INDUSTRY PROFILES
Frances Sheen - Media
Q.
Give us a snapshot of your career to date and an overview of your current role.
I started out in teen mags and was the editor of Smash Hits in my 20s, and then moved into women's lifestyle mags and never left! I’ve worked on a lot of magazines both here and in London. Most recently I was the Editor of New Idea for nearly eight years. I feel really lucky – with all the opportunities I have had and being a mum who loves being with my children, this job is perfect for me. My current role is Editor of practicalparenting.com.au – I am overseeing the re-launch of the site with our amazing team. I only started a few weeks ago so it’s been crazily busy.
Q.
What are you looking for from PRs – and what kind of pitch would get an immediate response?
Exclusive content that gives us a spark to make a story with a unique angle. Practical Parenting has a really strong shopping element where we offer reviews from real mums, so content within that realm works brilliantly for us.
Q.
Do you prefer email or phone pitches, and what is the best time of day/day of the week to catch you?
Email is best and I am always checking my email, so any time at all!
Q.
During your career, what has your experience been like working with PRs?
Overwhelmingly positive – we both have a job to do and we both need each other. My favourite PRs are the people you can have a really honest conversation with so you’re on exactly the same page. I always love it when you can tell that a PR has read the site, knows what they’re offering and where it might sit.
Q.
Do you attend many media events and if so, what kind?
During the working day it’s hard to get away. Not as many as I would like – the spirit is willing but reality sets in.
Q.
What do you love about your job?
This job is different from anything else I have ever done and I love that I am learning new skills daily. I’m passionate about mums who don’t tear down other mums and I love that practicalparenting.com.au can really make a difference to the motherhood journey for many of us.
Q.
What's the downside?
This sounds like a cliché because it is, but there are never enough hours to get everything done.
Q.
Describe a typical day:
I’m lucky that I can work from home on some days and in the office on others, so I have a really flexible day. I am constantly checking the news cycle, emails and relentlessly looking at social media. I’m back writing stories now, which I haven’t done for ages, and I love it. I also talk a lot to other mums who read www.practicalparenting.com.au to find out what they enjoy reading and what they want. The flexibility of my day often means that I can collect the kids from school, make dinner and then in the evening I work again.
Q.
If you weren't doing what you do now, what would you be doing?
I am currently renovating my house so I would like to say that I would be an interior designer – but I have discovered that
a. I’m not good at making the right choices, and
b. it’s really hard, so I would probably go back and study that.
Ask me next month, and you’ll probably get a completely different answer!
a. I’m not good at making the right choices, and
b. it’s really hard, so I would probably go back and study that.
Ask me next month, and you’ll probably get a completely different answer!
Q.
Your Socials: