Who are we all and who do we work for?

[Neil Murray]

I'm not saying who I am, though I'm sure there's a lurker or two who can identify me from other postings, and I recognise the name of one of the responders to the original question.

Business and consumer journalism, salaried and freelance, and am managing to sell a few photos these days as well, having practiced hard at taking pix and having invested a lot of money in the kit. Today's articles are yesterday's chip wrappers, but photos go on earning for years, if they're the right pix in the right market.

Have travelled the world in the course of what we laughingly call 'work', and wouldn't swap the job for anything else.

Life's good.

[curly]

Hello, I'm Carly. I have a background in newspaper journalism (the Daily Telegraph and The Australia in Sydney & The Times over here) but now write for a mixture of magazines, papers and websites. I began in news, moved to sport, took up feature writing and now, by some mechanism that I don't entirely understand, I mostly write about management and working life.
Also, I can see a squirrel out of my window.

[dcloh2003]

Hello everyone,

My name is Derek and I'm a former Law student, former Arts student, who quit his course, quit his job, rolled up a stake, and is throwing everything into writing a novel. Besides writing fiction, I like to write about everything non-fiction, from my losing hands at poker to Bondi Beach, and I figure that anyone who reveals anything secret about themselves is worth writing about. Hence my interest in freelance journalism.

Actually, I live in Sydney, so I doubt that I'll prove much of a contact to anyone (this forum is based in the UK, right?). Nonetheless, I'm glad to make your acquaintance; I didn't realize that other writers got together and wrote forums. (I find that being a writer is a lot like being a hermit: you're prone to thinking you're the only one. Incidentally, there's a famous hermit in Bondi who has pitched his tent in the rocks, and it occurred to me just then that he'd be worth interviewing.). I'm happy enough to chat to anyone, if you're looking for a conversation.

Anyway, here's a quote from Walt Whitman's "Song of the Open Road" which I take heart from:

'Allons! we must not stop here,
However sweet these laid-up stores, however convenient
   this dwelling we cannot remain here,
However shelter'd this port and however calm these waters
   we must not anchor here,
However welcome the hospitality that surrounds us we are
   permitted to receive it but a little while.'


Happy to meet you all,

Derek

[maggie]

My name's Maggie, I'm a new freelancer based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.  I've just got done being an Olympics/Paralympics writer for two years at a trade publication (I feel for the guy who said he runs the potato trade mag; ah, explaining a niche.)

I'm stringing for China Daily on the U.S. Southeast business/econ/finance beat.  That doesn't take much time obviously so I'm out networking.  Nice to meet you all. 

[simonmc]

I work as a sub for an international English-language oil and gas industry newspaper in Oslo. I've been here six months. Norway is very expensive, but the pay makes up for it, and it goes a long way on holiday in almost any other country. The idea of unpaid overtime is very un-Norwegian - for the first time in years I'm not putting in extra hours every week without recompense. It's a small editorial operation here in Oslo (editor, five subs and a Norwegian reporter) but we have a news desk in London, a features editor in Singapore and reporters based in the US, Canada, Brazil, Russia, China, Iran, Nigeria and New Zealand, so the logistics are interesting. We're part of NHST, a large Norwegian media company, and there's quite a bit happening - they're launching a renewable energy newspaper on similar lines next year.
I worked as a sub in the UK from 1999-2006 and Australia from 2006-08.
Cheers!
Simon

[LordSheep]

I'm Paul from Cardiff

I'm still a student, studying Business, but i'm gonna do my fast track once i've finsished. I'm currently trying to rack up as much experience as possible, the smaller weekly's for Media Wales are fantastic for this, i was on a one week placement last week and had 7/8 articles published, so anyone in Wales/West looking for work exerience, give this a go!

Outside these weekly's though i'm struggling to find anything, so feel my CV may be rather 1 dimensional, so anyone in the area who knows/has previously had work experience drop me a line. I'm gonna try and get up to London in the summer, wouldn't mind even going abroad for a few weeks, so anyone who's done this, let me know!

[Vesuvio]

Hello,

I'm Jazz and I'm from Burgess Hill (only 15mins from Brighton). I'm currently a Undergraduate of Law at Surrey University but I'm seriously looking at Journalism as something I'd love to get involved with in the near future.. 

[lewes_lounger]

I'm a journalist living in Lewes (aha! another one not far from Brighton) currently working for a small company that may not survive very long. If the the credit crunch bites and the worst comes to the worst, it's back to the freelance career for me, writing news, features, opinion and white papers etc., as well as chairing/moderating events. I've worked primarily in the business IT area for the last 20 years, though I've strayed into consumer tech, motoring and a couple of other areas from time to time.

So that's me - who's next?

[Mikemcobb]

Well I'm Mike and for ten years I was a banker then a headhunter of bankers until having been personally responsible for the credit crunch -I placed people who did securitisation, oops- I was made redundant.
So as that was no bad thing and the part of the job I enjoyed most was the research and writing I thought I would revisit journalism which I had first wanted to do many years ago.

I am passionate about cars and the motor industry plus history and foreign affairs. One day if I'm good and diligent enough somebody may well say yes to a story idea I have in one of those areas. I may even be able to pay the mortgage from all this but i think I may just trying to crawl before I walk.

Good luck all.

[joanne_hunter]

I'm Joanne Hunter. Spring 2006 my B2B title was sold by CMPi to Haymarket and closed down. I could have accepted the job offered in London but it meant a 4-hour round trip. So I went to Brussels instead and did pretty well working at European industry level covering packaging, retail and forest products supply chain issues, as a journalist and copywriter. I have returned and find myself in almost the exact same position, that is, looking to build up work as a freelance or to find a "steady job". Not the best of times to do either. I have no regrets and my daughter had a fab time at school there and starts university with a head-start, in my opinion. My son, as a result, fancies an internship in Brussels when the time's right. Sometimes one has to follow your heart rather than your head and, even if it seems a bit of a struggle at first, make the best of experiences. Onwards and (I hope) upwards......![/color][/color]

[daryy]

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[winnie]

Hi everyone

I'm Winnie and I've just gone freelance.

I'm one of those people that didn't know they wanted to be an accountant as soon as they were out of nappies; I wanted to do lots of things.  I was advised against it but I did it anyway.  I've been a fashion model, industrial designer's PA, trainee buyer for a knitwear company, English teacher and exam marker for a well known board, set up my own delicatessen from scratch, ditto coffee shop a few years later and more recently was editor of a food website for six years.  So here I am - a few things published, always got something in the fire and now what appears to be a very useful website to peruse every day.

[thejoyofanonymity]

Hi,
My names Clare, i'm a 23 year old arts journalist (after specialising in this area for my final 2 years of a drama degree). Currently working freelance for a Scottish Arts and Culture magazine (and based in Glasgow)

 

Trying to break into paid freelance, not the easiest thing in the world - receiving tips and hints gratefully through this site...

 

[janecharlesworth]

I'm a journalist living in Lewes (aha! another one not far from Brighton)

So am I!

Er, I'm an unemployed post-PhD, post-NCTJ science writer, wannabe, I guess. I've always wanted to be a writer, since I picked up a pen aged 5, but was torn because I like science too. But after finishing my PhD I decided that the writing bit was more important to me.
I'm currently an intern at ITV News, on the health and science desk.
I am a bit depressed that I have yet to have a single interview, after sending 50+ applications out.
Still, my NCTJ course was money well-spent. Since finishing it I recovered over £1000 from the electricity company because of my improved ability to ask tough questions.

[michaelpowens]

Michael is the name, qualified in 2004 and could not find anyone to employ me.

     So after three years of begging for a job I decided to start my own web design company, which is going really well at the moment.
I decided to join in with the forum as I spend so much time locked away in this little box I call my office that I was starting to wonder if there is anyone else still alive.

                        the voices, those damned voices.