This was by the fair the coolest agency we visited so far. I cannot get over how hospitable and kind the hosts were to take the time out of their work day to speak to us about their everyday job functions and how to succeed in a career in fashion and/or media. Considering I have five pages of notes to read through for this visit alone, I think that says a lot right there about how informative and interesting this visit was. I cannot say enough good things about this company, but now that I have sung their praises, I’ll give you an idea of how I spent my time there.
We were separated into groups with each group getting a guide to take them around and introduce us to some of Heart’s most hardworking people. Sophie Wilkinson was my guide, and she led us to the fashion cupboard where w listened to Anastasia talk about the work she does in this tight closet. What I found most interesting was actually a comment that was made about Brexit. Anastasia and Sophie agreed that if Brexit were to pass, it would significantly impact their efficiency and not for the better. Instead of moving the clothes in groups, they wpuld have to fill out a form for each individual item, which seems like a massive headache considering how any pieces were packed into this room. It was just interesting to hear how this company was planning for the future even if it is unknown at this point.
Following the fashion room, we stopped by the video and film room and talked to Alex about the work she shoots in there. The room was small and really cramped, yet she showed us clips of videos that she had filmed in there, and you would have never know it was the same room. With small furniture and cheap backgrounds to cover the white walls, she can transform the room to whatever she wants depending on what she’s working on that day. We then made our way to the library to see where Katie archives all the old volumes and magazines. It was absolutely overwhelming how much they had stored there knowing that there was even more in storage elsewhere. Fun fact about Alex and Katie is that they are both from America!
The tour continued as we made our way to the panel discussion where we listened to the following speakers:
Mark Hill, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Spy
Amy Lane, Digital Editor of Women’s Health
Kenya Hunt, Deputy Editor and Fashion Features Director of Elle
Jess Edwards, Editor of Cosmopolitan UK
Lena de Casparis, Associate Editor/Culture Director of Elle
It would take me forever to mention all of the things that were discussed during this hour, so instead I will just include the quotes they wanted to leave us with.
“Know your audience.” – K. Hunt
“Ask your audience what they want. They will tell you.” – M. Hill
“Don’t be afraid to target a smaller audience if they care about it.” – J. Edwards
“Don’t be afraid to get things wrong or if things don’t land.” – A. Lane
You would think with how much I’ve covered so far that we must’ve ended the visit then, but the tour continued even after all this! Julian Linley spoke to us next about his project called The Nest. I really liked this discussion because I found it interesting that they hire 8 people out of 181 applications to develop new business ideas. I can’t share the details of the ones currently being worked on, but it was really cool to see how the ideas come to life. This seems like an internship I would’ve loved to had during my undergraduate years, but there is still hope considering they hire people of all ages and stages of life!
Our final speakers in this building were Felicity and Sophie, who talked to us about fashion imagery and booking models before sending us off to Hearst’s other location. The second building is home to the Good Housekeeping team, and we were able to get a tour of this place, as well. We saw their labs where they test things like shampoo, vacuums, laundry detergent, and much more so they can review the good products in their magazine volumes. I had absolutely no idea they tested so man items there! About four and half hours after it began, the tour was officially over, and my brain was full of information I never anticipated I would take interest in. This media visit was extremely interesting and rewarding.
After taking a second to breathe from such a busy morning, I joined Kayla, Angela, Jocelyn, Anna, Madison, and Robin for lunch at Nando’s. I was pretty impressed with the mango & lime sauce on my chicken wrap and would definitely like to have it again before the trip is over.
Following this delicious meal, I made my way to the National Gallery, where I saw a number of familiar pieces by artists like Raphael and Botticelli, but unfortunately missed out on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers as it was not featured at the moment. 🙁
Mya and I did a little more shopping once I got back to the hotel before packing up for the night. The next day we would leave London and head to Windsor Castle. Overall, it was a great way to end the London leg of our UK tour!