Holly Thatcher, Commercial Editor, Trinity Mirror Southwest, shares how she’s been shaping her career with us so far.
"I’d always wanted to write for a national title. It was an aspiration for a long time. So my first national by-line for a business story in the Daily Mirror was a really proud moment. It’s being part of Trinity Mirror that has offered me the chance to make this a reality."
A flying start
My journey with Trinity Mirror started at the Bristol Post, where I joined on a freelance basis for 18 months to oversee the editorial content for events and campaigns. The most successful of these was ‘We’re Backing Bristol’ in 2016, which was a series of features championing the local economy in the face of looming Brexit negotiations. It attracted over £100,000 in commercial revenue for the business and provided a model which was adopted by other Trinity Mirror centres.
New opportunities
In February 2017, they decided to create a commercial editorial department to focus on generating new revenue streams from editorial. I was delighted to be asked to manage the team and being mentored by a senior editor means I’m really well supported.
Nationally, I am part of the Trinity Mirror Commercial Editors’ network which provides an outlet to share great ideas and develop best practice. Collaboration between our editorial and commercial departments is fundamental to recognise the huge revenue potential in sponsored content (articles that appeal to both our audience and our commercial partners). It’s a really exciting project to be part of, because it’s new, constantly evolving, and is all about creativity.
Connecting the dots
One of the aspects of the job I particularly like is the fact that our work cuts across nearly every department. On a day-to-day basis I liaise with our editorial, commercial, events, marketing and social media teams, and work together to join up the dots. In future, I'd love to progress further in Commercial Editorial, perhaps even at a national level. There is so much opportunity here; it's an exciting, rapidly developing business.
Making a difference
Overall, I think my most proud moment so far has to be winning a regional prize for my editorial contribution to the commercial business. It’s easy to get immersed in everyday tasks and forget to see the bigger picture and the difference that you’re making to the business. It’s always good to know that what you’re doing is recognised and appreciated.