Senior Feature writer Gemma Aldridge has been with the company for nearly a year now. In that time she’s written on an astonishing array of subjects and to mark her one year anniversary at FF, we’ve set her a quick interview to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the reality of working for a features press agency. Gemma, you have 60 seconds…start the clock!
What story have you most enjoyed working on? The most rewarding ones have been those where we’ve really made a difference to peoples’ lives – Roxanne Sandiford’s ‘Bring My Baby Home!’ for That’s Life! was very sad but really special because we managed to fund her bringing her daughter’s remains back from Italy after 15 years, when no one else would help.
How do you prepare for an interview? I try to clear my mind of everything else, and get ready to listen. It also helps to try and put yourself in the shoes of the person you’re talking to. Other than that, it’s hard to prepare because you never know what you’re going to hear!
What’s the most surprising thing anyone has told you? “I didn’t go to the toilet for two months,” “I married my stalker,” “I don’t regret being ‘the other woman’” The list is endless. One thing you can be sure of when calling First Features is that we are a pretty unshockable bunch!
Is it difficult to write the story once you’ve done an interview? We make sure we interview thoroughly so by the end I usually have a pretty clear idea of where the story is going. Sometimes it’s hard to keep to a word limit, though!
What’s the hardest part of your job? Making certain I’ve done justice to someone’s story is very important to me and I always want to make my writing really reflects how they feel, so sometimes that’s difficult.
What have you learnt in the past year, working for First Features? So many things. Most importantly, though, it’s that most people have a story to tell, even if they don’t know what it is!
What does your average day look like? I get into the office at 10am and reply to any calls or emails that have come in overnight. Then after that every day is different – interviewing, writing and liaising with magazines and papers are my main jobs though.
Is it difficult to ‘switch off’ once the working day is over? Absolutely. These are real people we’re dealing with and it’s impossible to just stop thinking about them when I leave the office. I really don’t mind that, though. Having a good relationship with your clients makes the whole job much easier.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job? When a client reads their story in a national paper or magazine and calls me to tell me how happy they are, that feels really good.
What are the most important attributes for a journalist? A ‘can do’ attitude and an ability to think laterally.
What’s your advice to anyone starting out in the industry? Think hard about where you want to be then direct your approach to the right section of the industry. Get as much experience as you can and never give up.
What’s your ideal story? I hear so many stories of love-rats cheating and treating women badly and it really frustrates me. I’d love to do a story about a woman who’s really got her own back in an interesting way!
And finally… What’s your greatest achievement this year? Getting Tracey Pollard and Zara Hartshorn’s story, ‘My 13-Year Old Looks 40’ global exposure has been amazing. It’s been featured in papers and magazines and on TV all over Europe, the US, Australia and even South Africa and we’re now hoping to film a documentary with them, too. It’s very exciting.
