The Peak District

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You're probably wondering 'Where have you been?'

thepeakdistrict.substack.com

You're probably wondering 'Where have you been?'

It's been a crazy few weeks...

Beth Kirkbride
Aug 8, 2021
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You're probably wondering 'Where have you been?'

thepeakdistrict.substack.com

Firstly, apologies are in order! I took to Twitter to announce that there wouldn’t be a newsletter for two weeks, but it’s actually been three weeks since you last heard from me. A lot has happened in that time including a family wedding, a handful of birthdays and I also attended Tramlines Festival — it was so nice to be back experiencing live music!

Slightly less fun was being persued for copyright infringement (because I’m the site owner of The Indiependent and one of the editors didn’t have a license for an image they used). The rights holder wanted £350 compensation but I haggled them down to £250 on the basis that we are a not-for-profit organisation. It was a nasty shock — of course it would happen the month I quit my job and had no source of income — but it’s always good to be reminded of the importance of due diligence when it comes to sourcing royalty-free images. Particularly if you’re an indie blog or website that doesn’t have the financial means to pay large sums in compensation to photographers, heed this lesson.

I absolutely love the work I do with The Indiependent, but pressure has been on for me to find a source of income so I can continue bankrolling the site. It costs us about £200 a month in operational costs alone — that covers the site hosting and maintenance, our Google business email accounts for each section, as well as subscriptions to services such as Mailchimp (which we use to send our newsletter); Canva (which we use for graphic design) and Adobe Creative Cloud (which we use for the magazine production and image editing). On top of that, there’s £65 in ‘Writer of the Month’ cash prizes. We’re lucky enough to receive the occasional donation which goes towards covering our costs, but I’d be lying if I said the job hunt hasn’t been stressful. Time has been very much of the essence.

Luckily, I’ve had a bunch of work commissioned during the past three weeks and I’ve also landed myself regular work at OK! magazine (and other Reach PLC mags) — from next week I’m going to be working Mon-Weds as a freelance lifestyle reporter. I’ve been doing some shifts for them this week and am delighted that I can now watch Love Island for work purposes. The newsletter will resume its normal format of ‘My week’ next week, but in the meantime here is some stuff I’ve had published in the last 3 weeks:

PAID

  • OK! magazine: Kate Middleton silences sexist trolls who think ‘women don’t understand sport’ with new role (£115 for day shift)

  • OK! magazine: Love Island’s most romantic gestures after Liam Reardon wins Millie Court back (£115 for day shift)

  • Hero Collector: The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ album turns 55 (£150 / 600 words)

I also had a Metro commission (£100 for 800 words) that’s yet to be published. Watch this space…

UNPAID

  • The Indiependent: Tramlines Festival 2021 Highlights

  • The Indiependent: Interview: Vistas

  • Clash magazine: Are album bundles helping artists game the UK official charts?

  • Clash magazine: Hard to hear: why the music industry needs to prioritise aural care

Reading recs

  • Amelia Tait’s The Telegraph piece on Sarah Brand’s ‘Red Dress’ had me wincing — the difference between this and Rebecca Black is that Black can actually sing!

  • Also by Amelia Tait (she’s my fave, can you tell?) is this Guardian feature on what happens when therapy makes things worse

  • The Guardian’s deputy music editor Laura Snapes made some poignant points about using Twitter in a harmful quest for validation as she explained why she quit the social media app

  • I liked Ella Glover’s i_D piece ‘When everyone is an activist online, is anyone?’

  • Another solid i_D feature from Otamere Guobadia: ‘Here’s why you need to stop accusing Harry Styles of queerbaiting’

  • Two cracking VICE reads from Serena Smith: ‘Why do posh people perform so badly on ‘Love Island’? An investigation’ and ‘Goths: what do you wear in this heat?’

Events

Katie Ridley (ITV Anglia) is hosting a 1-hour PressPad Remote masterclass on ‘How to tackle imposter syndrome’ at 7.00 pm on 12 August — register here.

The Guardian’s Sirin Kale is hosting a 1-hour PressPad Remote masterclass on ‘How I covered the Noel Clarke investigation’ at 7.00 pm on 19 August — register here.

Opportunities

Twitter avatar for @_JosephinePrice
Josephine Price @_JosephinePrice
I'm doing it. The tweet that overwhelms the inbox. But here goes... I'm commissioning again for @NatGeoTravelUK (website only) and I'm looking for pitches. Make it fresh/dynamic/challenging/niche/good for SEO/all of the above and email me josephine.price@natgeotraveller.co.uk
9:18 AM ∙ Jul 19, 2021
270Likes58Retweets
Twitter avatar for @margareteby
Margaret Eby @margareteby
Hi today is my first day at @Food52 ! You can reach me here: margaret.eby@Food52.com. Taking a lil bit to settle in but then I'll send out a call for pitches!
5:21 PM ∙ Jul 26, 2021
407Likes24Retweets
Twitter avatar for @jack_sommers
Jack Sommers @jack_sommers
FREELANCERS: I'm looking for people who could do 'experience' pieces for us - where we'd ask you to go and try a hyped/talked about new service/venue/product and write a piece about it, similar to this
businessinsider.comI went to the first Amazon Fresh store in the UK and felt like a shoplifter. Take a look inside.Amazon Fresh UK offers its own branded food, booze bouncers and a hassle-free shopping trip. It feels like a normal store, until you look up.
11:38 AM ∙ Jul 26, 2021
122Likes35Retweets
  • Anywhere/Leeds (remote): More Than Enough is hiring a social media content creator

  • Aberdeen: There’s a sports reporter role here with DC Thomson Media

  • Birmingham: Reach PLC is hiring an audience editor for Birmingham Live

  • Bristol: Reach PLC is looking for a life writer for Bristol Live

  • Bristol: The University of Bristol is hiring a senior communications officer

  • Bristol: The University of the West of England is looking for a social media officer

  • Bristol: There’s a journalist role here with the Bristol Cable

  • Cambridge: Alzheimer’s Research UK has a science communications officer role available

  • Cardiff: Buzz Magazine is looking for an editor

  • Cardiff: Reach PLC is hiring a reporter; a local democracy reporter and an audience editor for Wales Online

  • Cardiff: Children In Wales needs a digital content producer

  • Carlisle: ITV is hiring a content editor on a part-time basis (2 days a week), and a production journalist on a full-time basis

  • Colchester: Aceville is looking for a content editor for an educational resource

  • Devon: Tindles Newspaper Ltd is hiring a journalist

  • Doncaster: Paragon Ltd is hiring a junior content writer

  • Falmouth: Forever Cornwall Unique Retreats is hiring a digital content researcher/writer on a freelance basis, paying £150/day

  • Glasgow: Reach PLC is hiring a reporter for the Daily Record

  • Glasgow: Retina is hiring a content writer/strategist

  • Gloucester: Reach PLC needs a reporter; a trainee reporter; a live politics writer and a trends writer too

  • Leicester: Reach PLC is looking for a local democracy reporter for Leicestershire Live

  • Liverpool: JPI Media is hiring a digital journalist

  • Liverpool: There’s maternity cover here as a senior copywriter for Matalan

  • Manchester: Confidentials is looking for a freelance food and drink journalist

  • Manchester: The Orchard Agency is hiring a senior copywriter

  • Manchester: Rebellious Fashion is on the lookout for an SEO content writer

  • Nottingham: Reach PLC is looking for an audience and content editor to cover the East Midlands region

  • Norwich: Norfolk County Council is looking for a communications officer

  • Oxford: The University of Oxford is looking for a web content editor to work with the Ashmolean museum

  • Perth: DC Thomson Media is hiring a live news journalist

  • Reading: Archant is hiring an editor for a specialist shooting magazine, and is looking for a writer for the magazine as well

  • Sheffield: Irwin Mitchell is a law firm looking for a social media apprentice

  • Sheffield: Skybound Wealth Management is hiring a marketing executive to do copywriting and social media

  • Sheffield: The SEO Works is looking for a digital PR strategist

  • Southampton: Southampton City Council is in need of a senior communications officer

  • Sunderland: The University of Sunderland requires a digital content producer

  • York: The University of York is hiring an international communications officer

About me: I’m Beth Kirkbride, an NCTJ-qualified freelance journalist from Sheffield. I’m the founder and music editor of The Indiependent, a communal platform for early career-stage journalists. I started this newsletter because there’s a tonne of great resources promoting journalism and media opportunities in London, but not all of us want to live or work there. Because I’m passionate about access to the media industry for all, this newsletter will always be free – but you can buy me a ko-fi if you’d like to say thank you.

PS) As always I’d love to hear from you — tweet me on @BettyKirkers or @DistrictPeaked!

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You're probably wondering 'Where have you been?'

thepeakdistrict.substack.com
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