Please click HERE to download my CV as a Word document, or you can read it below.

SUSAN FENTON

Copywriter, journalist, sub-editor, editor, blogger.

Seeking interesting contracts, permanent jobs or ad-hoc projects.

IN SHORT…

• Creative, qualified, fluent, experienced, reliable writer/editor.
•  Has written on varied topics in newspapers, magazines, internal comms, online, PR.
• Multi-skilled – writing, sub-editing, design, editing, blogging.
• Organised, good time manager. Able to work to a brief and to deadlines.
• Dependable, motivated solo operative. Diplomatic, collaborative team-worker.
• Holds NCTJ and other professional qualifications, degree educated, NUJ member.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Freelance copywriting and journalism

Current or recent projects include:

• News writing for a business-to-business magazine
• Writing promotional copy for the website of a professional musician
• Compiling and editing (for 7^th consecutive year) an annual booklet for an industry sector
• Writing features for a regional business magazine
• Writing company profiles for an international business magazine
• Writing creative web copy for a luxury home builder
• Editing website text, and writing SEO copy, for a web development company
• Constructing and writing a WordPress site for a local business.

My style is lively, fluent and accurate, with an excellent grasp of spelling and grammar. I can adapt my tone according to the subject matter and audience, and am equally at home tackling human interest features, business news or creative copy-writing.

I have just (February 2012) joined a new journalism and PR co-operative, Golden Mustard Media, where I am one of a team of journos, marketing and PR people from around the world who are between us offering a complete package of services for marketing and publicity campaigns.

News and feature writing

I trained as a newspaper reporter and worked for three years for a Hertfordshire-based newspaper group, writing both news and features on all manner of subjects.

I am competent at planning content, devising appropriate questions, researching source material, establishing good relationships with interviewees and obtaining interesting, relevant info from them.

I worked for several months for a national features agency, supplying features on women’s interest topics for syndication to regional papers around the country.

While at DMG I won that company’s annual £1,000 feature-writing award for sustained excellence in feature writing over the course of a year. I hold the NCTJ Proficiency Certificate in Newspaper Journalism.

Magazine editing

I was deputy editor of two international trade magazines published by DMG World Media (part of the Daily Mail Group). I was later promoted to editor of one of these titles. More recently I spent five years as editor of one of Max Publishing’s trade titles. The work involved the entire range of magazine duties, including planning content, writing/commissioning articles, subbing, carrying out or supervising layout, flatplanning, passing for press, and representing the company at functions and trade shows. I am organised, thorough and diplomatic in dealing with colleagues, suppliers and freelances. I hold the NVQ in Magazine Journalism.

Sub-editing and proofreading

I subbed extensively while in trade magazines, since many of the contributors were not trained journalists or had English as a second language. I am used to dealing with lengthy and complex subject matter, editing and rewriting to produce concise, clear copy that fits the space available.

My subbing skills were reinforced work as a casual sub on the news desks of the London Evening Standard and the Daily Mirror, where I processed news stories from reporters and agencies, to daily deadlines. I am skilled at tactfully and efficiently editing and improving others’ written work – producing headlines, captions, standfirsts and cutting to fit or editing to conform to house style.

Business writing

Most of my trade magazine work involved writing about business-related issues for a readership that included retailers and manufacturers. More recently, I worked on a full-time contract basis for a business magazine publisher, Insider Media, for whom I wrote a daily online business news bulletin, with the focus on deals, acquisitions and commercial property in the South East. This involved identifying and writing, under time pressure, breaking news stories involving the business community in the region. It also involved interviewing senior business and local government leaders on a regular basis, to get exclusive stories.

Internal communications

I worked for several years in the corporate communications departments of first BT and then HSBC. These jobs involved a wide range of writing and editing activities, including staff newsletters, staff newspapers, brochures, directors’ speeches and press releases. I hold the BAIE Diploma in Industrial Editing.

PR

While at HSBC I acted as a regional press relations manager, assisting branch managers to get local publicity through articles about financial services ghost-written by me.

More recently I have worked on an ad-hoc basis with a London PR consultancy, working with housewares clients; and I have written ad-hoc press releases for various clients. I hold the CAM Diploma in Public Relations and the CAM Certificate in Communication Studies (included marketing and advertising).

Blogging and social media

I blog extensively on my own website, ww.fwords.co.uk, taking an entertaining and humorous approach to Words & Communications and a wide variety of other topics. I taught myself WordPress and set up my own WordPress.com site as a platform for this.

I tweet and am an active participant in LinkedIn writers’ and journalists’ forums.

Design

I have extensive experience in working with and briefing graphic designers and photographers. I have worked with Quark XPress, having done layout on one of my magazines, and am familiar enough with InDesign to be able to quickly come “up to speed” with it if required. Keen amateur photographer.

Creative writing

As well as being an active blogger I am an enthusiastic songwriter and guitarist and am writing a chick-lit novel and researching and compiling my family history. I will happily turn my attentions to clients’ own creative writing and research requirements.

 CAREER DETAILS IN BRIEF

• March 2011-present: Freelance copywriter and editor
• September 2010-March 2011: Business journalist, Newsco Insider, Manchester
• May 2005-September 2010: Writer and editor, Max Publishing, London (Progressive Greetings, Progressive Housewares (news and feature writer), Progressive Party (editor)
• May 2003-May 2005: News sub-editor, London Evening Standard & Daily Mirror
• August 1994-April 2003: Deputy editor (& editor), Tableware International, DMG World Media
• August 1988-August 1994: Writer, Midland Bank corporate communications
• April 1986-August 1988: Writer, British Telecom corporate communications
• July 1982-April 1986: Reporter, Home Counties Newspapers

 Phone: 01737 766446, Mobile: 07931 541369

Email: sue@fwords.co.uk, Web: www.fwords.co.uk

Twitter: @susanfenton, LinkedIn: SueFenton

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