Nicola Austin
As seen in:
Color Research & Application,
The Guardian,
Flipboard,
JAMA Network,
Metacritic,
Radio Times,
GameRant,
Letterboxd,
Pediatrics,
Empire
and
Covers:
TV & Film, Entertainment, Pop Culture, Land-based and Sports
Freelance writer and marketer • ✍️ Empire, Radio Times, Digital Spy, Flickering Myth, FANDOM • @TheOAFFC critic • RT 🍅 approved
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
With We Have a Hulk attending film and TV screenings, interviewing stars at red carpet events, comic cons and junkets and creating podcasts.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No but I hope to!
How is social media changing news?
Diluting news to short and snappy reactions to try garner attention and (sometimes) outrage
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Has to be Bridget Jones!
What does it mean to be a journalist?
A storyteller and wordsmith
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
nowthatchersdead - very unfortunate!
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Via email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Word, word counter, Canva, Adobe creative suite
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Rebecca Ferguson
Why did you become a journalist?
To try and amplify women's voices in such a male dominated arena
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
There wasn't a school newspaper at my secondary school unfortunately!
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Probably my X-Men '97 piece for Empire
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write as often as you can and try and find a specific niche in the industry
When's the best time to pitch you?
Probably first thing, lunchtime or late afternoon
What's the best pitch you ever got?
X-Men 97!
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I don't think I've received a terrible pitch yet to be honest, sorry!
What's your favorite drink?
Frozen strawberry daiquiri
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On a walk in nature, reading a book or at the cinema!
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Empire
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That most pop culture writers are male
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.