I wrote my first story at seven years old. Bound in a wine folder, it featured a seal whose curious nature took her on many adventures.

Things progressed and by my teens I was a full-on prose nerd, gobbling up everything from Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita to The Storyteller by Mario Vargas Llosa.  Poetry, short stories and songwriting became my obsession, as the language of the surrealist writers mixed in with the Bronte’s, Patrick Kavanagh and Thomas Kinsella. 

I studied English, Philosophy and Classical History at University College Dublin. Again, I consumed all that was put before me, falling for Utilitarianism and Keats. Then, after years of school and college I found myself burnt out. So I traveled and waitressed, from Dublin to London to New York. I played and sung my songs, I made an album with my sister, taking it to South by Southwest in Austin and releasing it in the US to fine acclaim. 

But writing and storytelling kept calling. I wanted that to be part of whatever I did. So I returned to college to study Journalism in Griffith College. Amazingly, my first internship was a gift, and I found myself working at Village Magazine under the tutorage of Vincent Browne. There I got to make mistakes, and have them pointed out by the finest mind in the business. But I also had to hold my own, pitching ideas and absorbing all the lessons I could.

I quickly found myself editing a business to business title for the fashion industry, where I learnt the ropes of putting a monthly magazine to bed, of honing commercial content into an entertaining experience, as well as defining a look and a direction of a magazine.

Moving to one of the biggest magazine publishing houses in the country, I fast-tracked from deputy to editor on one of the earliest Irish lifestyle websites for women to editing their flagship title, Irish Tatler. Clocking up almost 120 years by the time I arrived, it was poised for reinvention, and for celebration. This we did with aplomb. I assembled three decades of Irish acting talent, Maureen O’Hara, Alison Doody and Saoirse Ronan for a historical cover which went on to win awards.

More followed. We gave Ruth Negga her first glossy cover, won Magazine of the Year. After five years, a new challenge called, and I took on the glorious task of editing one of the widest read publications in the country, the much-loved Cara magazine. A year of travel, editing and brand experience followed before the role of Editorial Director of Cara’s publishing house IMAGE Publications beckoned.

In a rapidly changing environment, we upped our print game and streamlined the digital and print content to reach new audiences and regularly break new ground. A year later, I was again taking on a new challenge, as I grabbed the opportunity to take on my own clients and edit publications for Weir & Sons and work in a newspaper environment at the Business Post.

Now, two years in, I’ve had the pleasure of combining all my loves and creating fresh publications, including House Stories for Haddington House - giving me the opportunity to tell unique stories about a business, a neighbourhood, and a historical location. A recent qualification in digital marketing has turned my attentions to the continuing and exciting challenges online including interactive storytelling and branded content.

And there’s still so much more to learn, I hope that never changes.

Jessie