Biography
Profile
I have four years experience as a fully qualified journalist. I have worked for Illife News and Media, Trinity Mirror, and Johnston Press on a daily title. I have experience working with a large organisation handling media requests, writing press releases and a newsletter for 40,000 residents, writing campaign briefings, and co-ordinating internal and external communication messages for 250 staff. I studied at Nottingham Trent University obtaining a 2:1 degree in Communications Studies. This degree has given me a greater understanding in Psychology, Linguistics, Sociology and Practical media.
Education
| September 2005 - June 2007 | Nottingham Trent University: Communication Studies Ba Hons Dissertation title: Is Schizophrenia A Myth? |
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| September 2003 - June 2005 | Thomas Becket Upper School and Sixth Form: A-Levels / As-Levels A-Level: Communication Studies (B), Product Design (B), Art and Design(C). |
| September 1999 - June 2003 | Thomas Becket Upper School: G.C.S.Es 9 G.C.S.Es A-C Grades |
Additional Qualifications
Physical Education Certificate and Bishops Certificate for Religious Education Results; Distinction for both certificates.
NCTJ Shorthand exam (100 words per minute) and fully qualified journalist, exams taken with Press Association.
Employment History
| 2009 - 2010 | Freelance journalist/PR and Marketing Specialist: This year I have embarked on a freelance career to channel my direction into my chosen topic area. I currently style and co-ordinate fashion shoots for a Northampton and Oxford publication with a distribution of 10,000 and a readership of 45,000. This experience has acted as a platform to showcase my skills in my chosen area of writing. I also write the editorial content for the shoots and the behind the scenes features. |
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| 2009 | Chronicle and Echo As a senior reporter for a daily paper I had the chance to write for a vast audience. Daily duties included attending court, writing breaking news stories, organising and planning stories for the next day’s paper, sticking to a daily deadline and bringing new ideas and contacts to the paper to enhance its readership. |
| 2009 | South Northamptonshire Council Communications and Public Relations officer:
As a communications officer at South Northamptonshire Council, I was responsible for promoting and marketing the organisation through a mix of public relations, internal communications and marketing activities. This included developing campaigns to promote council's objectives, successfully organising press conferences and managing the council's intranet and website. I helped reinvent their monthly eight-page community newspaper, by building relationships with staff to find human-interest stories that would resonate with local people. I also helped implement change in a small team following an external review of the council's communications function. This focused on helping senior staff and the Chief Executive develop a more strategic approach to communications. I helped colleagues develop the first communications and engagement strategy that supported the organisation's key priorities, improved customer satisfaction with council services and positioned the Council in the appropriate way. |
| 2009 | Rmag:
(Freelance Journalist and fashion co-ordinator) I write the editorial content for the features in the magazine, I also style and co-ordinate the fashion shoots liaising with photographers, owners of the products, models, make-up artists and hairdressers. See www.lauracorcoran.co.uk/fashion_portfolio.php for full portfolio. |
| 2007 - 2009 | Herald and Post: (Journalist)
I covered breaking news, feature writing, interviews, sports writing and court journalism for the Northampton and Brackley titles. I worked for three years on building strong relationships with local organisations including councils, councillors, Northamptonshire Police, schools and colleges, Northampton General Hospital, local residents and local and members of parliament. I have a strong knowledge of Northamptonshire and was the point of contact for the people of the county for the past three years. |
| 2005 - 2009 | Nationwide Building Society: (Team Leader) Business Contingency Management.
Whilst studying at University I also worked part time in BCM in Nationwide, Moulton Park. This gave me insight into how corporate companies operate. I was quickly promoted to the role of a team leader dealing with complaints from the general public and putting together Subject Access Requests for unnecessary bank charges. This showed my ability to manage a team and demonstrated strong leadership qualities. |
Experience
| 2010 | Vogue House: Condé Nast publication: Traveller Magazine, covering the Promotions Coordinator for a week whilst on holiday. |
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| 2010 | Vogue House: Condé Nast publication: Traveller Magazine, assisting the promotions coordinator organise the media and VIP list for two main events in their 2010 calendar. |
| 2010 | Vogue House: Condé Nast publication: Assisting the Deputy Editor of Vogue for a VIP party for Emily Zac's Autumn/Winter 2010 collection. |
| 2009 | Birmingham Post and Mail: Experience of working on a daily paper. |
| 2009 | Reporting on council meetings: NBC, NCC, SNC and Brackley town council. |
| 2007 | ITV1: On set as runner and TV extra for David Dickinson's 'Real deal'. |
| 2007 | Communications Representative: from 2004-2007. I was elected the representative for the course to be the voice for the students. I attended meetings with tutors, heads of year and governors to discuss student well-being on the course and ways the course could be improved for prospective students. |
| 2006 | Haddon primary school: Worked with a year six class one day a week in school teaching as part of my practical media module for my degree. |
| 2005 | Voluntary mentor for a GCSE student suffering with Dyslexia. Once or twice a week I would work with a GCSE student and help him structure his day, in terms of lessons, homework and general well being. |
Additional skills
- Technical skills:
- Use of Microsoft and Apple Mac extensively through university
- Programs include: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, IMovie, Iweb, Comic life
- Use of digital camera and video camera for three years at university, Internet and web training continuing with present employees.