The alumni event is kicked off by Andrew Morton, who graduated from the University of Lincoln in 2002. He begins by commenting on the changes that have been made to the university since he left and joking that he hopes ‘court two’ is still the best! Starting his first full time job 48 days after graduating; Andrew was determined from the get go, noting that he was able to do this as “result of work experience.”. He stresses the importance of work experience, advising current students to “do work experience, and then do it again. And again.” it comes second only to getting published before you graduate. Touching briefly on to the importance of understanding angle and audience in both PR and journalism, Andrew says, “its all your news desk is bothered about, its all your readers are bothered about.” get it right and it really does matter, get it wrong and it matters even more.
Andrew discusses how varied his work has been, “everything from court and crime, travel writing and human interest to off diary and colour pieces.” Once becoming a news editor, he looked after over 20 reporters, 3 news rooms and 3 daily editions of the publication and digital content. It taught him many things, including the fact that not all reporters can write, the best stories come from reporters that leave the office and how important it is to be creative! Being individual and interesting is important in as a reporter, making sure that you consider the final package- “think infographics and sidebars..”.
Moving on to Public Relations.. Andrew started in PR by helping to launch a new PR firm called ‘footprint’ which focused on the renewable energy market. Doing something brand new was ‘really tough’, his roles included: sales performance, editorial work, project management, running events, and design and creatives. “There’s lots of opportunities out there” for journalists in the PR world, because you need to be a good communicator to do well in PR. Although he also commented on how “the PR agency industry is brutal, competitive and tough”, again, individualism and being able to write good, clean copy is vital and can help you progress in Public Relations!
When a job opportunity came up in Lincoln to be part of the PR team for the red arrows, “it all came together”. Andrew looks after and is a “brand guardian” for the Red Arrows and the Royal Air Force. “I probably have the best job in the world, other than the pilots!”. There’s 120 people in the team, they all have a story and is a specialist in something, they all have a role to do. It is the 50th display season this year, keeping Andrew very busy, having a key role in shaping and designing the celebration. Working with the media on a regular basis, producing the organisation’s marketing material and organising how the team is represented at events is just a few of the many roles that Andrew has to fill. “A challenge and an opportunity” is the fact that Andrew travels almost everywhere the team does, helping to generate excitement in the media and hosting the media at events around the globe. Its important to refocus your angle and think about who your audience is when working in other countries because their media can sometime work very differently to the British media.