The name’s Hannam, Sean Hannam!
How could we not start this ‘Meet the Creator’ blog post without a James Bond referenced introduction for one of our very dearest agents?
Sean is a long-time friend of Little Red Rooster and its founder Victoria Ruffy, so take yourself on a not-so-secret mission and read of his top tips to get into journalism, plus his storied writing career – from Americana to the electronics trade and everything in between.
How did you get started in journalism and what titles have you written for over the years?
My dad was – and still is – a successful entertainment journalist and broadcaster. When I was young, I used to accompany him on some of his interviews, which were usually backstage at music venues or theatres. I fell in love with the idea of being able to get paid to speak to interesting people and, I’m pleased to say, I’ve been able to earn a living from it since the late 90s.
I keep on thinking that someone is going to find me out and make me do a proper job, but so far, I seem to have got away with it. I studied journalism as part of my degree at university and then did a postgraduate course in magazine journalism at college.
While I was doing my postgrad course, in 1995, I started writing for free for a local arts and listings magazine on the South Coast. I ended up being the music editor and was reviewing records and gigs, plus interviewing local and national bands for what was essentially beer money. It was great fun – music is my main passion and interest – but eventually I had to get a job that paid better – although only slightly, to be fair…
I applied to work as a staff writer at a local B2B magazine that was in the tech retail sector, and I got the job. I did that in the day but carried on doing the music writing in the evening, so I could get my social life and records paid for.
Since then, which was in 98/99, I’ve stayed in the tech retail sector, but also carried on writing about music, as both a hobby and freelance. I’ve worked for several publications – I was at the electrical retailing B2B magazine ERT for almost 20 years, and ended up being the editor, but I left in 2018 to go freelance and start my own business, Ipcress Media. I now edit a title called Alert, which is the magazine for electrical retailing trade association, Retra, plus I am a regular contributor to the consumer magazine, Hi-Fi+, where I interview musicians and review new albums monthly.
I also work with PR agencies on creating content for clients and brands, do digital comms and online news for a trade association in the home appliances sector, host events and chair panel sessions, write for the specialist music site AmericanaUK, and contribute to trade titles, including kbb review and Audio Media International.
When I’m not doing paid work for clients, I also run a music blog, called Say It With Garage Flowers. It started out as a hobby, but it’s now 12 years old and is doing well. I champion new music that I’m into and I talk to lots of bands and artists. It’s great fun – and I still get free records.
I really enjoy the variety of being freelance – one day I’m interviewing Gary Numan about his synthesiser set-up, and the next I’m talking to a CEO about his brand’s marketing strategy.
I’ve also written film articles for Home Cinema Choice magazine, and had my work published in several tech and design titles, but, sadly, a lot of those magazines no longer exist. Does anyone else remember What MP3 magazine? Thought not.
Why did you become a journalist? Any advice for those interested in a career in journalism?
As I said before, I wanted to meet interesting people and chat to them about what they do – I love doing interviews and hearing people’s stories or opinions.
If anyone is looking to get into journalism, make sure you have a blog, or similar, and always be prepared to do stuff for free to get some experience. Do your research, listen to people when you’re interviewing them, and try to restrain yourself when there’s a free bar. One of those things is tough to master.
What makes a good PR pro?
I won’t mention booze again… Seriously though, having a great relationship with journalists is key and understanding what they, or their readers, want is so important. It sounds basic, but you’d be surprised. I have dealt with so many bad PRs, but also a lot of brilliant ones. No names – I’m saving them for the book.
One of my pet hates is PR people who don’t know what the writer does, who their audience is, or what their publication covers. Like a good journalist, before they pitch a story, a good PR pro should always do their research.
Oh, and always make sure the client has decent pictures to accompany the story, including some of a spokesperson. And don’t forget high-resolution images for print. Again, it’s basic, and, again, you’d be surprised.
How do you see the media world change in the next five years? Has this been altered by the pandemic?
That’s a tough one. As David Bowie said, “We’ve got five years, my brain hurts a lot…”. Mind you, he also said, “We’ve got five years, that’s all we’ve got…” I hope it doesn’t come to that.
I do think the media landscape will be very different. Sadly, we will undoubtedly see the further demise of print media – a trend which has been accelerated by Covid-19.
That makes me sad, because I love print – it’s my background and I still buy loads of magazines – but it’s inevitable. I think you’ll see even more titles going behind paywalls, more curated and customised content for subscribers, more commercially minded editorial partnerships, and content, and, sadly, fewer press trips and in-person events. Once again, we’re back to the free bar.
What has been your experience working with the Little Red Rooster team?
The Little Red Rooster team are great – fun, professional and good at putting their own stamp on something. They’re exciting to work with and they come up with some great ideas.
I like their rock ‘n’roll attitude, but they’re brilliant at getting people like me what we need and getting fantastic coverage for their clients. They’ve created some memorable events and given me some good exclusives, and they’re easy to deal with. Can I take the cash now?
What has been your favourite press trip?
I’ve been to Japan several times, as a guest of some big consumer electronics brands. Those trips were always fun and memorable – although some of the nights are a bit blurry.
I used to enjoy going to CES in Vegas in the old days, and I once went to Tromsø in Norway, which is above the Arctic Circle, just before Christmas.
I’d always wanted to visit Norway, and have been back since, as I fell in love with the country. I didn’t see the Northern Lights on the press trip, which was organised by an audio brand, but I was the only UK journalist covering the analogue radio switch off and I made the local paper.
What makes a brand stand out for you?
Innovative tech, great design, cool consumer benefits and a good story to tell.
