Motivation ignited by Blaise at BJW

By Angelika Rusbridge
Wednesday 4 March 2015

Arguably the hardest thing about starting a career is finding a job.

Wait, actually, who am I kidding, it is by far the most difficult part and we all know it.

Blaise Tapp at Brighton Journalist Works,
Photo Caitlin Webb

Luckily for my fellow students and I at Brighton Journalist Works, we’re currently much too busy studying to even have a spare moment to think about it; but that doesn’t mean the prospect of future employment (or not) isn’t looming.

Blaise Tapp, head of commissioned content at Johnston Press, visited us today with advice on these matters, which was like free ramen to a hungry student – which we all are (students, not ramen).

A Fleeting Visit

I make a point of researching people before I hear them speak, it’s only polite, right? And snooping on Susie Boniface, aka the Fleet Street Fox, was a particularly interesting pleasure. I was preparing for her visit to Brighton Journalist Works (I was also eating my lunch, which made for an interesting audio recording of the session), and I was looking forward to it.

Well-known for her own brand of snooping, Ms Boniface has been woven into her alternate personality, and the result closely mirrors her elucidation of the reasons behind choosing the Fox as her representative. She described a creature that may seem attractive from afar, but is a tad on the mangy side from up close, that goes through people’s rubbish (or dustbins), and is also known to be sly. “I was outfoxed” has a rather positive connotation; for the outfoxee at least.

Greg Hadfield at Brighton Journalist Works

Brighton Journalist Works outdid itself this past week with some amazing guest speakers. Among them, Greg Hadfield, 58, currently the Editorial Director at Brighton & Hove Independent, who spoke to us on Friday.

Greg Hadfield, Editorial Director at Brighton & Hove Independent – Image courtesy of LinkedIn

Mr Hadfield is a very accomplished man, only (possibly) overshadowed by his son, who created soccernet at the tender age of 12, and sold it at the age of 17 for the impressive sum of $40 million.

With a remarkable C.V., which I found with a quick internet search and a peek at his LinkedIn account, Mr Hadfield is not a mystery. Interestingly, this is one of the very first subjects he addresses; how the internet has changed, hopefully even improved, journalism.