Below is a synopsis of my training and experience to-date, this forms a shortlist of my practical skills and technical training (including software) as well as soft skills and education:

Public Relations / Public Affairs (5 years)

External Communications - Press liaison, writing proactive and reactive press releases marketing campaigns, rebranding & reputation management, event management, copywriting, publication & product launches, speech/ghost writing, customer relationship management, facilitating sponsorship deals and merchandising, awards ceremonies and discussion panel events at industry events.

Public Affairs - Research and lobbying including surveys and report writing for the Department of Health and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), writing and collating consultations & calls for evidence, webinar development, management and presenting, and making use of my close industry contacts.

Internal Communications - Developing media strategies for all employees to participate in reputation management, creating internal and external communication policies, intranet management and interdepartmental negotiation and alliance creation.


Editorial (8 years)

Multimedia Journalist - News and features editor for online, print and digital products, editing and commissioning news for online and print use, producing radio news and podcasts, podcast development (writing & presenting), online production using mulitple Content Management Systems (CMS), project management, commissioning and managing external freelancers for news, copywriting and blogging.

Production/Software Desktop Publishing - Layout and production, proofing and subbing using Quark, InDesign, Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Acrobat, Freehand, Illustrator.

Multimedia training - Voice coaching, audio/visual editing using; Final Cut Pro, Premiere, CoolEdit2000, CoolEditPro, Fast Edit, SoundEdit, Soundscape


Online/Creative (8 years)

Website redesign, HTML, XML, SEO, Social Media training, Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, online journalism and legal training, web content management, CMS User Acceptance Testing (UAT), running multiple migrations and online resources audits.

This vocational Masters addressed both the theoretical and practical aspects of the contemporary media spanning radio, television, online and print journalism. The practical NCTJ accredited course balanced refining fundamental techniques such as interviewing with technical training and assessment, and covered media law and ethical training to prepare for potential litigious disputes. As the first degree in the country to offer online journalism training, the student online news service Bourne Free was an outlet for both the work of the department and created a newsroom environment with a quick response time to breaking news.

Radio bulletins were created in the audio studio, using ‘as live’ and telephone interviews, which were edited for hourly transmission. Voice coaching allowed different presentation methods to be explored for a diverse range of audiences. Television broadcast skills included reporting and producing, taking DV cameras on location and using editing software to create packages.

I studied Politics and Sociology at Plymouth University, which charted the length and breadth of historical and political thought and its impact on modern political structures. Heavily current affairs based, the course monitored social theory and concepts from refugee politics and immigration control to the economic realities for the European Community. Social processes and cultural fragmentation were observed in many specific case studies considering how political decision-making could be scrutinised both in peacetime and at times of conflict, and of course the impact of a free press.

I specialised in the European Community, British and American institutions and lobbying techniques. Other highlights included contemporary social policy, political strategy, emerging world politics, refugee and immigration politics, Russian political tradition, British economics and British territorial politics. I was also particularly interested in the legal ethics of scientific and technological advancements such as the emerging areas of online intellectual property, mapping the human genome and the impact of foetal surgery on right to die and right to life family law.

After gaining a 2:1 in 2000, I went on to work for a variety of regional papers owned my Northcliffe Media (then the Daily Mail and General Trust) and Trinity Mirror to gain more exerience prior to starting postgraduate study. In August 2001, I also undertook BTEC modules in Electronic Desktop Imaging and Radio Production at the London College of Communications (LCC), formerly London College of Printing, that gave me further graphic/layout design skills before I began my Multimedia Journalism MA at Bournemouth University specialising in online and broadcast media. On graduating in September 2004 I went straight to the role of Public Affairs Officer at HFMA and have been working in online publishing and communications ever since.