Directory

About:

Over my 17 years in journalism, I’ve been a foreign correspondent, covered UK politics, international news and natural disasters for Reuters and I now focus on real-life stories, mostly about women, from body image to fertility to hair loss.

Where we'll see your work:

The Daily Mail, The Guardian, Psychologies Magazine, Time Magazine, other national newspapers and women’s magazines

Most difficult story you've found for a commissioning editor:

Teenagers to talk about body image and appear named and photographed, from an anorexic girl to an overweight boy. Or women to speak about the taboo of infertility and female friendship.

Feature you are most proud of:

Dating with baby goggles on: the perils of dating to the rhythm of the biological clock as a 40-year-old female. Or the blight of rape in Haiti’s post-quake makeshift camps

Area of expertise: Real-life, women, body image, eating disorders, fertility, dating, health.

Website: www.katherinebaldwin.com

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About:

Writer, broadcaster, agony aunt and social commentator

Where we'll see your work:

The Guardian, various BBC radio stations, top women’s magazine titles across the world

Most difficult story you've found for a commissioning editor:

Interview with the young widow of a taxi driver who’d been stabbed to death in his cab just three days before Christmas leaving his wife and two tiny daughters. His murderer was never caught. The piece was the lead feature in Bella.

Feature you are most proud of:

It took me more than 30 years but eventually, I decided the time had come to write about my experiences of mental illness as a teenager. The piece garnered an enormous response, sold into several other territories and was also bought by the publishers of a school textbook, which as I left school at 16 with hardly any exam passes is the thing that made me most proud. The piece ran in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/feb/11/mentalhealth

Area of expertise: Relationships of all descriptions so not just couples but work relationships, families, friends, children. Also write about work issues, technology, money, health, fitness, food and diversity.

Website: www.lauramarcus.com - recently updated. Do visit.

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About:

Established in 1986, we cover a wide range of news and features stories and have broken some of the biggest stories in Scotland during that period.

Where we'll see your work:

All major national newspapers and a range of women’s weekly and monthly magazines.

Most difficult story you've found for a commissioning editor:

Handled the press for Lucille McLauchlan, the nurse convicted in Saudi Arabia of the murder of Yvonne Gilford, selling her
exclusive story to the Daily Mirror upon her return to the UK. More recently, managed the press for the parents of the youngsters dubbed Britain’s “fat family” after they were taken into care because of their weight.

Feature you are most proud of:

The story of the “forgotten Highlander”, Alistair Urquhart, the last surviving member of the Gordon Highlanders regiment that was captured by the Japanese in Signapore during World War II. Alistair was taken to work on the notorious bridge over the River Kwai and survived starvation, cholera and torture only to be torpedoed on board a ship for Japan. He drifted
for days close to death but was eventually recaptured and sent to a prison camp just 11 miles from Nagasaki, where he witnessed what is still regarded as one of the most horrific events in history when an atomic bomb was dropped on the
city. After we featured his story in several national newspapers, we worked with him on his autobiography, the Forgotten Highlander, which topped the Sunday Times bestseller list and became a Daily Mail Book of the Year.

Area of expertise: All news and feature stories, with a particularly strong contact base in Scotland.

Website: www.scottishnews.com

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About:

I’m Sarah Sims, and I’ve been contributing to national newspapers and women’s magazines as a freelance feature feature writer for many years.

Where we'll see your work:

National newspapers and women’s magazines.

Most difficult story you've found for a commissioning editor:

Interviewing a newly married woman whose husband was murdered just 15 days after they were married. She bravely spoke out wanting to raise awareness of knife crime, not just at home but abroad too. And also interviewing a husband who had only just lost his wife  a few weeks earlier from skin cancer, leaving him to raise his three small children on his own. It was very humbling. His courage to speak out, during the most raw period in his life, has helped raise awareness of skin cancer.

Feature you are most proud of:

Investigation/report into the growing rise of American teenage girls having plastic surgery. It involved a huge amount of research in the US, securing plastic surgeon’s consent, then the parents consent and finally actually talking to the teenage girls about why they felt they needed plastic surgery in the first place; why they felt it was acceptable and what impact it had on their lives.

Area of expertise: Real life, health, lifestyle, report/investigation

Website: www.insightstories.co.uk

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About:

We are a press agency and mainly cover the south coast, but will go anywhere for a story. We’ll respond to CSL alerts straight away if we can help.

Where we'll see your work:

In national newspapers, magazines and on TV stations including Sky News and ITV

Most difficult story you've found for a commissioning editor:

We tracked down the first victim of serial murderer Peter Tobin. She was baby sitting for his son when he tried to rape her and a friend.

Feature you are most proud of:

We helped the Canadian wife of a British soldier stay in the UK after the government threatened to deport her even though her husband was fighting in Afghanistan. The story was taken up by the Daily Express, Daily Telegraph and This Morning.

Area of expertise: Human interest, quirky tales

Website: http://www.mandymedia.co.uk/

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About:

HotSpot Media is a press agency made up of passionate journalists who have a news agency background, co-owned by Chelsea Heatley and Harvey Hook. Chelsea has sourced and written real life stories for all the national newspapers and weekly and monthly women’s magazines and Harvey is an experienced photographer in all areas of news, from hard hitting pieces from countries struck by natural disasters to political news and features with strong PR portfolio. HotSpot PR clients include The British Red Cross and Universities across the midlands. HotSpot is based in the West Midlands but will hunt down a story wherever it may be. We have recently covered stories from Preston and Essex. Our company will go where the story takes it.

Where we'll see your work:

You will see our stories across the national newspapers, including online and the weekly women’s magazines such as Reveal Closer and Take A Break.

Most difficult story you've found for a commissioning editor:

The most difficult story found was about a woman who was willing to admit to never having sex with the lights on because she was insecure about her body. It took a lot of persuasion on my part to convince her to be pictured and named alongside her boyfriend. The piece was commissioned by The Sun.

Feature you are most proud of:

Biggest story to name was signing exclusive interview with Robert Barlow, partner of pregnant Rachael Slack who was brutally murdered along with her toddler son in their cottage in Derbyshire. Robert and Rachael were childhood sweethearts who after 22 years rekindled their love, but her life was tragically taken away by her ex partner, Andrew Cairns who stabbed her and her 2 year old to death. Story appeared in Your Life in The Mirror and Chat magazine. Suzanne Dore, who was diagnosed with cancer the day after her 13 year old son was told he was in remission. Sam Dore was diagnosed with stage 3 bone cancer 6 months earlier and the day after they celebrated him being given the all clear, Suzanne was told she had bowel cancer also stage 3. They are both fine now. The inspirational attitude of the family, especially mother and son, made me proud to handle such a lovely story. All the money she is to receive is being donated to clic sargent the children’s cancer charity. Their story was sold to Real People.

Area of expertise: Real life stories

Website: http://www.hotspotmedia.co.uk

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