'After going on the course I scored a commission worth a thousand pounds from a major national paper. I wouldn't have had the confidence or know how to pitch it before and that one commission alone will cover my course fee more than six times over.''Saturday's course was excellent and I feel so much less unsure about the process now. After the course I had the interview I needed set up within about six minutes (and I am not exaggerating!). I had been trying most of last week without success!'
'The course was comprehensive and excellent. It answered those little niggling questions that I couldn't answer using my own common sense and the insights you gave into working practices will, I'm sure, turn out to be invaluable. It was exactly what I needed.'
'Very useful. I have 10 years of on-staff experience, but Jo and Olivia have taught me alot about the 'other side'. I'm really going to put their generous advice into practice.'
'Absolutely fantastic at showing the reality of day to day existence as a freelancer. Left the course more confident about ability and also how to proceed.'
'I just wanted to share with you the successes I've had since the pitching course because it's all down to what I learned with you. I've had a great week this week and have now written two pieces for Take a Break, a piece for Grazia, and have a commission for a piece for YOU. My working life has been transformed by the course and it moved me along from 'trying' to be a journalist to succeeding as a freelancer.'
'Very useful. It answered all the little questions I've come across but didn't know who to ask.'
'Thanks Olivia and Jo for such a brilliant day. I have learned so much and I can't wait to put all your fab advice into practice.'
'It's given me confidence and made me believe far more strongly it's possible. A really enjoyable, interesting and informative day run by friendly, positive, unpretentious people.'
'It was a superb course as the tutors were very helpful and provided us with everything we needed to know about real life journalism. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to venture into this field.'
'Thanks again for the brilliant course! I thought the day was really well planned and structured, very thorough, and interesting at all times. Nice friendly environment - much more engaging than being lectured to. I liked that fact that there weren't too many of us, and that we sat around the table so the whole day was more of a discussion than a lecture. Everyone was encouraged to contribute and share experiences. It was great to have such detailed hand-outs at the end, so I didn't have to worry about writing notes throughout. You provided lots of helpful tips that you don't get from more general training - it was a bit more personal. And there was a lot of opportunity to ask questions. It's really helped me structure my pitches and I feel like I understand the journalists who commission real-life pieces much better now.'
'I thought that the course was really helpful, very good value for money and I also made some good contacts out of it. I don't know if there is anything else like it around. Also, it was quite inspiring just hearing you speak about all the publications you have written for. Will definitely recommend it to my fellow hacks!'
'Useful, in that it gave me some pointers as to where to find case studies; how to deal with editors; and how to handle interviewees re fees, etc. Very good style and pitch. If ever I am asked to find a transsexual Ecuadorian with 7 children all of whom were breastfed to the age of 22 I will think of J and O!'
'I found Olivia and Jo were very approachable and down to earth. The course was packed with practical information and handouts, and other people chipped in with their own experiences and questions. There was no time wasted.'
'I thought it was well-organised, comprehensive and relevant. I found you both sincere, professional and genuinely keen to help. It was great fun too!'
'Thanks for the fantastic course on Saturday. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt so much. I'll let you know when I get my first commission.'
'Thanks so much for the fabulous course on Saturday. It was great hearing your experiences and gaining insight into the magazine world. Would definitely like to attend any other courses you offer and would recommend you to anyone.'
'I found the course extremely useful, particularly all the tips and advice for pitching to, and writing for, glossy magazines, which I have found much more difficult to crack than newspapers. I picked up a lot of really useful nuggets of information I could never have figured out for myself. The handouts were fantastic too - the best I've had from a training course.'
'To sub a heartfelt story to reasonable length, this course was easily worth the fee, the return flight from Dublin, the hotel - all three.'
'A fantastic course. Jo and Olivia's approach was friendly and informative and their handouts comprehensive. I'm just starting out in freelance journalism and I very much appreciated their honest and realistic presentation of the way this branch of the media works. They were very down-to-earth and their love of what they do shone through. I thought the course was great from start to finish.'
'I have had two features from the course commissioned and the phone call is a real selling point - a rare opportunity to ask lots of questions without feeling like you’re being a pain!'
'Thanks so much for running this - I think it's a great course. It is useful to get some reassurance that you’re not going to look daft by sending a certain pitch. Or indeed, to be tipped off that you are going to look daft!'
'[The course] has given me both the confidence and the technique to approach a new range of publications. I really appreciated the detailed feedback, the hints and tips for finding contacts and the checklist to run through before developing a pitch. I loved the pace of this course – with time to think about the course notes and the flexibility to change the pitch I was working on within the course. The personal feedback was fantastic – I was glad it was critical as that was more constructive. Plus, it made the praise at the end feel very motivational!'
'I have been on six Press Association courses and none come close to yours! I think this course has been very useful and I hope to put my newfound knowledge into practice as soon as possible. It boosted my confidence and gave me the push I needed to start approaching editors. That alone was worth the money. When you start out as a freelance it is all a bit of a mystery, so to find out from people already doing the job how to crack the industry was fantastic. The feedback was always helpful and constructive and my questions at the bottom always answered fully. It was a great course and I will be recommending it. It was excellent value for money. The chat at the end of the course is a very good idea.'
'It was very helpful to have so many examples of pitches, good and bad, included within the course notes. The phone one-to-one was also very useful to address my individual concerns. Everything was useful in terms of refreshing my knowledge. Thanks Jo and Olivia for all your help!'
'It was a very comprehensive guide to freelancing. You provided tons of practical information and advice and I also liked having the real life examples to refer to. I’m already using your information as a mini reference library! It was all relevant. It was great to get individual feedback and you hit the right tone with this – both honest and constructive. I also felt encouraged throughout the course.'
'I've just got my first ever commission from the Daily Mail! Thank you VERY much for all your help, I never would have got that without doing the course.'
'Very useful. It has given me a good framework for pitching. I can see where I am going wrong. I'll also make use of the resources mentioned. Ways to generate new ideas were also inspiring and helpful. Thanks so much for an inspiring course.'
'I studied journalism in a degree that cost $45,000. I found your course much better and more enjoyable - it's much more focused, practical and professionally-oriented. It's a good feeling to know you're being taught by people who continue to work successfully in the field rather than former journalists. It was brilliant to look in detail at the dos and don't of pitching; it was also really useful to have personalised feedback on my pitches. The course has been extremely useful. I really liked its flexibility and tailored nature and I've already recommended it.'
'Very useful. It has taught me how to write better pitches and what has legs and what hasn't. The course structure is spot on. The detailed feedback, which was in excess of what I expected, has been really helpful.'
'MANY THANKS, both of you! Your course has given me the confidence to get out there and keep going! I've already had very constructive feedback from two editors and that's just in one week. I had the right sort of ideas but needed to hone them and this course has done that. I now have a blueprint of what to do and how to do it. I'd certainly recommend it.'
'Thank you SO much for your feedback and the fantasticness of the course - it's been amazing.'
'I can't praise enough the quality of advice I received on this course.'
'This course absolutely transformed my pitching skills. Within weeks of finishing, one of the pitches I'd worked on during the assignments was commissioned by an editor I had never pitched to before. Financially, this more than paid for the course but, more importantly, it gave me a break into a new publication and a relationship with an editor I hope will commission me in future.'
* Photo taken by Nina Hollington.
