What was your first job as a journalist?
Writing freelance travel articles while travelling in Southern Africa.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yep, learnt to touch type on one, an old portable that I loved. Moving to an electronic keyboard was hard, you don't have to press so hard!
How is social media changing news?
Its definitely having deep
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Got to be Tintin! Who wouldn't want his adventures, and he got to visit the moon too!
What does it mean to be a journalist?
I'd never thought of myself as a journalist until one of the bands I was interviewing on Deepdale Podcast told me I definitely was.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I use them, but terrible at noticing them, so really don't have a good answer to this question.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Give me your elevator pitch and top 5 reasons for covering the story.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Zoom often to record. Audacity to edit. Tascam recorder for face to face. Sometimes my mobile phone as quality has improved dramatically.
What's your favorite social network?
Threads has a nice feel to it, all seems very positive over there, the trolls haven't moved in yet.
Who do you wish followed you?
Stephen Fry. We know he loves North Norfolk, and sure he'd love a lot of our interviewees.
Why did you become a journalist?
Enjoyed writing about my experiences, and then discovered the joy of asking people questions for my podcast and chatting with them.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No sadly we didn't have one.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My favourite podcast episodes are the ones where musicians explain their musical process. Really like the pre Deepdale Festival episodes.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Have a go. The more you do the more confident you become and the more seriously you are taken.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Make it interesting and almost any time is good.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A lovely lady called Gin, who could not have been more passionate about her walking holidays, infectious.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A car salesman, who thought our listeners would enjoy hearing about the new models. Not our audience!
What's your favorite drink?
If its made well then a Pina Colada, but only really works on a caribbean or other beautiful beach. Rum
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Walking the dog, eating in a restaurant, or watching a gig
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Private Eye
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I am not certain I know the answer to that.
