All in a day's work!

"Together we'll stand, divided we'll fall. Come on now people, let's get on the ball, and work together. Come on, come on, let's work together" - Let's work together, Canned Heat.

The May magazine deadline was upon us...already! This meant there was a great deal of work to get through, so there had to be extra hours put in to get the work done. It was pretty exciting actually, because, now it being my second time around, I had a better understanding on how things 'went down' and I knew what to expect. Having that little bit of familiarity made it easier.

Most of week seven's work was about getting the mag's contents in, edited, formatted - and all that jazz - so that it was ready for print on the weekend. There were plenty of little last minute bits and bobs that needed to be done too. Some of those included making sure my articles were done and ready to go, including the 'editors input' and other interviews that I had to set up and work on, on the spot. Because time was tight, I had to use every little bit of it allocated, wisely and to its full advantage! This week was pretty hectic, and even though it was the lecture recess break, there was still plenty to do! Needless to say, there'll be quiet a few bits and pieces with my byline featuring in the May issue – but hey! You don't hear me complaining!

I created the dedicated pages as well, which I had done for the previous issue, so again I was walking on common ground. News desk, Disk news and Tour bus; easy, peasy, lemon squeezy! I tracked down images required to match articles too. This probably took the longest and was the most frustrating task of the week - they were just nowhere to be found on the server and when I did find them (through the handy 'search' option), with a roll of the eyes I'd smirk, because I would have never thought of searching there! It was a definite case of "who the f%$& put them in that bloody sh&!ty folder?!"...okay, maybe it wasn't that extreme, but something similar was going through my head - I'll let you use your imagination! The moral of the story? The server needs to be revamped and it should be uniform and consistent! I'm not saying that it wasn't me or that it was Dan, but I am saying that maybe I should make that a priority to work on fixing up the server so that everything has a specific folder. And yes, it will be time consuming, but in the end, it's gonna save bucket loads of time, energy and frustration!

On another note, I got to interview a legend this week. A. Legend. You're thinking..."I don't follow this girl's zany idea path...." Well, no, that's okay, because I haven't really explained myself yet. I could just tell you the name of this iconic legend, but that would be giving it away too soon, and I think it's more fun not to! *Pauses with an excited grin from ear to ear, for a slight moment...* Okay, fine! You twisted my arm, I'll just tell you!

So I walk into the office on Wednesday and Dan tells me that we need to find a writer for an interview today. I agreed and asked him who it was. "It's Jimmy Barnes," Dan said. It took me a while to process the thought that we needed to find a writer to interview THE Jimmy Barnes! My brain ticked, “okay, thought processed”, and I did what any major music fan would do! How could I turn that down?! He was absolutely brilliant! So down to earth, a real Aussie larrikin and overall, just a great conversationalist. After the interview, we spoke about Scotland, where he grew up and his accent. I found this all particularly interesting because of my Scottish background, and he also recognised that my name was of Scottish origin! All in a day's work, I say!

Working together, getting the job done, putting in the extra time, effort and skills is what made this week yet another successful achievement in my journey that I like to call 'Grier's Place to be!'

See ye efter!

=-)

Let's talk!

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--Of cabbages--and kings--And why the sea is boiling hot--And whether pigs have wings" - The Walrus and The Carpenter, Lewis Carroll.

And indeed week six was all about talking of many things! There was a lot of ringing around to do. I rang the writers that I hadn't received a reply from regarding updating the writer's details database. This was good to chat with the writers one-on-one, to meet them and to also further discuss any ideas, questions or suggestions they had for or about the magazine. As I mentioned in a previous post, it's all about establishing sound relationships. Sound relationships? THAT was definitely accomplished! I'm meeting with a man next week who Dan and Paul claim will be a good contact for me to get to know. He's done a lot of work with people involved in the music, arts and entertainment field and he has an abundance of knowledge about the industry. He was also involved in the movie Beneath Hill 60 as a location assistant, so he’s certainly someone that I'm excited to meet next week!

I also got in contact with publicists to organise and/or check interview statuses. It was very repetitive, but it was good again, to establish connections and to talk in person. I got in contact with various businesses and agencies in North Queensland to organise contents for the May magazine, including imagery, environmental articles, topical columns and other information about social and community events. Dan and I are looking at expanding the Arts section of the magazine, because at the moment it’s rather small and it has the potential to be HUGE! I spoke to a writer that is a keen artist who would like to be involved, possibly by having a column dedicated to local art and her experiences as an artist within the community that she works in. This is exciting because it's a project that I can begin and eventually be able to look back and say "I started that!", with great modesty, of course!

Another job for the week was to inform everyone submitting articles of our formatting style and structure. Although The Place is a small building, it's not a small publication. As the editor, I've found come deadline week, it's hard to get everything in, edited and formatted correctly in such a short space of time. So, I've asked the writers upon submission of their work to follow the basic formatting document, in order to save time when it comes to getting ready for print. As the editor, I, Grier Williamson, do solemnly swear to edit the articles, so that they are free of error, however, if they are already formatted, it allows me more time to make sure that I carry out this oath! It's good for the writers also to be aware of how important formatting is and so far the results have been positive! After all, if you don’t ask, you don’t get!

On another note, it's weekend time! I'll be sure to talk of many other GREAT things next week!

=-)

Pete's right on the money!

"Hold on now your exits here, it's waiting just for you. Don't pause too long, it's fading now. It's ending all too soon, you'll see" - Opportunity, Pete Murray.

Week five was an exciting week, full of realisation. I arrived to find that I was going to be interviewing Katie Noonan, the former George front (wo)man, about her new band, The Captain's and their album due for release this week. Being a huge fan of George, especially their album 'Polyserena', I was stoked to have the opportunity to speak with Kaite. She was very down to earth and great to chat with. We spoke about her visiting North Queensland on her next tour and I learnt that her husband is from Ayr! Talk about it being a small world!

Other jobs I had to do were hunting down writers for two interviews that I had set up for the May issue. The hardest part was tracking down writers that were available for the interviews, both scheduled for the following day. I found myself leaving numerous voice messages and writing follow up emails and text messages to writers that I failed to get in direct contact with. It was repetitious, but it was good to practice these managerial and communication skills. In the end, after I had left the office, I heard back from two writers that were keen as mustard! Mission complete!

I also filtered through the one million emails waiting for me in the inbox into folders. This material would later be sorted, picked and prodded, to make up the contents of the May magazine. The filtering is designed to make the next job (sorting the content for publication), easier and it saves time. It's a good opportunity for me to become familiar with the content being sent that will feature in the next magazine, especially because I'm only at the office for a short period of time each week.

Writing this blog allows me to reflect on the opportunity that I have been given and how lucky I am to have received it. Without getting too deep and meaningful - this isn't a 'dear diary' segment after all - it's a matter of recognising the opportunity and seizing the moment before it's too late. Having the opportunity to be an intern at The Place in the role of the editor is an awesome opportunity in itself, let alone having the chance to interview musicians such as Katie Noonan, Powderfinger and Grinspoon! This opportunity allows me to build my portfolio, expand my contacts list and gain experience in the 'drivers seat', so to speak. In turn, this will go towards my future career as a journalist. Obviously, that's what an internship is all about, taking up every opportunity that is offered to you, but more so how you choose to go about it and what you make of it. I'll be sure not to pause too long!

X-D

How important is a relationship?

"Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?) I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)" – Who are you, The Who.

It's time to get chatty! Week four's task was to get in contact with writers and other people in the music industry who contribute to the magazine. The point of this was to start building relationships and it was a good way for me to get to know them on a more personal level. This was done through email, phone calls and text messages. Communicating with them allowed me to update the 'writer’s information' database with their interests, preferences for assignments, hobbies and how the magazine could help them. Having this knowledge will help when it comes to allocating interviews and assignments. Forming good relationships is important to ensure the writers are kept happy and interested in contributing for the magazine. After all, without the writers and research workers, the magazine would not exist. It also makes my job easier in the future too, by being able to refer to the database and be able to assign a writer to a job that they are keen to do. If the writers are content, then it's shiny happy people all 'round!

My other task for the week was to distribute CD's to writers to be reviewed. This involved me recording the CD's on the database and then finding the appropriate writers (by referring to the recently updated database) to review them. I then prepared them for the post. There were about 30 CD's that had to be recorded and mailed out, but once I got myself into a working rhythm, they were completed in no time!

Paul (former editor) visited this week to check up on how I was going and how I was settling into the role of editor. He helped me out with the CD’s and was able to give me his two cents worth on why building relationships and maintaining them is a good for my future career. Sometimes it's all about who you know, rather than what you know. Paul said getting my name out there and recognised by music industry companies is what will give me the upper hand. It will open up a window of opportunities for a possible career in the music industry. Mushroom Music Publishing, EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Group...it all sounds good to me! So, let the relationship building begin!

=-P

Extra, extra! Read all about it!

"Here I am baby. Oh, you've got the future in your hands
(signed, sealed delivered, I'm yours)" - Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm yours), Stevie Wonder.

Week three was all about distribution! The April issue went to print the weekend before, so the focus was to distribute it throughout North Queensland. The distribution area of the magazine covers from Sarina in the south, to Mossman in the north and reaches a number of regional towns in between. The Cairns issue circulates 10 000 copies, Townsville receives 10 000 copies and Mackay distributes 8 000 copies. Each edition within a specific distribution area has approximately 250 collection zones. The zones that readers can obtain a copy of The Place magazine are at venues like art galleries, nightclubs, cafes, retail stores, TAFE and University institutions. The location of a collection zones is based on the common activities of the target market and the venues they attend. Circulation and readership per magazine is estimated to be three people to one copy. This ratio determines that Cairns and Townsville have 30 000 readers and Mackay has 24 000. The end result is a total of 84 000 readers throughout North Queensland each month! Figures like these show how far spread this street press is! It’s also the only street press north of the Sunshine Coast, so it has wide and constantly expanding market to cover.

So off I went, cruising around Townsville in my 1975 Leyland Mini, the back seats stacked with bundles of The Place, the windows down and the tunes playing. I distributed these bundles in the City, Centro shopping centre and at the University. The delivery task was easy enough. I had to introduce the magazine to some places, particularly Centro as it was not usually distributed there. This involved me talking the magazine up, informing them of its contents and what it was all about. Majority of businesses were happy to support the magazine. This of course is crucial to the existence of The Place. The more support the magazine receives from North Queensland, the more likely local and big name artists will visit and perform in the region.

Distributing the magazine was a nice change in comparison to the duties that I would normally perform. It was cool to be able to distribute the magazine that I was now a part of. It was signed, sealed and I delivered it, ready for the circulation and readership process to begin!

;-)

"Eddy, lock in DEADLINE MODE"

"Well pick up your feet, we got a deadline to meet, I'm gonna see you make it on time. Oh, don't relax, I want elbows and backs, I wanna see everybody from behind" - Working for the man, Roy Orbison.

Week two saw me in deadline mode. The April issue of The Place was due to go to print on Sunday, so it was all go, go, go! I was flying solo this week as editor. I had Dan along side to help me out, but it was my chance to put the skills I had learnt the week before, into action!

My three days consisted of me making sure the articles were submitted, edited, formatted correctly and were ready for publication. If they weren't, it was up to me to track them down and get them sorted! Although the editorial deadline had passed, there were still articles that writers had not submitted. This was an important task for me to complete. Without the articles, the magazine would be empty, resulting in it looking bad and my role as the editor looking worse! It didn't prove difficult however, as the writers submitted their work upon request, without hassle. This made my job easy and allowed me to get it all edited, formatted and perfected, ready for publication - happy days!

With the April issue being my first published magazine as the editor, it meant I had to write a short introductory spiel about myself. I decided to call 'K.I.S.S', and I did just that, I kept it simple stupid!

Another task I had was to create the local buzz, news desk, tour bus and disk news sections which feature information about upcoming events, touring and general news about the music, entertainment and arts scene. This also wasn't too difficult as most of the information was already on the server, it just required the editors (my) finishing touch!

A task that did prove to be a little more difficult was to compile an article in a short period of time. Dan gave me an interview that was received via email. Due to being time restricted, questions were emailed to an artist, who then replied with answers. I had to then turn these answers into quotes and produce an article that was worth reading. Don't be fooled, that was the easy part. What made it hard was deciphering the answers. The artist was of a different nationality and they used a mixture of past and present text. As well as that, some words were missing in sentences, so they didn't flow at all! To make it even more difficult, I had to do all of this in a space of 30 minutes! It was time to get my skates on!
I ended up producing an article that I was really happy with and met the deadline. It's also the fastest article I have written to date, so it just goes to show that a little bit of pressure, can produce big results!

=-D

Ready to rock, ready to roll!

"Welcome to your new job, hope you have a wonderful first day. We are so happy to have you join the team, you are so lucky on your first day" - First Day, The Futureheads.

Right. I've got my book, pen, am dressed appropriately, a map, keys, car and I have to try and not get lost!

Thankfully, the induction I had the other day made sure I knew my way prior to my first day on the job! I met Daniel (Manager/Advertising) at his house where the small business, known as The Place, is run. We went through all the introductions, tours and the paper work, all ready to get stuck into it the following week.

I arrived on the Tuesday morning, early, eager and ready to begin my first day as The Place Editor! Upon arrival, I met Dan at the front door who was greeting Paul Finn, the former editor. Although I had been writing for The Place for the last eight months, I had never met Paul, only chatted to him via phone calls and email messages, so it was nice to finally put a face to the name! Paul had come to meet me, to show me the ropes and to help me settle into the role of editor. Paul started off by going through the computer server that I would be working with to compile the magazine. Being computer literate was a bonus, so it didn't take much to pick up; it was just a matter of remembering where everything was located!

Wednesday and Friday's duties consisted of making initial contact with writers, publicists and music agencies. This was done through phone and email conversations and basically involved me introducing myself as the new editor. I also set up interviews with bands and artists, requested images to accompany articles in the magazine, organised for CD's to be sent out to writers to be reviewed and I edited and formatted material on the server that would feature in the next magazine.

Paul said that the beauty about the role of editor was that it could lead to so many other opportunities, in music industry as well as in many other journalism related fields. This of course excited me and I felt confident having Paul to guide me through my internship. I'm excited! It's going to be fun!

=-)