I started watching The Office again, I love Father Ted. There's a show called Death in Paradise set in the Caribbean and there's always a murder. It's absolute garbage, but I do find myself enjoying that. As much as edifying television, I like bad tv.

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury.

Morning person or night owl?

Both.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee.

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

I fucking hate them. I have never sent one in my life – never. I've taken maybe two selfies in my life and one of those was by mistake.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

I grew up reading magazines including The Face, Blitz and Mixmag and it was while studying for my degree that I decided I would love to work in the magazine industry. I was a big fan of i-D magazine at the time, so I wrote and asked if I could do a work placement there. They turned me down.

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

The internet was just taking off when I left university and I was hooked, so I wanted a job where a) I could get free, fast internet all day and b) I could work in magazines, so I took a job as a Production Editor on a magazine which wrote about the internet, as weird a concept as that probably seems now. We reviewed websites, because Google didn’t exist, and we wrote tutorials on how to use obscure services such as Usenet and IRC [Internet Relay Chat].

I worked on a bunch of tech mags over the next few years before joining TechRadar as Editor. I was later promoted to Global Editor-in-Chief there. After that, I worked on an Android news and reviews website in Berlin for a couple of years, then I joined BikeRadar at Immediate Media as Global Editor-in-Chief and now I’m at T3 at Future.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

Trainers, skinny jeans and an unironed shirt. I’m not sure that really counts as an outfit as such, but hey.

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

Working online means we’re on deadline every day, or multiple times a day, so I don’t turn to anything beyond my bottle of water, which I usually forget to drink until I wonder why I have a headache.

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

Living in Berlin. I had no plans to move abroad, but I was approached by a company based there and I thought that if I turned the opportunity down I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I feel hugely fortunate that my career path gave me that opportunity – I now think of Berlin as my second home and return there when I get the chance.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

It’s really boring. I mean, it’s not! But people assume that on T3 we get to attend loads of cool product launches in interesting places. We do from time to time, but that’s where the writers go. You’re more likely to find me in the office working on ideas with the editorial and commercial teams or poking around in Google Analytics looking for interesting opportunities.

Walk me through your typical day.

I have a list of things I want to get through each day and I work through them. They generally centre around creating a better product, which could mean working with writers on story angles, coming up with ideas in response to commercial briefs, analysing our traffic trends or submitting product requests and bug reports.

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

I’d time shift my working hours and work while it was dark and then spend more daylight time getting out on my motorbike and my bicycle.

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

It’s this amazing piece of art. If I park in a multi-storey, I’m hopeless at remembering where I left the car so I usually take a photo so I can find it after a day out shopping.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Nineties Eurodance! Ace of Base, 2 Unlimited, Dr Alban…

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

David Bowie’s. Obviously, there’s not a lot of point in having it now, but he was such an inspiration for me growing up that I would have loved to just be able to phone him up one day and say thank you.

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

I’ve heard a couple of times that having a fast car is good, because you can “accelerate out of trouble.” Now, I’m all for having fast cars, but it strikes me that flooring it in dangerous situations is not a smart safety strategy – unless perhaps you’re being chased by an assassin.

What/where is your happy place?

Sitting on the grass in a park in Berlin on a hot summer evening, drinking a cold bottle of beer from the local Späti [corner store] and watching the world go by.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I have a degree in advertising and before I worked in journalism I worked in direct marketing.

What would be in your Room 101?

People who walk slowly. Pavements need a dawdling lane and an overtaking lane.

Introvert or extrovert?

An extroverted introvert, apparently. It is a thing, you can Google it.

Optimist or pessimist?

Definitely an optimist, or I’d never get out of bed.

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

TV. It’s just so good at the moment and you usually don’t have to sit next to random people eating popcorn. I’ve finally got around to watching the Fargo series and I’m really enjoying it.

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury. I don’t like sweet food at all, which seems to completely baffle people who do like sweet food.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee, but I generally limit myself to one cup a day.

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

I love them, and I use them to the point where I wonder whether my work colleagues think they are conversing with a teenager. I probably use the eye-rolling one the most at the moment, but only in the T3 Slack channel, not in replies to emails from my manager.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

It was when I was working at The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. I was trained to work with our archaic design programme to design the magazine within the paper that had all the information about what was on telly for the coming week and theatre reviews, book reviews etc.

I loved the way the features had their own style and characteristics. I started to get a real flavour for how magazines are put together. I also really loved working with type. I have a real passion for typography – being able to see how you can take a couple of sets of typefaces and be able to use that limited type pallete, but have so much variety in doing layouts and design, was really interesting for me.

I gravitated from that into doing The Scotsman's glossy Saturday supplement magazine The Scotsman. There were a lot of pages that were heavily templated, but when it came to the cover feature and the other two features that were in the magazine, that's where I really got creative freedom to craft something that was really impactful for the reader.

Do you have a favourite font?

That's like asking me to choose between one of my children! I can't say I have a favourite one. I love using types that have multiple weights – they all have a condensed, regular and extended variety. One type family can do multiple jobs throughout a publication and when you couple that up with another interesting typeface, that's how it all comes together. That's what we did with Hot Rum Cow, our drinks magazine, when I was putting that together.

How did you feel when White Light Media decided to stop publishing Hot Rum Cow?

It was mixed feelings – I was really sad that this amazingly creative project came to an end, but also really excited as well. Hot Rum Cow did for White Light Media exactly what we wanted it to do – and that was to make people sit up and take notice of what we can do as an agency and what we can produce in-house.

Hot Rum Cow was a predominantly print title and it was all about creating this beautiful product that people would see on the newsstand, pick up, flick through, be blown away by and hopefully purchase at the till and take away and read. Due to the writing style, it had longevity, so you could read issue one or two now and it still stands the test of time. It did a great job of winning us more clients and getting far more creative print work into White Light Media than we would normally get to do.

Our brand work can be very dry because of the nature of the audience we're speaking to, but now we're finding at White Light what we're being asked to do and what our clients need us to do are far different than just printed magazines.

We are now pivoting the agency to be far more focused on the content marketing offering that we have. In that space and the amount of time that Hot Rum Cow took for us to produce on a biannual basis, we feel that we can take that time and now dedicate that into this new project that we're going to be taking on. It's going to benefit the agency and the direction that we want to go along the content marketing route. It's good to go out on a high, right?

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

When I finished up at The Scotsman magazine after a year, I moved on to an Edinburgh publisher that published four different magazines. I actually got the opportunity within six months of starting to redesign one from scratch. It was a new launch travel magazine and it hadn't been doing well on the newsstand, so it pivoted a little bit and targeted a new audience.

From there, I worked as a freelance magazine Editorial Designer. I went on to work for Nick Barley, who's now the Edinburgh International Book Festival Director. I worked with him in a Senior Designer role at The List when he was the Editor and I covered the Art Director who was on maternity leave.

One thing I'd never done was customer magazines, so contract publishing for brands, and it wasn't something I'd really thought about before, but White Light Media came knocking. I jumped at the chance to join the company as a Senior Designer. It was a brand new challenge. It was great to become part of a big design team working under the Creative Director at White Light at the time Alan Lennon.

Alan left the company after eight months, so I was given the chance to step up to Creative Director. Going from a Senior Design position finding my feet within the first few months in a company to running the creative department within eight months was a baptism of fire, but one that – with a talented design team behind me – I was happy to take on and to push things forward. Now I’m Managing Director.

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

I’d catch up on some box sets or read books. I just caught up on all series of Ballers, which stars Dwayne Johnson.

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

I was at a Marketing Society event in Glasgow on the ninth floor and I took a photo looking down over the street from a floor-to-ceiling glass window. I thought I was going to pass out.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

I'd probably say box sets again – or beer. I'm a beer fanatic. I love trying new beers. My go-to beer is the Williams Brothers' Caesar Augustus. That's from a brewer up here and it's just really nice. There's a craft beer shop right across the road from the office [based in Leith, Edinburgh].

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

Dwayne Johnson. I think he's such a funny guy. I'd love for his character in Ballers to talk to me for five minutes. I'm not a massive wrestling fan or anything, but from seeing his characteristics as The Rock and then seeing him in films or in a TV series, you get a flavour of a person and he's one of those guys that comes across as really personable.

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

People giving negative advice, like don't follow your dreams, don’t go travelling, stick with what you're doing. I gladly ignored it. I finished college, got my first job and got really badly paid. I didn’t see much progression and then I made the decision to pack it in and go travelling the world for a year.

When I came back, I ended up getting a job at the same company and getting paid more money doing a different job – a better job.

What/where is your happy place?

I would say most of the time at home or on holiday. My family and I went to the west coast of Scotland and we were blessed with really sunny weather. We got outside loads, so the kids got loads of fresh air, and everyone was just laughing the whole time. That was great, that was fantastic.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I could swim 100 metres in under a minute when I was younger. I used to do it competitively until I was about 16/17 and I gave it up when I discovered booze. I realized that I didn't have to get up at five in the morning to train anymore. I never swam for about 10 years and then I picked it up again, so I've been swimming once a week before work. I leave at seven in the morning, get in a 30-minute swim and I'll try and do 80 lengths of the pool and then get out and get to work refreshed.

What would be in your Room 101?

I've got this real pet hate about people who don't indicate where they're going when they’re driving. It's not a big thing, but it can just really rile me. I think it's less of a people indicating thing and more of a respect thing. I hate disrespectful people.

Introvert or extrovert?

Extrovert.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimist, I would like to think.

Film or television?

Television. I am one of those bingers. I rarely watch live television now, so it's always something I want to watch.

Sweet or savoury?

Sweet. Any sweets – chocolate mainly.

Morning person or night owl?

Night, definitely.

Tea or coffee?

Tea.

Emojis – cool or cringey? Which emoji do you use the most/is your favourite?

Cool – better than text speak, which is definitely cringey. The one I use the most for some reason is the aubergine. A lot of the time it’s used as a symbol for something else. I just think it's quite funny. If you've got a random group conversation on WhatsApp, just throw that in every once in a while. People will get puzzled and they don't know why you've done it. No explanation – just throw it in there.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

I spent 12 years as a News Reporter and then Royal Correspondent on national newspapers before becoming a mum. I wanted to try working in a different environment and when the opportunity came up at HELLO!, I jumped at the chance to work for one of the best-known brands out there.

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

After graduating with a degree in French and Italian, I started working for a forward planning news agency in South London, then moved home to Cardiff to do a postgrad diploma in Newspaper Journalism.

I was lucky enough to win a place on the Daily Mirror’s training scheme in 2003 and worked for them in London, Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow. After five years as a London-based news reporter, I joined The Sun in the same role in 2010, and in 2013 I took over as Royal Correspondent while pregnant with my son.

Two years later I was approached by HELLO! to head up their royal coverage and was delighted to become their Royal Correspondent.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

A smart dress and heels for a royal event or the office, but I often rely on thermals, down jackets and even wellies for long waits outside in the great British weather or overseas!

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

I’m a tea and chocolate fiend on deadline – a classic stress eater.

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

There are so many, which is why I love the job! I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world throughout my career. Having lunch cooked for me in the Atacama Desert by one of the rescued Chilean miners the day after he came out of hospital was a particularly surreal moment. Equally, watching Prince Charles joke with President Obama in the Oval Office was pretty special.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

It involves an enormous amount of admin and is often very unglamorous! Organising accreditation for royal engagements, clearing security and planning tour travel takes up a lot of my time. There is a lot of standing around waiting for things to happen too!

Walk me through your typical day.

There is no typical day for me, which is what I love about the role. I might start the day in the office having a catch up with the team, lunch at my desk or out with a contact, then working on features or the aforementioned admin.

Or, I might wake up overseas in a hotel, scramble for the tour bus and find myself following a member of the Royal Family around as they visit schools or hospitals, meet foreign leaders or travel to remote communities before moving on that night to a new city.

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

I have two small children, so I can’t really get past the idea of not needing to sleep! Reading, yoga, learning a new language or renovating our house would be top of my list at the moment.

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

The light fitting in the basement of the Trafalgar Hotel where I’ve just been filming for a documentary on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding – I love interiors!

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Watching old 80s and 90s music videos with a glass of wine.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

It’s got to be the Queen. I’d love to be able to ring her up and pick her brain on all manner of things.

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

I don’t remember any bad advice! The best advice I’ve been given is don’t miss the bus (on royal tours) and I like to remind myself that you can make your own luck – show up, work hard and be kind. You’ve got to be in it to win it.

What/where is your happy place?

At home with my family. It’s a cliché, but true.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I hate flying!

What would be in your Room 101?

People who bag tables at cafés before they’ve ordered their food/coffee and drivers using their mobile phones.

Introvert or extrovert?

Extrovert.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimist.

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

TV for time reasons – I loved Derry Girls and am currently watching The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury.

Morning person or night owl?

With a 10-month-old baby, I’m currently a morning person, but not really through choice!

Tea or coffee?

Tea by the gallon.

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

Cool, but I’m a late adopter. Probably the laughing face or the see-no-evil monkey.

What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

I never actually decided to work in magazines. It just happened to me. I feel very lucky that I work in an industry that lets me feel creative and muck about with talented people on a daily basis. I think if I had actually sat down, aged 18, and tried to work out my ideal career I might well have ended up with magazine journalism – but I didn’t.

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

It’s incredibly long and tedious, but it involves Sam Delaney, a financial website, one make-believe Hollywood dog, a now-defunct online magazine owned by a shady American zillionaire, Dennis Publishing, The Times, The Guardian, a bunch of magazines that I can’t recall, an Iranian-owned television station, a Canadian-owned television station, FHM, more FHM, Phil Hilton, Mr Hyde and then finally ShortList.

Do you have a go-to work outfit?

I hate myself for it, but yes – big white t-shirt, white trainers, black trousers normally does the trick. Failing that, Legion of Doom-style shoulder pads and a full spandex bodysuit underneath.

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

We had about 80 boxes of Sweet Peach Candy Kittens delivered to the building a few months ago. They’re pink and sour. We’re gradually working our way through them. The early-onset diabetes diagnosis is nailed on at this point.

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

The non-annoying answer would be the situation I find myself in now – editing a weekly magazine with a great team. It still seems surreal. The annoying answer would be drinking vodka in the penthouse apartment of a Russian billionaire while he sang to me, backed by a full backing band. Or that afternoon with all the porn stars in a San Fernando Valley mansion.

What would people be surprised to know about your job?

Nothing ever runs smoothly. You have to allow for your own and other people’s mistakes. Don’t leave everything until the last minute, as you’re doomed to produce something flawed. My day is spent trying to prevent these situations. The thing with being an Editor is that everyone wants five minutes of your time – your team members, your bosses, your writers, PRs, everyone. But you have to always make time for colossal disasters. Because they’re coming. Oh boy, are they coming.

Walk me through your typical day.

There is no typical day, to be honest. Every day brings fresh challenges. I am a very hands-on Editor. I work with my team on every page of the magazine. I commission and edit stuff. I tweak bits on the page. I help choose illustrators. I help romance talent. I help do photo selects. Crucially, there’s someone more talented than me that deals with each of those things primarily, so I dip in and out helping them along their way. Like an annoying – but ultimately senior – editorial leprechaun.

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

If you’d have asked me a year ago, I’d have said playing guitar, recording albums and getting good at the piano. But this job takes it out of me to such a degree that I spend all my free time sitting on the sofa, staring into the middle-distance. As you can imagine, my girlfriend isn’t thrilled with this.

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

My charming bulldog Kronus, sleeping in his bed!

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Old professional wrestling pay-per-views – American and Japanese. I can’t get enough.

Whose phone number do you wish you had?

No one’s. I don’t like phoning people and I hate being phoned.

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

A long-forgotten pop star (who was on the way out at the time) once told me not to worry about hurting people’s feelings on the way up because “you can’t hear them crying from the top of the mountain”.

What/where is your happy place?

Possibly on one of those sofas in the Screen on the Green cinema. With a bottle of Malbec.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I lived in China for quite a long time.

What would be in your Room 101?

I can’t tell you, because I have to deal with them on an almost-daily basis.

Introvert or extrovert?

Introvert.

Optimist or pessimist?

A professional pessimist. Editors have to be.

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

Film. The only truly, truly great TV show is The Wire. The rest, to quote Trevor Griffiths, is sweeties to rot your teeth with.

Sweet or savoury?

Love ‘em both to be honest.

Morning person or night owl?

I do my fretting in the morning, so probably the latter.

Tea or coffee?

The blackest of coffees.

Emojis – cool or cringey? Which emoji do you use the most/is your favourite?

In five years’ time, all headlines will be written in emoji, so you best get on board now. Most used emoji is the “okay” symbol.