Christie Brewington

High Fashion PR, Marketing and Social Media for Sabine Getty  

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How did your degree help you gain your current position?

My degree was fundamental in securing highly sought after internships, something so vital to my career.

I gained many skills that enabled me to write for different platforms using a variety of tones. My ability to efficiently adjust to the tone of the brand and to produce concise copy combined with creatively curated content led to the success of my internship. In fact Lulu Guinness asked me to extend my internship but I decided to leave and look for a paid position.

How valuable have you found the skills you learnt in your degree?

I never thought I’d leave university saying this but the newsdays have been the most valuable.

Newsdays were certainly the hardest part of the course, but it toughened me up and prepared me for graduate life. The industry works under such tight deadlines, it stops for nothing and no-one. Without newsdays, I would not have been able to cope with the pressures of the industry.

The most valuable skill this course taught me was how to cope with the real life pressures of the industry, something many courses do not provide. It is absolutely fundamental to gaining employment and a fantastic way to see if it is for you.

What branch of journalism would you see yourself in/are in?

I am currently in High Fashion PR/ Marketing/ Social Media. My role ranges across a variety of areas. I create content across all our feeds on all social media sites. I liaise with celebrity/PR agents to dress celebrities for events. I also write blog posts about Fashion Week and art events in and around London.

What advice would you give new graduates about gaining relevant experience?

NEVER GIVE UP. Take everything and anything you can while you can. You can never have too much experience and gaining as many contacts as possible is key. Everyone must start somewhere and everyone has done the nitty gritty tasks. Working as an intern unpaid for 3 months made an impact on my CV as it showed I had the passion and determination to make it in the industry. You need to prove yourself because there are hundreds of other people who have applied for that same role.

Fashion is my forte and reading books on my favourite designers gave me a huge motivational push. Reading about those in my industry, working in my dream job kept that fire burning. After finishing university and working 4 unpaid internships it’s hard to stay in touch with your aims and goals. It’s very easy and tempting to take the first thing with a reasonable salary. But reading helped me focus on my goals and reminded me that money isn’t happiness. Persevere and be patient, it will pay off!

What did you enjoy most about Christ Church?

The support of the lecturers was overwhelming. Without their help and support I don’t think I would have graduated. My classmates were also fantastic. Working with such an incredible team pushes you and keeps you in touch with your dreams.

Were the practical elements of the course valuable?

Learning practical skills, such as working with Final Cut Pro, InDesign and Photoshop are crucial to gaining employment. These three software packages in particular (including Illustrator) are on many job specs within the Journalism & Editorial field. Workshops at Uni came in handy and taught me everything I know about these software packages, allowing me to create graphics, videos and edit images.