Over the last 4 years I have been heavily involved in both print and digital student media, in addition to liaising with more senior press organisations.
In 2016 I graduated with a 2:1 in English Literature and eager to nourish my skills as a copywriter enrolled on the UoS MA print journalism course.
Thus far I have been reporting across Sheffield and South Derbyshire, fostering strong local contacts and getting the best stories out there and trending online.
I am now returning to my home town of Widnes, a stones throw from two of the North West's most bustling cities Manchester and Liverpool. From there I will be sourcing more great stories and securing contacts for my growing book.
Around my studies I have remained an entertainment and culture columnist for Forge Press, a food and lifestyle contributor for The University Paper UK, and an author for The Tab Sheffield and The Tab UK. I also produce content for sister company Babe.net.
Here are just a few of the skills I have to offer employers:
- Confident multimedia reporting (including Facebook live content, Tweet Deck)
-Using the latest in 360 imagery and VR.
-Excellent written and verbal communication skills
-Shorthand speeds climbing daily.
-Over 4 years experience in customer service.
-PR friendly. Experience liaising with multinational corporations.
- Fast and tight copy.
- Original and compelling story telling both on social and in print.
- Experience using Adobe premier (video edit) and Adobe InDesign.
-photography
Feel free to get in touch if you would like me to cover your story.
In my down time I'm a serious crafter, soprano in a gospel choir and complete Netflix addict.
Find me on twitter @hdoddles
Projects
- Shooting in the dark: blind archery because disability should never mean inability The archers take their position and I stand behind the line hoping the clicking from my camera isn't putting anyone off. I needn't have worried. John Bower, one of four national champion bowmen in the group, shoots a bulls-eye effortlessly. It's a pretty impressive feat given that he’s been totally blind since 1982. Even more impressive is that John had never been an archer before his sight loss diagnosis thirty-five years earlier. "It was something I had never done before as a sighted person
- Gangster grannies take Sheffield city centre by storm A performing arts troupe, who call themselves ‘Granny Turismo’, revved up their motorized shopping trolleys and turned their woofers up for a race around the city this weekend, leaving the crowds howling. The group, consisting of three grannies in drag, sported an impressive set of wheels – even if they are attached to giant gingham shopping trolleys. ‘Doris Day’, ‘Margery Long’, and ‘Mary Baker’, as they like to be known, are all motoring and engineering enthusiasts who turned their passion into a unique street performance. They now tour up and down the UK on their patented racing trolleys.
- A rubbish life for hedgehogs Hedgehogs are known for getting themselves into prickly situations and many meet an unfortunate fate on our roads every year. However, there is a new dangerous threat facing our hedgehogs- rubbish. As part of an ongoing series into our ‘throw away society’, I visited Cawthorne Hedgehog Rescue to investigate the plastic peril facing our British wildlife. Volunteers Anita and Allan Broadhead run Cawthorne Hedgehog Rescue from their home. Though its a small facility, it comes complete with its own ‘hogsprickle’ for treating injured hedgehogs and a safe rehabilitation space to nurse hedgehogs back to the wild. The pair are hedgehog fanatics and treat everything from a case of the snuffles to dog bites and now tin can injuries.
Work history
Film columnist/contributor
Sheffield, United KingdomFreelance
This year I have been involved with the screen section of The Forge Media Group @ The University of Sheffield. Being a film columnist means having a clear grasp of the television and film scene past and present. It also means finding innovative ways to produce content in the absence of direct access to actors and producers that you'd see in a more senior publication. This might mean producing reviews, producing compilation pieces or even producing features on previews ect.
My responsibilities have included:
-Producing online and print copy.
- Attending local film and art events.
- Attending local premieres of the latest releases.
- Keeping myself up to date on Netflix, television and streaming service releases.
- Pitching unique stories for the screen section to my editors.
Contributor
Sheffield, United KingdomFreelance
I have been producing freelance copy for the University Paper UK group for the last 2 years. I have produced 2 national front page exclusives including live reporting from the Westminster terror attack and an exclusive interview with Kasabian's Serge Pizzorno ahead of the launch of 'For Crying Out Loud'. I have also produced food reviews for the group.
My responsibilities include:
-Producing interesting copy for a student demographic
- Working to produce excellent copy both for online and for the print edition
- Promoting my work on social media to engage wider audiences
- Working with companies locally to produce food and lifestyle reviews
- Using my initiative during a crisis period to get news out quickly and sensitively
- Using advanced interview technique during telephone calls
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Skills
- Teeline Shorthand
- Video Production
- Copywritting
- Digital/ Print
- Reporting
- Interview
- Social
- Tweetdeck
- Wordpress
- Touch Typing
Education
MA Print Journalism (Now MA Journalism)
Sheffield, United Kingdom
-I am currently studying for a masters in print journalism on an NCTJ accredited course. Here are a few of the skills I have acquired during my studies:
-Excellent written and verbal communication skills
-Producing concise, clear copy
-Social media, video production and liaising with PR agencies.
- A tight grasp of deadlines/ working under timed conditions
- Shorthand
- Media ethics and Law (both UK law and the IPSO regulations)
- Public affairs
- Propaganda, media and conflict.
- Securing lasting contacts
- Interview technique both in person and over the phone
- Producing exclusives and working with multinational companies like Boeing.
BA (Hons) English Literature
- Sheffield, United Kingdom
2:1 (Upper second class honours) BA (Hons) English Literature
Dissertation Specialism: nautical fiction and sexuality
Modules included:
-Hollywood Cinema
-Creative Writing
- Contemporary Fiction
- Graphic novels and the love of the American super power
- Renaissance/restoration era fiction
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