Journalist Spotlight | Interview with Katie Stow, Editor of Punkee

Katie Stow joins Lucy from the Medianet team this week to talk pop culture, digital media and the challenges of writing about sex. Katie recently joined Punkee, Junkee Media group’s pop culture-oriented news and entertainment site, as an Editor, having spent 3 years at Mamamia covering all things entertainment, lifestyle, culture, and intimacy.

Firstly, congratulations on your new role and joining the Punkee team! Can you tell me a bit about what you are looking forward to in this new position?

Thank you! I’m so stoked to have joined the Punkee team – I’ve been a fan of the brand for so long, so it definitely feels like a *pinch me* moment to actually be working behind the scenes of it all. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in with carving out a new chapter for Punkee by expanding on what the brand already does brilliantly as well as finding new content opportunities to expand into in a dynamic way!

What has been the most memorable experience of your career to date?

Ooh, that’s a toughie! I’ve been lucky to have a bunch of crazy moments attached to my job, but the latest and greatest was being flown to Melbourne with Womanizer (a fab sex toy brand) to test out their new shower head sex toy. That was a funny one to try and explain to customs on arrival that I was there for both business and pleasure.

What perspectives and stories are you most interested in hearing more about through your work and bringing to your readers?

First-person opinions have always been my favourite content to consume because I love hearing an individual’s unique perspective on something that everyone is talking about – so that is always welcomed as a pitch format. I’m also super passionate about having candid and honest conversations about sex, intimacy and relationships, so I’m very excited to be bringing that to Punkee and would love to hear from people who feel the same about normalising these chats.

What misconceptions and challenges have you experienced writing content covering sex, relationships and intimacy?

There’s always the ‘awkward’ barrier you have to smash through – people often think ‘oh what do your family think about you putting that kind of content on the internet’ and my favourite way to respond is ‘my family are the least of my concerns, but I have to send it to my boss!’ But in all seriousness, I think the biggest challenge has been how restrictive social platforms can be with sex content. Even if it’s not explicit and it’s purely educational, you can be shadow banned. Even sharing an anatomical picture of a clitoris can get you blocked! So finding ways to get important content out to your own audience can be a mission – but one that’s totally worthwhile.

What is your perception of Punkee that distinguishes it from other pop culture publishers in the industry?

Punkee is, without a doubt, the most fun pop culture coverage! It doesn’t take itself too seriously and it provides the entertainment content you want to see with zero judgement, because there’s no shame in loving reality TV!

Is there any upcoming work from you or the team at Punkee we should keep an eye out for?

Expect more hilarious interviews, deep dives into the pop culture moments you really care about and exciting new adventures into sex, relationships, and lifestyle content. It’s going to be super fun!

And lastly, what do you look for in content pitching?

I look for a hot take with buckets of passion. If you’re not excited about what you’re pitching, then it’s going to be hard for that to be picked up. So, think about the angle that you want to see on Punkee and pour in your enthusiasm!