Standard Issue Podcast at the Boulevard Theatre, Soho
Hi there,
You get to hear from Standard Issue Podcast on the latest episode of Freelance Pod! So let’s forget about the actual news and take a little walk down memory lane to the neon-lit Soho of the last century, via 90s lads’ mags, shall we…?
(L-R: Jen Offord, me, Mickey Noonan, Hannah Dunleavy: 3/4 of Standard Issue)
Standard Issue was first set up as an online magazine by comedian Sarah Millican, to be produced by women, for women. The concept has now evolved into a podcast, which has in recent weeks featured starry names like author Malorie Blackman, football legend Eni Aluko and comedians Sophie Duker and Sara Pascoe.
Sarah initially hired journalist Mickey Noonan to write for SI. One of my favourite discoveries of the recording is that, among many other print journalism jobs, Mickey once spent 9 months as a lads’ mag sexpert.
Mickey then hired Hannah Dunleavy (with a background in comedy and newspapers) - who would never have thought at that point that, thanks to this job, she’d one day end up on a stage with Janeane Garofalo, explaining what a Phillip Schofield is.
Jen Offord was brought onboard after she made the leap from the civil service to sports journalism, via blogging and publishing a book. Along that journey, she also had the misfortune of meeting Boris Johnson, alas.
(The Boulevard Theatre in a former life - see the bridge? We recorded just to the left of that, just out of shot. It’s a lot calmer there now)
We got together to record the episode at the newly-refurbished Boulevard Theatre, Soho (have a look around here), because we’ve both got live podcast recordings there in November. You can catch Standard Issue’s women in TV-themed show on Sunday 10th November, from 6:30pm.
Freelance Pod’s live show is on the week after, on Sunday 17th November, from 6:30pm.
If you’d like to know more about what to expect from the Freelance Pod live show, there’s also a cameo appearance form my guest for that evening, science writer and soon-to-be-author, Gemma Milne. There’ll be some debunking of pseudoscience, a look at self-branding and freelancing, plus a peek at the process of getting a nonfiction book published.
It’s a raucous, fun, witty and wise episode - Standard Issue and Gemma can come back any time!
What I’ve been up to recently
I wrote about what it’s like when your parents leave home before you do, for Curbed
I also wrote about how cloud computing can revolutionise workplace training, for The Times / Raconteur
I was quoted in this podcast report, by one of the hosts of the Media Voices Podcast (speaking of which, Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff’s episode is v.good)
I’m writing to you from a freelance pop-up - an event where freelancers work in proximity to each other, leaving open the chance to meet new people over lunch. Sounds like your kind of thing? Follow FJ & Co for info on more events.
What I’ve found memorable online recently
The Guardian’s Suzanne Moore writing about her friend Deborah Jane Orr’s death is so life-affirming, and her subsequent piece on grief is so perfectly right.
Autumn can be a sad time, especially when it’s right at the end of a decade; this piece gets that feeling exactly right, and this is your equally heart-shattering background reading
This was a fun listen about The Simpsons, which I found via @ChristinaMcMc
That’s all from me for now, if you’re coming to the live show, make sure you let me know! x