Frances Allan's Blog

Long time no speak…

francesallan — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:35:23 +0000

Hello to my many* avid blog readers!

I haven’t posted anything here since May and I can’t quite believe it has been so long! I have been so busy at work over the last few months, settling in and then getting my teeth stuck into many projects. One of the publications that I’m responsible for is the student magazine, College News. It’s a termly publication that I write, commission and edit. The two issues that I have produced are below, if you click on the links you can open and read the magazines! I am pleased to say that my initial eight month contract has been extended by six months, taking me through to the end of June 2012. Due to some restructuring in the team, I am now writing all of the College’s press releases and liaising with journalists to generate lots of coverage for the College. It’s a really interesting and fast-paced part of the job, and I’m really enjoying doing it.

College News Summer 2011

College News Autumn 2011

I have also done a bit of work for 247 Magazine, and you can read those below…

247 Magazine October 2011 (page 28)

247 Magazine September 2011 (page 16)

247 Magazine May 2011 (page 11)

Speak soon,

Fran xx

*many equals a number somewhere between 1 and 100.

I start my new job tomorrow…

francesallan — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:29:54 +0000

Woohoo!!!

The outfit is ready, lunch is prepped, and tomorrow I will start working at City College Plymouth as a Marketing Assistant. I am really excited to be working somewhere with lots of people around and working on some hopefully exciting projects!

After a month or so of freelancing I am more than ready to hit the ground running and get stuck in!

Bye for now, Fran xx

Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Frances Allan’s Blog?

francesallan — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:34:57 +0000

OK well my blog probably won’t reach the dizzying heights of those internet giants, but since I started blogging way back in September 2009, my blog has reached almost 8,000 views!

The grand total currently stands at 7,969 views and it would be fantastic to get to 8,000 before the end of April!

Since I started blogging I have written about many topics, such as sleep disorders, home-made beauty treatments, the X Factor, my ongoing search for a job, my work in the field of freelance public relations, news stories, and I have published my articles for 247 Magazine. I hope to keep up with writing about what’s going on, what I am interested in and hopefully people will continue to keep coming back.

So, I’ll be off for now, but I will let you know when I hit the 8,000 mark!

Bye for now, Fran. x

South West Design Forum, I must bid you adieu.

francesallan — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:40:32 +0000

Well after six months working for the South West Design Forum (SWDF), my contract ended today. As I have previously discussed, my contract wasn’t renewed because of a lack of funding, circumstances beyond my control. In the time I have been there I have learnt so much, and have generated more than 65 pieces of positve media coverage, links to which can be found in previous posts.

So what next? Well I will be continuing to work on the press coverage for the Media & Innovation Awards and Conference, which are being held in June. I’ll be doing this on a freelance basis, and I will hopefully continue to pick up freelance work from my other clients, which should fill my days nicely.

But whilst I enjoy the freedom that freelancing brings, I would like to get myself a ‘proper’ job, something that I can go to everyday and actually make a difference when I am there. So I will continue to apply for jobs and hope that soon, someone will actually offer me a job.

You may wonder why I haven’t got that ‘proper’ job lined up to start immediately after finishing at the SWDF. Well believe me I have been trying. I have been spending a lot of my free time searching for jobs and applying for them, and I have had various responses and outcomes, but no job as yet.

As I partially dip my toes back into the world of graduate unemployment, I realise how lucky I have been these last six months, not only have I had a job that I have really enjoyed, I have been able to pick up work elsewhere too. On top of that, the SWDF was my first employment after graduating, a luxury that not many graduates have. I also know I’m lucky because I am not being thrown out back into the cold world of job hunting completely, but I do know that it is as hard as ever to get a job.

So, as I leave the South West Design Forum and begin the next chapter of my career, it is with sadness that I bust bid all of the people at SWDF adieu and say thank you for having me.

Facing this uncertainty as to my next career move, it could be seen as both exciting and also daunting, and depending on how my day has gone, sometimes it could be either!

Bye for now, Fran x

SWDF Press Coverage: March 2011

francesallan — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:20:01 +0000

This will be my final coverage update from working at the South West Design Forum! In finished working there today, but for the forseeable future I will continue to work on the press for the Media & Innovation Awards on a freelance basis.

Here are the links to the press that I generated in March.

01.03.11 Taunton People

10.03.11 The Drum

10.03.11 Dexigner

10.03.11 Creative Industries iNets Blog

11.03.11 Creative Boom

11.03.11 Gloucester Media Group

11.03.11 Green Promote

12.03.11 Paper Ideas

18.03.11 Creative Boom

This list is not exhaustive and does not include press cuttings that were not published online.

Bye for now, Fran x