Experience

Digital Spy

• United Kingdom
• Book and Periodical Publishing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Managing Editor

  • Apr 2018 - Present

  Head of Digital Spy's production department, overseeing our subbing team and providing advice, guidance and support to all colleagues. I thrive on setting, defining, refining and evaluating best practice workflow, listening always to colleagues. I liaise frequently with other non-editorial departments to make sure that they're fully aware of our workflow needs and challenges we face in our day-to-day production cycle.And I love a new challenge. Another CMS migration (the second in three years), training up 40 staff and freelancers in the run-up to the busy Christmas period? Go for it. Building our weekly TV newsletter - liaising with the CRM team, reporting progress to our editor and developing a workflow for other members of the team to confidently create and launch a newsletter? Absolutely! Keeping up constant channels with our central ecommerce team, evaluating and refining article performance and doing my best to get the whole team involved, with the tools they need? Why not? Show less

• Chief Sub-Editor

  • Jul 2013 - Mar 2018

  I manage a team of full-time and part-time sub-editors from our office in London, helping them to develop and enforce our style book. I help our news editor to run the newsdesk during office hours, providing advice and guidance to all writers on style points and queries. I now sub both news copy and an increasingly wide variety of content across our growing features section. My aim is to make sure that all our contributors produce copy that's informative, entertaining and speaks with genuine authority and passion, provoking debate - but always taking care never to come across as unnecessarily judgemental. I strongly believe in leading by example when it comes to writing copy.I also contribute reviews across music, film, TV and theatre/comedy where I have the time and requisite level of knowledge to provide informed, impassioned opinion and criticism.https://www.digitalspy.com/author/13093/kate-goodacre/Some recent examples:The Apprentice 2015: Meet the 18 candidates hoping to impress Lord Sugar: http://bit.ly/1lH9Tl7Bend it like Beckham: Where are the cast of the 2002 hit movie now? (A nostalgia/movies feature): http://bit.ly/1OfOnetJames McAvoy reviewed in The Ruling Class: http://bit.ly/1CPh37wIdlewild reviewed live at The Roundhouse: http://bit.ly/1cwQajSKate Bush's return to the live stage - first night review: http://bit.ly/1PP88NDMonty Python's comeback - first night review: http://bit.ly/1H8VDsdAK47s to monkeys - Who made these outrageous rider requests? (Quiz): http://bit.ly/1ywr9znOrder, order! Would these celebrities get your vote at the election? (A fun showbiz feature): http://bit.ly/1FUuQOJThe Voice UK - series 4 quarter-finals live blog: http://bit.ly/1CPhnTIArcade Fire's Reflektor tour reviewed at Earls Court: http://bit.ly/1JLgPV8 Show less

• News Sub-Editor (weekday overnights)

  • Feb 2011 - Jul 2013

  News sub-editor at Digital Spy, subbing and approving reporters' copy, keeping an eye out for breaking news in the UK, the US and Australia, writing my own news pieces and features, monitoring social media trends and overseeing the newsdesk overnight on weekdays. Occasionally, my role also included researching images and filing picture tickets for our production team.



Pathways Consultancy

• Social Researcher (report writing)

  • May 2011 - Aug 2013

  My role at Pathways became more specialist during my final stint with the organisation - analysing raw data and writing summary, or 'headline' reports, for community consultation and social research clients. Occasionally, I was asked to take responsibility for specific sections of more detailed reports written by the organisation's two directors. Clients included Fix the Fells, Oldham Council/Friends of Dunwood Park, Salford City Council and the Wicksteed Park Trust. My role at Pathways became more specialist during my final stint with the organisation - analysing raw data and writing summary, or 'headline' reports, for community consultation and social research clients. Occasionally, I was asked to take responsibility for specific sections of more detailed reports written by the organisation's two directors. Clients included Fix the Fells, Oldham Council/Friends of Dunwood Park, Salford City Council and the Wicksteed Park Trust.



The Fugitive Motel

• Founder and Contributor

  • Oct 2006 - Jul 2013

  The Fugitive Motel was founded in late 2006 as a collaborative music webzine, and launched in March 2007. For the first six years of the Motel's existence, I led a small team of volunteer writers, photographers and contributors who were largely based in Manchester and London. Together, we produced music reviews and features on a regular basis. Between 2007 and 2011, I also oversaw the production of a limited-edition 'Review of the Year' print fanzine at the close of each year. The site was scaled back dramatically in 2012 due to contributors' changing priorities - myself included - and eventually placed on hiatus in mid-2013. Show less



63336 Limited

• United Kingdom
• Telecommunications
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Freelance Question Researcher

  • Nov 2009 - Jun 2013

  63336 Limited, formerly known as AQA, was named the UK's most accurate text-based Q&A service by Watchdog in 2009. I worked as a researcher for the service, researching answers on an infinite variety of topics to meet the very high standards expected by our customers. 63336 Limited, formerly known as AQA, was named the UK's most accurate text-based Q&A service by Watchdog in 2009. I worked as a researcher for the service, researching answers on an infinite variety of topics to meet the very high standards expected by our customers.



Pathways Consultancy

• Freelance Social Researcher

  • Sep 2002 - Jan 2011

  I worked as a freelance social researcher at Pathways on three separate occasions between the dates shown. My varied responsibilities included the following: • Face-to-face community consultation (for example via questionnaires, or individual and group activities); • In-house testing and evaluation of new consultation methods and tools; • Telephone and e-mail research and interviews; • Video interviews (selected projects only); • Documentary-style photography of community consultation events; • Preparation of early drafts of reports and tender documents for the company directors to edit further and send to clients or potential clients; • Helping with the delivery of a national green space leadership conference (as part of a team); • Project-specific office administration, plus general bookkeeping and cashflow. Clients whose projects I worked on included the Forestry Commission, CABE Space, the New Economics Foundation, Natural England, Oldham Council, Friends of Dunwood Park and Lancashire Wildlife Trust. Show less



Bridgestone E-Reporter

• E-Reporter Programme Finalist

  • Jul 2009 - Jul 2009

  I attended the German Grand Prix as one of eleven finalists in this year's Bridgestone E-Reporter programme, open to aspiring student journalists across Europe. I produced a wide range of copy on the GP2 series including race reports, short profile features and first-person blogs for www.bridgestone-ereporter.eu. Some of this copy has been syndicated to the official Formula 1 website, www.formula1.com. I also produced a Q&A with the Formula 1 driver Sebastien Buemi for a Bridgestone Motorsports media release, which was distributed at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Show less



Student Direct Ltd (Manchester edition)

• Sub-editor (Music and Clubbing)

  • Mar 2009 - May 2009

  Specialist sub-editing services for the Music and Clubbing section of one of the most widely read student newspapers in Western Europe. Tasks included proof-reading copy to ensure that it met item guidelines, and verifying information like release dates for factual accuracy. Specialist sub-editing services for the Music and Clubbing section of one of the most widely read student newspapers in Western Europe. Tasks included proof-reading copy to ensure that it met item guidelines, and verifying information like release dates for factual accuracy.



Mediastorm

• Radio Plugger/PR (maternity cover)

  • May 2007 - Aug 2008

  *Writing new promotional copy for clients and editing archive copy; *Developing and maintaining strong professional relationships with presenters and producers of specialist new music radio and TV shows, including getting their reactions to our artists' music; *Producing information sheets with directions and times for live studio sessions (for both the musicians and the show's producer or presenter); *Tracking new industry developments, including potential new outlets for clients' music. Show less



British Broadcasting Corporation

• Manchester, United Kingdom

• Freelance Production Runner

  • Aug 2006 - Feb 2007

  *Using a database of people who had contacted the BBC to take part in Sudo-Q to find potential contestants for telephone interviews, leaving phone messages for those who weren’t available; *Interviewing potential contestants, assessing their suitability for the show and writing research briefs on applicants for use by APs and producers; *Writing biographies for a number of successful contestants (including celebrity contestants) for use by APs and producers; *Working as a studio runner during two blocks of filming in London - meeting and greeting, supporting contestants and making sure they met their call times for wardrobe, make-up and studio. Show less



Metro

• United Kingdom
• Book and Periodical Publishing
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Freelance Features Journalist, METRO Life

  • Apr 2006 - Jul 2006

  *Writing short pieces and ‘In Town Tonight’ featurettes for the METRO Life centrefold; *Maintaining an office diary of arts events taking place in both Manchester and Liverpool. *Writing short pieces and ‘In Town Tonight’ featurettes for the METRO Life centrefold; *Maintaining an office diary of arts events taking place in both Manchester and Liverpool.