New editor to share story

From entertainment and news reporter at the Herald on Sunday to editor of one of New Zealand's leading women's magazines in the space of seven years - it's a lofty achievement for a former Knighton Normal School student.

Michelle Coursey, born in Opotoki and raised in Hamilton from age 3, was promoted to editor of New Idea in January. It's a role she's relishing and she'll share her insights into the world of media and women's magazines at the 15th annual Spark International Festival of Media, Arts and Design next week.

A major event on the national arts calendar, Spark is designed to engage and educate those with an interest in the creative industries. It features more than 20 world-class artists, designers, musicians, filmmakers and media commentators.

As a Hamilton Girls' High student, Michelle was a self-confessed "English nerd". She indulged her love of English with an honours degree in English and screen and media studies at Waikato University. A one-year National Diploma in Journalism cemented her passion for print media.

Her first role was as a general news and entertainment reporter for the Herald on Sunday. The entertainment round gave Michelle her first taste of the world she's now immersed in.

"I loved the news side of it, but the entertainment side of writing was my first real taste of the world I'm in now. I just loved it. I've always been interested in movies and TV and radio. Getting to speak to people about their jobs and projects that they're passionate about, whether it's a book or a film or a TV show, that was always really exciting."

But Michelle never expected to be an editor of a major magazine so soon. "When I first started out, I imagined myself as a feature writer but never thought I would end up where I am now. I've done a variety of jobs and tried out different areas along the way. All of them have led back to the lifestyle and entertainment side of things."

And while she says she's been lucky to have had support from "amazing mentors" along the way, it's been pure hard work that's seen Michelle rise through the ranks. And her advice to aspiring journalists is to be prepared to work hard to succeed. "You won't always work normal hours. You have to spend a lot of time outside normal hours... working later, weekends... to succeed. But if you love it, it doesn't matter.

"People think it's an incredibly glamorous job and in some ways it is. You're dealing with celebrities and you go to lovely events and meet lots of interesting people, but at the same time there's a lot of draught work and late nights. No matter where you work and what you do, you have deadlines to meet."

But perhaps the key requirement to succeed in media, Michelle says, is to love people. "You have to be interested in people because ultimately what it comes down to in this job is that it's about people and telling their stories. Finding a way to connect with people is important. You have to care about your readers, listeners and viewers." And New Idea has plenty of readers. With a growing subscription base and readership on the rise, it has earned its place among the stable of women's magazines in New Zealand.

While New Idea features all the latest Hollywood fashion and gossip and royal baby mania, it also deals with serious issues. "What we try and achieve is a moment of escape, or a moment of fun away from everyday life. Women's magazines can deal with some really serious topics, and we do. But we offer women a bit of a chance to get away from everyday stresses - not worry about the bills and the cooking for a couple of hours while they read the magazine."

Michelle's presentation will be in events room one at Wintec's Gallagher Hub on Wednesday at 1.30pm.