What do you write about as a freelancer and where are we likely to see your work?
I write about business, finance, sport, travel, real estate, IT, politics and media. Most recently, my work has been appearing on Forbes.com but you can also find it on www.ventures-africa.com, in the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal, among others.
What are some of the most memorable pieces you have worked on during your career so far?
Investigating a financial scandal in the Western Isles of Scotland for The Sunday Times Magazine was fascinating; scuba diving in the Maldives was idyllic; skiing with ex-World Champion Franz Klammer was exhilarating and taking helicopters to Angolan oil rigs was pretty crazy. There are frequent surprises and delights.
Is there a feature you haven’t written yet that you would love to be commissioned to write?
Exclusive interview with Lord Lucan.
What are the pros and cons of being a freelance journalist?
Pros include; independence, freedom from office politics, ability to pursue your dreams, lack of commute, ability to range widely in subject topics and genres, potential to earn top dollar, freedom to spend time as you choose.
Cons include; financial insecurity, irritation of chasing invoices and late (or even defaulting) payers, occasional sense of isolation, absence of office chatter and gossip, vulnerability to market shifts.
You are currently contributing to Forbes.com. What are the main differences between writing for US publications compared to UK ones and how will your work bring a European perspective to the Forbes site?
It’s early days but my first post had 100,000 views in the first four days, along with about 15,000 Facebook shares and several hundred tweets, so it’s been a baptism of fire. This is a new business model for me – I know other publications such as the Huffington Post do something similar, but with Forbes, they’re paying me per view (on top of a modest monthly retainer), which is a big difference. It changes your relationship with your readers and encourages you to play a much bigger role in marketing the work. Social media becomes crucial, so I’ve begun to encourage people to follow me on Twitter @fljournalist and to like my Facebook page and visit my website.
I’m aiming to tackle topics which have a European angle or subject matter, but have a strong relevance to US readers. My first post was on Scottish independence and it seems to have pushed a lot of buttons somehow.
How can PRs be useful to you and how should they get in touch?
They can certainly be useful, particularly if they have spent a bit of time looking at my work so they can understand my interests. Email is the best, although I’m increasingly intolerant of frequent press releases (more than one a week is too much) and have started blocking some PRs.
Do you have a PR pet hate?
Beside over-frequent emails, I’m never impressed to be asked to come and stand outside an event watching people arrive, as though I was some teenage groupie. PR embargoes also make me groan.
Do you find press conferences, trips, parties and other events useful or an interruption?
They can be useful, especially when editors approach me with commissions. I’m generally happy to go off on trips or to parties and conferences. There are often unexpected bonuses.
What media do you enjoy in your spare time (TV, film, books, magazines, papers, blogs)?
I watch live sport, documentaries such as Ben Lewis’s 'Google and the World Brain', movies like 'Gravity' and 'Her', enjoy history books like 'The Spanish Civil War' by Antony Beevor, read Private Eye and The New Yorker, The Guardian on weekdays and the The Sunday Times at weekends. Dip into loads of blogs in the course of research, but don’t really follow any.
In your JournalistDirectory profile you mention that you enjoy taking on work involving “travel, fine dining and some kind of sport…” – What would be your ideal travel destination, food and sport combination?
Maldives, dining on gourmet food and champagne on a deserted beach in Huvadhu Atol after a scuba dive with my friend KG during which we’d seen tiger sharks, enormous rays, turtles and a Napoleon wrasse.
Here’s a picture taken by the photographer Andy Barker after just such a meal, with me searching for my clothes…
David can be found tweeting @fljournalist.