Scarlett Keddie is the Deputy Digital Editor for News Corp Australia’s taste.com.au and joined Lucy from Medianet this week to discuss her career, as well as industry experience. Scarlett began working in the Australian media in 2011, and after a stint in the UK working in advertising and marketing, she returned to Australia and the News Corp team in 2018 as a Digital Content Producer for taste.com.au and Escape.
Can you tell me a bit about your start in the media industry, and how was your first gig as an Editorial Assistant?
Fresh out of uni I started working in a print editorial special projects team (what a mouthful) at News Corp in their then offices in Alexandria. Because it was special projects, it didn't have the usual weekly or monthly cadence that went with many print brands, it was longer - quarterly from memory - so in that sense it was unique too.
What first brought you to working with taste.com.au. Have you always had an interest in writing about food?
I sort of fell into taste.com.au. I would see the team across the way and have always been a food lover, pouring over each breakfast, lunch and dinner as if they were my last. So when the opportunity arose, needless to say I lurched at it. I also really liked my would-be boss, Syrie. She was that perfect mix of personable and efficient. So it married all the good things of editorial, food and great leadership. I've been tethered in some way to the brand ever since.
You spent several years working in the UK, what were some of the skills you picked up during your time there?
I worked in advertising and marketing primarily in the UK. I learnt about the extreme focus and precision that clients and brands put into their work. While I'm very happy on the editorial side, I see what goes into the brand side, and I respect that level of detail and care. I also simply became more organised, whether that be on the job, or learning that a small salary will have to stretch a whole lot further than you initially think, unless you meticulously tetris around your money.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
In terms of wow moments, while working at Escape, I went hot air ballooning at dawn in Cappadocia, Turkey. That was quite wild. In terms of pride, I would say my current role. Really understanding the nuts and bolts of a website, working with many different stakeholders to get a broader picture of taste as a business, and realising my dream of working in food writing. It's everything wrapped up in one.
What is your research and writing process like, do you get to taste test every recipe you publish?
For writing, I get intimidated when the blank page stares back at me, but as I start to type, the words flow out. ‘Just start’ is my mantra. The rest will follow. Sadly I am not the team taste tester - that lucky aspect lies within the Food team. I'm all about the content, and licking the computer screen is about as close as I can get to gratifying my taste buds.
Is there any upcoming work from you or the taste.com.au team we should keep an eye out for?
Taste is constantly evolving, with clients, users and our brand identity in mind. It's a perfect symbiotic ecosystem. We put a huge amount of effort into researching new trends, perfecting our content, and optimising our user experience. Great things are in the pipeline, but mum's the word there.
And lastly, what are your content pitching preferences?
Email is best, and as a rule of thumb, because we get so many pitches each day - if we're interested, we'll reach out. It's a 'don't call us, we'll call you' type of thing. But always very grateful for the contact and pitches regardless!
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