TOBY SKINNER
FREELANCE EDITOR AND WRITER PERIODICAL, 2005 What is the worst career advice you’ve ever received? I’ve heard people say that young journalists should “be a brand”. I think having a niche can be helpful, but if all you write about is yourself and your own opinions, your shelf life will be limited. I don’t think the world needs more opinionated voices and so-called “influencers”: it needs more people who are curious, who listen and who immerse themselves in other peoples’ experiences.
What’s one thing you learnt at City that you still use today? The answer is never on the internet. The answer – the story – is always people. Whether you’re doing news or features, the good stuff is always when you pick up a phone or go and meet people. That’s when everything comes to life.
What is the highlight of your career so far? The two times that I’ve launched magazines from scratch and been able to see them through. I was the launch editor of Time Out in Shanghai, so I launched the English language edition. It was incredibly hard work, but getting to pick the whole team and set everything up was really exciting and rewarding.
What has been the most embarrassing moment of your career? I remember asking pre-Spectre Léa Seydoux if it was hard being a woman in the film industry – a truly over-cooked question. She just said: “No, why would it be?” and coolly watched me squirm.
Brooke Theis (Evening Standard, Travel Trade Gazette Luxury, British GQ, The Sunday Times, Tatler) Nick Yates Xinhua News Agency; freelance writer and sub-editor (Time Out Beijing, City Weekend, City Weekend Parents and Kids, That’s Beijing, Travel Trade Gazette, Promo, Television Review); new media editor, CCTV News Nicola York Head of marketing and content, Cicero Group; co-founder, writer Congo Connect; account director, Cicero Group; died 2016
Broadcast Emma Baker TV journalist, London Tonight; production journalist, correspondent, ITV Anglia; ITV Border Life Paul Barber Senior TV news editor, correspondent, Agence FrancePresse; producer, CCTV-America; Supervising producer, CGTN Marianne Barriaux Reporter, City AM; business reporter, Guardian Media Group; correspondent, deputy news editor, social media editor, France correspondent, Agence France-Presse, Spain Correspondent, AFP Nicholas Beake Reporter, BBC London TV News; news correspondent, BBC News; home affairs correspondent, BBC London
Jacob Brown National digital inclusions officer, The Campaign for Learning; digital communications officer, The University of Brighton Faculty of Arts; product communications specialist, Mazda Danielle Codd TV business producer, BBC New York Bureau; TV and radio producer, BBC Business; radio producer and reporter, BBC World service Matthew Cole Line editor, reporter, Club Call; presenter, newsreader, BBC Radio Kent; Europe correspondent, politics reporter, BBC Sarah Dembitz Founder, SEED Consulting; founder, CEO, Saviour Snacks; executive director, UN Women, U.K. National Committee Reuben Easey TV journalist, France 24; senior monitoring journalist, BBC Monitoring; video journalist, Agence France Presse Marcus Edwards Freelance (Channel 4 News, BBC Radio Derby); Midlands researcher, Midlands producer, home affairs producer, senior producer Channel 4 News Georgette Ginn Broadcast journalist, BBC Radio Essex; Unknown Amanda Haire Financial reporter, breakfast news producer, Sky News; Unknown Adrian Hieatt Video manager and journalist, Absolute Radio; video manager, Bauer Media; visual services development manager,
Transport for London; visual services manager, Transport for London Summer Hurwitz Broadcast journalist, CNN International; Olympics producer, BBC; journalist, BBC London News Nabeel Irshad Special adviser, senior political adviser, head of political research, The Conservative Party; management consultant, PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting; procurement manager, Metro Bank UK; Lead Product Manager, Metro Bank James Isola Broadcast journalist, senior producer, Bloomberg TV; director, Cubitt Consulting; associate partner, Maitland Consultancy John Jelley TV producer, programme editor, multimedia editor, executive producer, commissioning executive, editorial director, senior product research manager, Sky News; VP Business development, Sky Ventures Thomas Knapp Media assistant, NZ Football; media and web producer, Football Federation Australia; development manager, JMK Property Development & Rental Co Meredyth Lewis TV journalist, London Tonight Suzanne Levy Unknown Christine Liu TV journalist, London Tonight; freelance assistant programme editor (Al Jazeera English); freelance producer (Sky News, ITN) Elizabeth McCabe BBC; assistant news editor, broadcast journalist, Sky Sports Lynoon Musafer Newsroom assistant, BBC News 24; broadcast journalist, business and economics unit Maryam Nemazee TV journalist, Russia Today; news anchor, Bloomberg Television; news anchor, Al Jazeera English Charlotte O’Brien Freelance radio journalist (Virgin Radio, Time 106.8FM); news editor, Global Radio; presenter, journalist, Breakfast Show host, Heart Chris Page Freelance journalist, BBC Radio Ulster; senior broadcast journalist, political correspondent; Ireland correspondent, BBC Northern Ireland Geeta Pendse Broadcast journalist, BBC Breakfast; presenter, journalist, arts reporter, BBC East Midlands Today Rhona Pinkerton Radio newsreader, kmfm; video editor, Kent Messenger Krishan Ramakrishnan Broadcast journalist, BBC Economics and Business Unit; press officer, British Retail Consortium Laura Shirley Radio journalist, Capital Gold London Rebecca Spong Editor, Exporta Publishing; trade, transport and logistics editor, banking and finance editor, MEED; editor, Bloomberg; freelance journalist (Arab News, GTR) Laura Sullivan Trainee, ITV West News; assistant press officer, press officer, assistant press secretary, Clarence House Amanda Thompson Brand management executive assistant, executive support coordinator, business support officer, business analyst, NSPCC; EA to Executive Director, Marketing, Fundraising and Communications at Save the
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Children UK; executive assistant, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation Michelle Uwins Broadcast assistant, BBC World Service Radio Hugo Ward Producer, director, Dispatches and Unreported World, The Economist; series producer/ director; executive producer, The Economist Victoria Whall Freelance (Washington, D.C.); stringer, BBC (Mongolia); Teacher of English as an additional language, Bishek International School Erica Witherington Broadcast journalist, BBC Breakfast; freelance journalist; media trainer
TV CAJ Thomas Adamson-Coumbousis ITN; journalist, presenter, France 24; culture correspondent, Associated Press Imogen Anderson Researcher, BBC Governance Unit; producer, foreign news producer, BBC Annabel Archer Broadcast journalist, ITN Multimedia; senior producer and writer, CNN International; executive editor, CNN Wale Azeez Freelance online ethnographer (Push); founder, CanVerse; freelance (Wall Street Journal, Canvas, Push Insights, POLITICO, Computer Weekly) Helen Babbs Writer, The Guardian, The Observer; freelance journalist, (New Statesman, Guardian, Telegraph, Time Out); editor, Connect Jenny Berglund Consultant, Cambridge Strategy Centre; partner, Bug; strategist, Ben&Andrew Ltd; Strategist, bandaequals Zoe Brooker Co-ordinator, Teacher TV news; researcher, Brook Lapping Productions; production manager, Many Rivers Films; Alistair Bunkall Freelance; reporter, defense correspondent, Sky News Emily Burns Broadcast assistant, BBC Breakfast; producer, Five News, Sky News; features producer (Lorraine), ITV Sunita Butterworth Self-employed Serge Cartwright Sky News; freelance senior producer, Associated Press; news editor, Newsflare Kristina Cooke researcher, The Economist; journalist, CNN; correspondent, investigative reporter, Reuters Jennifer Evans Director, Hardcash Productions; director, Tigress Productions; producer/director, Poor Dog Films Benjamin Farey Bloomberg News; LNG broker, ICAP; editor-in-chief, Fertilizer Week Ben Gallagher Researcher, The Wright Stuff; founder, Ben and Andrew Ltd Osama Javaid United Nations University; producer, senior duty editor, Dawn News (Pakistan); broadcast journalist, Al Jazeera English Jennifer Marcus Brighter Pictures; Endemol; teacher Julie Maritz CNBC Europe; TV producer, Carte Blanche Francis Miles researcher, ITV; shooting assistant producer, BBC; digital communications officer, Feba Radio UK Ranadeb Mitra Researcher, Dispatches, Channel 4