word on the street 11 This summer I’ve been working on ‘Fest’ the Edinburgh festival magazine. It’s been the best experience! We printed four issues over July and August, and I was really proud of them. I know what it’s like to land your dream job. Less than two years after my Masters in Publishing, I was working as Editor of The List. My role was made redundant during the pandemic. I felt that if this could happen to me, when I work so hard, then what’s the point of sticking around in an industry that doesn’t want me anymore? But I have fallen back in love with it. In the last couple of years I’ve felt quite angry at the creative industries. So many of my friends lost their jobs left, right and centre. All this amazing talent. It felt like a real shame that they weren’t being protected. I think there should be more solidarity. I feel really strongly that staff retention is important. If you bring somebody into a company, make sure you have plans to help them grow. Sometimes I have felt like I’m ticking a box. I think a lot of people of colour have felt this way. People are coming into the industry with really good intentions to change things, but then they’re essentially kicked out. So the cycle keeps going. Being the ‘diversity representative’ is mentally taxing. It’s essentially putting all the onus on underrepresented people to make themselves more represented. But the way I see it, as one of the very few, I need to do something, otherwise nothing will change. I do think it’s getting better though! People are no longer just talking about diversity in the industry, but are actually wanting to do something. We just need to keep going. I definitely have a ‘portfolio career’. I’ve done all sorts of roles in publishing, radio, TV and podcasting. Last year I published my first book, Flip the Script, about women and hip-hop. Being able to do so many different things with the skills you have is the best thing you can do. You just never know what opportunities might come up. My motto is ‘burn it down and start again’. When I started at Fest, they wanted to do a total redesign, and I ran with that mentality. In more general terms, there are so many people wanting to do their own magazines – rather than continuing to pour money into saving things that aren’t working, let’s support them and invigorate the industry! My advice would be: don’t limit yourself to one field. Be open, try working in different areas. You just never know what opportunities might come up. I have gone in so many directions and it has paid off! At 29, Arusa Qureshi has already had an enviable publishing career. Jo had a brief catch-up with her at Magazine Street, to talk about her working life post-redundancy, her commitment to diversity and her dramatic life motto… FLIPPING THE SCRIPT
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODY1ODQy