I'm so proud I've gone sideways
Today marks the very first day of sales for my school magazine, The Arrow, which I'm extremely privileged to say I have worked on.
The magazine has existed for 114 years so I like to think I've continued a legacy of some sort - with the help of my wonderful co-editors, of course. This has certainly by no means been an endeavour I could have achieved alone. Looking back, I don't think I truly appreciated how complicated producing a magazine was when I first went for my interview, but I certainly found out!
There was a pressure to produce something special this year as the school is marking its 400th anniversary (with celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall and St Paul's Cathedral, no less), and we certainly had a challenge on our hands. Extracting articles from busy students is always difficult, and I was cheered to read the 'Note from the Editor' in an edition of The Arrow from around one hundred years ago describing the task with a similar arduousness. Teenagers will never change! Having said that, the content we have has an enormous range and I would say that, particularly for a student publication, it is undoubtedly something to be proud of.
Above all, editing The Arrow has given me some amazing opportunities that I never would have experienced otherwise. Travelling into London to meet Susan Hardy of Cosprop, one of the leading companies for historical/period clothing for the stars, was certainly one of the highlights. And when I say stars - I mean stars.
We're talking Nicole Kidman, Elizabeth Taylor, Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp, Colin Firth etc. I'd love to say more here but I wouldn't want to harm sales now, would I...?
I also had the opportunity to talk to some really fantastic and interesting people, all of which were Old Alumni! It was really exciting for me to learn more about the different careers students from my school have developed for themselves which, in a way, gives me hope that it is possible. The seemingly perpetual onslaught of bad news for students regarding careers and their future prospects can be demoralising at times, so I find it encouraging to know that I share educational roots with some really successful people. Naturally, I recognise that not everybody from my school goes on to win 20 BAFTAs, 10 Oscars and 10 Golden Globes...
Speaking of career prospects, I don't think I could have landed myself a better work experience for media and journalism than The Arrow! Yes, there are internships but with no flexibility regarding my time dedicated to school and studying, my chances are unfortunately slim for gaining any kind of hands-on industry experience at this point in time. But being an editor allowed me to truly experience what it is like to handle advertisers, generate revenue and get to grips with the business side of the magazine. This is not normally an opportunity sixteen year olds are afforded because, to be blunt, who wants to give inexperienced teenagers that kind of power (or money)?
Of course, the creative element of my editorship was what I enjoyed the most; I loved the research needed for my article(s) and trying my hand at writing in a journalistic manner. The challenge of working to a deadline and trying to edit an article so it fits in the space designated for it, but not to the extent that it detracts from the content was something I had to really get stuck into. The entire team did. Journalism is limited by 'space' in a way that most of us don't experience with homework or exams - perhaps with the exception of essays with word limits.
Overall, I can genuinely say I have learned a lot and, indeed, struggled a lot. I must confess that learning to work with printing companies in terms of deadlines and formatting was on of the most stressful aspects of the job - you'd think that incorporating margins of specific length and width would be a simple task...until you realise the entire format of the page has been affected (with your deadline a matter of days away)!
Cue head explosion.
However, I think the struggle is what has made the experience worthwhile. I had never previously considered journalism or, more specifically, working with magazines or similar publications however my time spent with The Arrow has undeniably made me look at a career in the media with new eyes. It's given me a taste for journalism and I will be delighted if I am working on another publication in the future!
What do you think a career in the media would truly be like? Comment below and share your thoughts.
Oh! I nearly forgot...buy The Arrow. Thanks!
The magazine has existed for 114 years so I like to think I've continued a legacy of some sort - with the help of my wonderful co-editors, of course. This has certainly by no means been an endeavour I could have achieved alone. Looking back, I don't think I truly appreciated how complicated producing a magazine was when I first went for my interview, but I certainly found out!
There was a pressure to produce something special this year as the school is marking its 400th anniversary (with celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall and St Paul's Cathedral, no less), and we certainly had a challenge on our hands. Extracting articles from busy students is always difficult, and I was cheered to read the 'Note from the Editor' in an edition of The Arrow from around one hundred years ago describing the task with a similar arduousness. Teenagers will never change! Having said that, the content we have has an enormous range and I would say that, particularly for a student publication, it is undoubtedly something to be proud of.
Above all, editing The Arrow has given me some amazing opportunities that I never would have experienced otherwise. Travelling into London to meet Susan Hardy of Cosprop, one of the leading companies for historical/period clothing for the stars, was certainly one of the highlights. And when I say stars - I mean stars.
We're talking Nicole Kidman, Elizabeth Taylor, Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp, Colin Firth etc. I'd love to say more here but I wouldn't want to harm sales now, would I...?
I also had the opportunity to talk to some really fantastic and interesting people, all of which were Old Alumni! It was really exciting for me to learn more about the different careers students from my school have developed for themselves which, in a way, gives me hope that it is possible. The seemingly perpetual onslaught of bad news for students regarding careers and their future prospects can be demoralising at times, so I find it encouraging to know that I share educational roots with some really successful people. Naturally, I recognise that not everybody from my school goes on to win 20 BAFTAs, 10 Oscars and 10 Golden Globes...
Speaking of career prospects, I don't think I could have landed myself a better work experience for media and journalism than The Arrow! Yes, there are internships but with no flexibility regarding my time dedicated to school and studying, my chances are unfortunately slim for gaining any kind of hands-on industry experience at this point in time. But being an editor allowed me to truly experience what it is like to handle advertisers, generate revenue and get to grips with the business side of the magazine. This is not normally an opportunity sixteen year olds are afforded because, to be blunt, who wants to give inexperienced teenagers that kind of power (or money)?
Of course, the creative element of my editorship was what I enjoyed the most; I loved the research needed for my article(s) and trying my hand at writing in a journalistic manner. The challenge of working to a deadline and trying to edit an article so it fits in the space designated for it, but not to the extent that it detracts from the content was something I had to really get stuck into. The entire team did. Journalism is limited by 'space' in a way that most of us don't experience with homework or exams - perhaps with the exception of essays with word limits.
Overall, I can genuinely say I have learned a lot and, indeed, struggled a lot. I must confess that learning to work with printing companies in terms of deadlines and formatting was on of the most stressful aspects of the job - you'd think that incorporating margins of specific length and width would be a simple task...until you realise the entire format of the page has been affected (with your deadline a matter of days away)!
Cue head explosion.
However, I think the struggle is what has made the experience worthwhile. I had never previously considered journalism or, more specifically, working with magazines or similar publications however my time spent with The Arrow has undeniably made me look at a career in the media with new eyes. It's given me a taste for journalism and I will be delighted if I am working on another publication in the future!
What do you think a career in the media would truly be like? Comment below and share your thoughts.
Oh! I nearly forgot...buy The Arrow. Thanks!