ABOUT

Tell us who you are!

Shahed Ezaydi / 26 / Journalist and Editor.

So what do you actually do?

I research, write and report on things that are happening in the world, mainly in relation to politics and social issues. I'm also a copywriter, so I write and edit a range of work for businesses and brands. I also commission and edit personal essays for Aurelia Magazine in my role as Deputy Editor.

What has your career path been?

It's been a rather odd career path that started off not having much to do with journalism, but involved a lot of luck. I studied Criminology at the University of Manchester, both for my undergrad and Masters, and I thought I wanted to pursue a career in academia. But I quickly realised it wasn't for me, and I graduated without a real plan.

I ended up getting a job as a civil servant, which I did for a year. However, during this time I started writing, not to make money or make a career out of it, just writing for the sake of writing. And then one day I came across this independent magazine on social media, Aurelia, who were looking for writing submissions, and so I took a chance and submitted a piece of work.

And that's really where my love for writing and journalism kicked off. I started doing some unpaid journalism work on the side of my full-time civil servant job, until I was then offered a commercial writing role for a local business. I was in the job for a year, whilst continuing with the freelancing on the side, until I was made redundant in December 2020. Since then, I've been a full-time freelance writer and I've never looked back!

What is the best part of your job?

I love being halfway through writing a piece and being able to see the whole article properly coming together, and seeing all the work I've put in laid out on the page.

There's also no better feeling than knowing an article of mine made a difference to a person's life or amplified a story or issue and brought it into mainstream discussions.

What inspired you to do your job?

I've always been a big writer, it's something I truly love. So, to be able to write and edit words for a living is honestly a dream come true for me, and something I look forward to doing every day.

One piece of advice for someone starting in your role?

Don't be afraid to follow the stories that nobody else is following or reporting on. These are the stories that journalists need to be sharing with the world. And also don't be put off if pitches or articles get rejected by editors or senior team members. Every single journalist in this industry will have been rejected (or still is) in their career, it's very much a part of the job.

Final words?

I'm always happy to help writers and journalists trying to navigate this huge and tough industry, especially those from marginalised backgrounds already having to contend with structural barriers. If it's looking for a contact for an editor or wanting some guidance around pitching your work, my (virtual) door is always open. So, do drop me an email!

Check out Shahed’s Twitter below!

DAY IN THE LIFE

I wake up at 9.30am most days, shower, eat my breakfast, and start work at around 10am. The first thing I do once I'm sat at my desk is turn my speakers on. Depending on my mood, I will either listen to Radio 1 or whack on one of my playlists. I log on to my computer and go straight to the multiple email inboxes I have or manage, so I can check through them all. This helps form how the day looks and what tasks need to be prioritised. I also check if I have any meetings that day so I can plan my tasks around them.

Checking and responding to emails usually takes me about an hour or so, and then I move on to going through my editor tasks for Aurelia. This involves going through pitches, checking in on and editing commissioned work, and scheduling any pieces that are due to be published that week. I will also attend an editorial meeting, if one is planned, to go through commissions, themes or ideas we want to cover that month, and general admin. This will usually take me up until lunch time, which I take at 12.30pm for an hour.

As I work from home, I try my best to take my lunch break away from my desk. So, I usually sit with my lunch in a different room and watch an episode of something on Netflix. I reserve the bigger tasks for after my lunch break (1.30pm onwards), and this is usually my copywriting workload. The work ranges when it comes to copywriting, but recently it's mostly been writing and editing blog posts and website pages for brands. Some days, this will involve having meetings with the brand or business about the exact wants and needs they're looking for in the writing.

This work will take me to around 4pm, and then I'll turn to my journalism work. If I have any commissioned work or a deadline to work to, then I'll work on putting an article together until around 7pm. If I don't have any commissioned work on, then I'll work on my pitches. This tends to involve me reading through news sites, magazines, and social media to generate some new ideas and look for potential stories. I'll add any new ideas or stories to my ongoing document, and then log off for the day at 5.30pm.

I live with my parents at the moment, so dinner will be ready at 6pm. We sit down to eat all together, watching the 6pm news like always. I try my best to not work in the evenings, but if I have a deadline or an especially heavy workload that week, then I'll go back to my desk after dinner. However, this is not too regular an occurrence.

After I've had my dinner and washed up, usually around 7pm, I will settle in for the evening on the sofa and watch a couple of films or a TV show I'm really into at that point in time. Some evenings, my sister will join me, but mostly it's just me and characters on the screen. I'll go to bed at around 11pm, ready to go again tomorrow.