Sonya Barber

Sonya Barber

Freelance editor, writer, speaker and consultantLondon, United Kingdom
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Sonya Barber

Sonya Barber

Freelance editor, writer, speaker and consultantLondon, United Kingdom
About me
I am a senior editor with over ten years’ experience of digital media covering culture, events, travel and lifestyle. I’m highly skilled in content strategy, audience acquisition and driving revenue via digital, print and social media. Having managed teams of up to six colleagues, I pride myself on my leadership and people skills. Writing, commissioning and editing is second nature to me. Whether I’m creating content, writing books, devising social and digital strategies, curating events, hosting panel discussions or consulting on the latest trends, I bring a high level of energy, expertise and curiosity to everything I do.
Projects
  • An opinionated guide to East London. Words by Sonya Barber. Published by Hoxton Mini Press
    An opinionated guide to East London. Words by Sonya Barber. Published by Hoxton Mini PressThe second edition of the incredibly popular Hoxton Mini Press east London guide has just come out with 24 exciting new entries. Written by Sonya Barber and photos by Charlotte Schreiber.
Projects credited in
  • Republic x Who We Are
    Republic x Who We AreRepublic's a mixed use next generation creative campus, just one minute from East India DLR. It's home to The Trampery's co-workers, plus self-employed, entrepreneurs, scale ups, accountants, brand agencies and many more.
  • Time Out
    Time OutMy background is in journalism, particularly in magazines. After leaving Australia for the UK I started my career in Edinburgh at The List magazine before writing for Jockey Slut, Sleazenation, The Face, the Sunday Times Style magazine, NME, Muzik and several Australian broadsheets. At Time Out I was a clubbing writer before launching a brand new section (something that rarely happens) covering the emerging cabaret and burlesque scene. I went on to be a features writer (here’s a piece on the ar
Work history
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    Editor, writer, speaker and consultant(Various)
    London, United KingdomFreelance
    - Writing and editing print, digital and commercial features for the Guardian, Stylist, Shortlist, Condé Nast Traveller, Culture Trip, Metropolitan, EasyJet Traveller, The i Paper and Time Out. - Consulting on trends, culture and digital and social strategy for media companies, brands and lifestyle PR agencies including Second Home, Appear Here, Eventbrite, The Nudge, Rebel Rebel, The Indytute and Talk PR. - Curating, hosting and speaking at events, talks, panels and podcasts for Guardian Masterclasses, Rough Guides, Soho House, Marguerite, Clever Boxer, Time Out, Eventbrite, Hoxton Hotel, East London Fawcett Society, Museum of London, Appear Here and London Coffee Festival. - Writing ‘East London: An Opinionated Guide’ travel guidebook for Hoxton Mini Press – one of the independent publishing house’s most popular titles.
    Time Out Group logo
    Time Out Group logo
    News & Events Editor and Blog EditorTime Out Group
    London, United KingdomFull Time
    - Managing a busy team of six writers, editors, digital producers and community managers. - Reaching a million readers a week (in print and online) by editing and curating the two most popular sections of Time Out London magazine, the iconic culture and events guide. - Launching the Time Out blog, a new content platform which significantly expanded the brand’s audience and reach, changing the tone and direction of all its content. I also created a global strategy for blog content and social media which was adopted throughout Time Out’s global network of cities and worked closely with Product and Engineering teams when we relaunched the blog on the Time Out site. - Collaborating with ad sales, ecommerce and creative solutions teams to create commercial content for clients including Mastercard, British Airways, Diageo and Pernod Ricard. - Initiating and managing partnerships with major cultural institutions including the Museum of London, Open House London and London Design Festival. Driving revenue via sponsored content, partnerships, audience acquisition, ecommerce, offers and events. - Commissioning editorial features, news posts, reviews, interviews, video content, photography, illustrations and infographics. - Writing, creating and presenting video content and written features across verticals including arts, culture, events, food and drink and travel. - Creating SEO-driven and socially-led shareable content, growing the brand’s social audience and orchestrating social media campaigns. - Developing a wide network of PR contacts and freelance contributors to spot new trends and emerging talent. - Redesigning and reconceptualising print sections to capitalise on emerging cultural trends. - Chairing talks and appearing at events as a Time Out ambassador.
Skills
  • Copywriting
  • Critic
  • Editing
  • Journalism
  • Blogs
  • Blogging
  • Features
  • Web Content
  • Popular Culture
  • Social Meda
  • Video Interviews
  • Content Strategy
  • Curating Content
  • Manage a Team
  • Editing Copy
  • Event Hosting
Education
    University of Leeds logo
    University of Leeds logo
    English Literature and LanguageUniversity of Leeds
     - Leeds, United Kingdom