Former Sunday Times Style editor Jackie Annesley on swapping newspapers for tech
Hi all,
It was a delight to speak to Jackie Annesley about her career in newspapers and her pivot to tech, as Creative Director of Soda Says.
Jackie has edited sections of the Daily Mail, Evening Standard and Sunday Times. In her last journalism role as editor of the Sunday Times Style magazine, she commissioned the PanDolly podcast from two of her columnists, Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton. After they both left the newspaper, the podcast became… The High Low.
Jackie’s got great tales from the glory days of newspapers (£10,000 budget for one weekend anyone?), an insiders’ understanding of how quickly and how completely the internet has changed journalism and useful, timeless advice on what makes for good writing.
You can also listen to Jackie on her own podcast, interviewing star guests about their relationships with their mobile phones. It’s called Talk Tech To Me, and the first episode with Anne Robinson is a real highlight. You can sign up for her weekly Soda Says newsletter too.
Excited to hear Jackie on Freelance Pod? You should be!
Date for your diary
If you’re a Rise and Shine regular, look out for details of a podcaster meet-up in London on 23rd August.
Things I’ve been writing / making / doing
I’ve been figuring out how to make audio into a visual medium, and an interactive one too…
This Spectator judgement of Lauren Laverne’s time as interim Desert Island Discs host was needlessly harsh; I had a much more productive chat with her about the iconic show back in January.
Romford to Upminster to Romford again: An ode to Transport for London’s most obscure branch line - I grew up a few streets away from Jonn Elledge of CityMetric and New Statesman, so it was only a matter of time until I wrote about the oddest little train line that runs through our edge-of-London hometown of Hornchurch.
Artificial intelligence in market research: what can it do? (Times of London / Raconteur) - what a gorgeous illustration! Data never looked so pretty.
Things I’ve been reading
“We knew how much the world loves her, but it’s been kind of overwhelming,” she says. “I guess we just kind of thought she would go on forever”- how sad to lose Toni Morrison this week, but the existence of this room helps a little.
In Toni Morrison’s words, I found the wisdom and protection my mother wasn’t able to provide - this broke my heart.
The day I went to a sex shop with Toni Morrison - because, sometimes, as Toni Morrison knew, the writing can (should) wait.
bad summer = IRL silly season?
Things I’ve been listening to
A Very Queer First Episode of Hannah Hethmon’s brilliant new podcast, London Is OK I Guess. Work in the world of museums? Check out her book, Your Museum Needs A Podcast (it does).
Skye Pillsbury’s Inside Podcasting podcast is out now! I love a pod about pods and podding. The meta the better! Give her newsletter a look while you’re there, especially as “Everything you need to know about the resurgence of the spoken word” is a brilliant tagline.
Have you been listening to Scott Flashheart’s multiple-award-winning Probably True Podcast? Why not start now? Try Dealbreakers.
Need someone to make podcasts with? HIRE SCOTT!
Prince has been playing in my head, love this video - hook the 80s nostalgia up to my veins.
That’s all for this week! x