first person


StartingOut


Bucketfuls of resilience and an entrepreneurial spirit are vital, says Marianne Lehnis


I


am an aspiring editor and journalist – interested in travel, culture, people and generally the wonders


and beauties of the world around me. “I’d like to write for and about those


who don’t have a voice and need to be heard. I’d like to write about those who have contributed to the world who have something to say that needs to be said. I’d like to write prose and poetry that will carry you away from the present and into another world. “My journey of discovery … to remember a simple pleasure that young children know and adults forget. The joy of discovery.” I wrote this on my ‘about me’ blog page, six years ago, as an undergraduate of English literature and creative writing with high hopes of a journalism career. With a love of communicating,


creativity, ideas, discovery and social impact, I knew working in the media would be the right fit for me. What I didn’t know was what it would take to get to where I wanted to be. Deciding to do a master’s in


multimedia journalism felt like a brave step in itself; the thought of working in media provoked images of a ‘dying’ industry with shouting editors, tight deadlines, even tighter budgets and having to scrounge for work. It was a leap into the unknown and a


big investment in a career which, from the outside, did not have promising prospects but offered a chance to illuminate, entertain, inform and ask meaningful questions. My MA passed in a whirlwind of shorthand, media law, news writing


18 | theJournalist


and exams and the exhilarating yet terrifying question of how I was going to manage the leap into a very competitive industry. It was a random stroke of fate that brought my first journalism break: towards the end of my MA I went to a campus house party and met someone who had worked for Brighton’s Latest TV and magazine.


She offered to pass on my CV, and I landed an internship as a video journalist. It was three years ago now, but I still remember the sheer joy and relief I had felt at having got my foot in the media door.


I remember watching my first


self-made video news package aired on local TV. The footage I had shot was out of focus and way too bright. I stood in an obscure Brighton alleyway and emphatically told the camera: “This may seem like a quiet, residential neighbourhood, but just a few hours ago, a woman was followed, dragged into this alley and raped …” What followed was an exhausting


year of working all hours to juggle a back-office job at American Express with the six month unpaid internship followed by working at Latest TV as a video journalist. I’ll have to say a word about


Latest TV – a pub by night, a broadcast studio by day. It smelt of detergent and old beer. It was home to chaos, confusion and enthusiastic youngsters chasing big ambitions. Cringeworthy yet unforgettable. Work became increasingly scarce as the BBC launch grant ran dry. People moved on or were made redundant, my


“ ”


After I left, my byline was changed to ‘staff writer’ – which taught me to check, understand and agree on copyright and accreditation terms


working hours were reduced and I knew it was more than time to move on. I was ready for stability and 9-5 hours. I took a deep dive into the world of global business and finance as a reinsurance journalist. I was hired at the launch of the Reinsurancene.ws site; it was a steep industry jargon learning curve and production-intense work. By the time I moved on after 15


months, the news site had grown to become one of the most read in its area and I’d produced about 40 per cent of the content. I found that after I left the firm, the


byline on my articles was changed from my name to ‘staff writer’; this taught me to carefully check, understand and agree on copyright and accreditation terms. It’s still early days as a freelance in London but, so far, I’ve learnt that with enough creativity, courage and drive, a world of opportunity awaits. Starting out as a journalist has not been an easy ride. Through the highs and lows, I’ve learnt that bucketfuls of resilience and an entrepreneurial spirit are key to creating a career and life to be proud of.


And, if the journey is the


destination, then mine will be one with a story or two to tell.


@mariannelehnis


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28