Shiny Media is dead! Long live Shiny Media’s writers…

This is one of those rare occasions where I feel I need a disclaimer for a post. And here it is:

Between March 2007 and March 2008 I worked for Shiny Media, briefly as a freelancer and then as the full-time deputy editor of major title Shiny Shiny. At no time did I have any financial or editorial disputes with the company, and I left to challenge myself in a more marketing-orientated role specifically in the charity sector, not because of any problems at Shiny.

I’m not going to link to articles about Shiny’s demise. I understand that there are people who are upset and unpaid – I suspect the folks in charge do not blame them for their anger. But I’m not linking because I left over a year ago and their disputes are none of my business.

The only reason I’m writing about Shiny at all, in fact, is because I’m hoping that if people are looking for dirt they will instead find talent. These are some of the fine people I had the privilege to work with who are talented, hard working and lovely individuals. They would be an asset to any editorial team. So if you’ve come here looking for Shiny mud, try taking away some treasure instead.

Abi Silvester

Abi is, I must admit, a friend of mine from further back than Shiny (although I didn’t know she worked there until after I was offered the job and she didn’t know it was being offered to me – t’Internet’s a small world, folks). She has excellent experience as both an online and print journalist, having worked for alternative fashion publications and turning her hand to her passions at Shiny by writing about green issues on Hippyshopper and all things hand-made on CraftyCrafty. She also contributed to wedding blog Bridalwave – always one of Shiny’s top five sites in stats – ultimately taking the role of editor for the last 8 months, as well as working on a number of fashion sites. Visit her site above or follow her on Twitter.

Isabelle O’Caroll

Fashion queen Iso was a busy bee, editing men’s fashion site Brandish, contributing to and then becoming deputy editor of major Shiny title Catwalk Queen and regularly modelling the looks for the latter! Brilliant at tongue-in-cheek humour and extra helpful if you want to translate anything into French, she was always a pleasure to work with. Click the link above to follow her on Twitter.

Dan Sung

Dan started as an editorial assistant on Tech Digest just as I left, and quickly became editor upon the departure of Kat Hannaford to T3. I kept reading Tech Digest mainly because of his writing, which is highly engaging and amusing. He’s a gift to any blog about tech or football. Check out his Linked In profile by clicking the link above.

It’s a small world, after all

I suspect I might not even be the 14,000th blogger to use that as a post title, but it was appropriate, so I ain’t going to sweat it.

I’m not sure whether last night proves that charity is a small world, that online meedja is a teeny cluster or that both together make it completely certain that you’ll know someone who knows someone. Then again, maybe it’s just coincidence, but it felt quite weird.

After Helen Aspell of the Equalities & Human Rights Commission (which has said some very sensible things about reducing maternity leave for women and increasing paternity leave this week) told me she knew my sister – off the back of both being in that Female Social Media Guru thang – that provoked a small giggle.

Turns out she is in fact involved in all aspects of my life.*

When I was at Shiny Media, I made lots of video reviews, including their most viewed ever. I made them mostly with a cameraman and editor called Ray O’Neill, who’s a very sweet bloke. Last night he pootled along to join a group of my friends and me (no, it’s not and I; comment if you’d like to know why) at La Perla in Charlotte Street where it transpires that he too knows Helen. And he’d been doing work for eConsultancy one of the bloggers for whom, as you know because you’ve been glued to the My Online Life page, has interviewed me about Dogs Trust on Twitter.

Teeny planet indeed.

On another note, I made blueberry muffins and Snaffle destroyed most of them. He did try to eat them which made me worry they tasted of cat food, but eating the remainder that he didn’t maul put paid to that concern.

What? Blueberries are good for you.

  • Yes, I exaggerate. Of course; have you not come to expect it?