CV

ABOUT ME

I am an NCTJ-trained journalist currently freelancing as a feature writer. See my online portfolio here.

I have six months’ experience as a reporter for a local newspaper and, prior to that, I was the team leader of an online content editorial team for a B2B publisher.

I am proficient in Microsoft programs, Photoshop, Quark, HTML and InDesign, and have knowledge of SEO and using a CMS.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Oct ’11 – Jan ’12              Hillingdon Times, Ealing Times and SWLondoner.co.uk – Contributor

  • I have been contributing to Hillingdon Times, Ealing Times and SWLondoner.co.uk, by writing stories from press releases and following up sources: http://bit.ly/sm5J7f; http://bit.ly/vQO4a6
  • For my public affairs feature, I investigated the council’s response to the latest youth unemployment figures: http://bit.ly/w02u06

Sept ’11 – March ’12      FilmJuice.com – Film Reviewer

5 – 18 July ’11             The People – Work Experience (features)

  •  Researched and developed my own stories – three of which were chosen by the editor
  • Found exclusive stories on people and their pets, including a woman who was reunited with her pet thanks to a Facebook campaign and another woman who runs a sanctuary
  • Helped to compile travel and lifestyle pages
  • http://bit.ly/oUjr8Y, http://bit.ly/qFY2B6, http://bit.ly/obPRYp

May ’11 – Sept ’11       IDFX Magazine – Writer

  •  Freelance writing for IDFX, a professional interior design magazine
  • Assignments so far have included ‘The Number One Fan’ feature, book reviews and contributing to the news page
  • http://bit.ly/nPbZP1

 Feb ’11 – December ’11       Within Reach Magazine – Reporter

  •  Feature writing for Within Reach Magazine, the national charity magazine for children with upper limb deficiency
  • Interviewed musician Benjamin Teacher, a one-armed busker: http://bit.ly/szN6F
  • Interviewed Shannon Murray, the disabled model who featured in Debenhams’ photography campaign: http://bit.ly/e1zDPy
  • Investigated the public’s attitudes towards disabilities: http://bit.ly/g68J0i

July ’08                        Trinity Mirror – Work Experience

  • Researched and wrote news articles on a daily basis
  • Telephoned local charities and police stations to find news stories
  • Went out in the local area to ask people their views on news stories
  • Interviewed people over the telephone, including new parents and ‘Pub of the Week’
  • http://bit.ly/gbdIaS, http://bit.ly/h6eVnk

OTHER PUBLISHED ARTICLES

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

April ’12 – Oct ’12            Reporter

  • Found, researched and wrote news and features for two weekly newspapers in Essex to tight deadlines
  • Wrote human interest features, including a long lost mother and daughter who were reunited, fertility, a teenager who battled ovarian cancer, and child poverty
  • Hard-hitting stories included a story about a mother who was arrested on suspicion of arson and an 18-month old baby seriously injured in a car crash
  • Attended local events and council meetings

July ’10 – April ’12        Online Content Editor (Team Leader)

  • Using a CMS and HTML on a daily basis to build website content; includes writing, copy-editing and liaising with clients to gain approval to publish
  • Leading and training a team of five website editors, and meeting daily and weekly targets
  • Assisting with SEO enquiries, client issues and difficult copy
  • Generating, proofing and sending out daily and weekly newsletters

Jan ’10 – July ’10         Sub-Editor

  •  Used a CMS and HTML on a daily basis to edit and where necessary re-write industry news, projects and features across 27 B2B websites
  • Experienced working under pressure in a journalism environment

Sept ’08 – Jan ’10        Editorial Assistant / Online Content Editor

  •  Built client profiles/advertisements to meet in-house style guide
  • Liaised with clients to gain publishing approval and make changes to profiles
  • Made editorial decisions to ensure profiles achieve good search engine results (SEO)
  • Sent monthly newsletters out to over 30,000 current and potential clients

EDUCATION

Jan ’11 – Dec ’11   NCTJ Journalism Diploma (News Associates)

Dec’ 2008             Workshop in News Gathering / Interviewing

2005 – 2008        BA English and Professional & Creative Writing; 2.1

2003 – 2005        A-Levels: English, Media Studies & Photography

1998 – 2003        GCSEs – eight, incl. English, Maths & Science

HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

I enjoy keeping in touch with the news and writing a blog in my spare time. I love cooking, watching films, reading, photography and travelling. I am very health conscious and am passionate about eating well and keeping fit.

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