What was your first job as a journalist?
I co-edited the Film section of my university's newspaper (The Courier at Newcastle University) for two years.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, not often, but I'd love to get one, write a short story and never edit it. I like the idea of how raw it is.
How is social media changing news?
Making it slipperier! Reducing things down to misleading headlines for clicks is a dangerous game.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Opal (Geraldine Chaplin) from Robert Altman's Nashville: total hotshot, total lunatic.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be ethical, responsible and bold in communicating the right information to those willing to listen.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I still think about every month or so.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
With great excitement and enthusiasm.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google Docs, more often than not - it's good to jot things down on the fly.
What's your favorite social network?
Letterboxd.
Who do you wish followed you?
If you're a good critic, I'd be honoured to be followed by you.
Why did you become a journalist?
I'm too opinionated not to be.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, unsurprisingly as a film critic.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
An essay on the trauma of Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
As one myself, I'd say just keep pitching - you throw enough at the digital wall, something is bound to stick.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Before 9am or after 5pm!
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Anything from my compatriots - often those based in London, they've got their finger on the pulse.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Whatever was in my notes from ten years ago.
What's your favorite drink?
An ice-cold Corona with a sliver of lime.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In the cinema.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Indiewire
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That film critics hate films.
