Behind the scenes at IFA Magazine – Sue Whitbread talks to Managing Director, Jac Wilson about the publishing world – and archaeology!

by | Jun 27, 2017

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Readers may well know that IFA Magazine is part of a bigger media and publishing group called Clifton Media Lab. When we make changes in our team here, it’s useful for us to take the opportunity for you to get to know them too. From 1st June, our former Group Operations Director, Dr Jacqueline Wilson, has taken on a bigger role as Managing Director at IFA Magazine. We thought we would catch up with her for a coffee and a chat for a look behind the scenes. She talks to Sue Whitbread about running a publishing business and maintaining her passion for archaeology too!

Ed: We’ve worked together for over a year and half now, so tell us a little about your career background as yours is not exactly the most obvious route into publishing?

Jac: Well yes, although mine isn’t a front-facing position really Sue as you know. Although I work closely on the production and design with the team and along with yourself and Mike Wilson, our fabulous Editor-in-Chief,(no relation!) on the editorial of this magazine, believe it or not it is two years since I joined. Along with Alex Sullivan (Managing Partner) and Paul Wilson (Chairman), I played a key role in developing and launching our sister title GB Investments magazine last December, and I’m busy with our other titles in the group too. However, I suspect you are referring to the fact that I’m an archaeologist and an academic by profession so to speak. My background is somewhat unusual as I started my career in University funding and I spent 11 years surrounded by student numbers and HE policy briefings, before returning to University as a mature student while my children were little, to complete my PhD. I have held various posts at director level elsewhere before joining,  but as these were in advanced research in the field of archaeology, I thought it was important to really learn our core business areas before taking on a more senior role across the Clifton Media Lab group. In terms of expertise, I bring with me many years of successfully directing and completing research projects and our business is essentially a series of mini-projects so it’s a good match all round and not too big a change for me.  And as everyone knows academics need to be diplomats these days as well as commercially minded to build networks and secure funding, so I’m entirely comfortable talking to providers, clients and our readers about how we can ensure there is real value and insight in everything we do in this sector. And of course I’ve worked with many publishing companies over the years, some good, some ahem not so good, so I know my way around both sides of the table now!.

 
 

Ed: Has IFA Magazine changed very much since you joined?

Jac: Like every publishing group, there’s the operational side of production that readers don’t see. I am very pleased however, that our readers are noticing are the many excellent changes not only to the content in the magazine, but also on our web pages where we have fantastic regular digital engagement. That is much more to do with additions to the team, like yourself Sue, and working closely with our digital content team, which I’m glad to say I have a part in organising as well. Our editorial is much more focused now, giving analysis and opinion – with just a hint of humour too! We have recently had some fantastic testimonials from our readers who like what they see, which really is the proof of the pudding. Rarely do people take the time to give positive feedback but we’ve had a lot of it, so I’m sure we’re on the right track.  Some readers have even started to share photos of unusual and different places they are reading their IFA Magazine (I particularly loved the tweet from the snowy alps). We’d love to see more of those so please keep them coming!

Ed: So are you still writing and publishing in the academic/archaeology side of things? Are there enough hours in the day for you to get it all done?

 
 

Jac: The office is busy but it’s always tremendous fun. I must confess that I am still an active academic as they say. I was recently at a book launch in Durham, as I had written a chapter in a new book that was being launched and I’m always busy with requests for book reviews and new papers – so there’s always time for archaeology and I like to keep update with the associations and friends who are out locally on fieldwork. I have to use my maiden name of Cahill in the middle of mine when I write (that’s for SEO if nothing else) as, of course, there is a much more famous author who is a Dame of the realm with the same name! But you can always find me if you search for Romans in Ireland, I’ll leave that one out there.

Ed: With IFA and GB Investments Magazines both going from strength to strength, tell us what plans you have for the rest of the year?

Jac: Well, we will be spending the summer putting together our Business Spotlight edition of IFA Magazine as you know Sue, which will come out in September. Readers can already see a sneak preview of this in the content hosted on our website (just click on the business spotlight tab on the toolbar). GB Investments produces a yearbook that will be published in October, so we are commissioning thought-leadership pieces for this also during the summer. We will be agreeing our themes and topics to take us through to the end of the year for all publications. We’ll be listening, as always to sage advice from Mike Wilson, on where he sees things taking us in the current climate. Of course, we will all be keenly awaiting any news on what will be happening with Brexit negotiations and hoping that the political climate, which seems so volatile at the moment, starts to settle down.

 
 

Ed: Busy as ever Jac, but like you say never a dull moment in the IFA Magazine offices, any holidays planned?

Jac: I have I’m glad to say I’ve booked my husband and I onto another Camino walk to Santiago de this summer. I’m really looking forward to this one as it is our third year on a Camino and this time we are walking the coastal route through Portugal to Santiago. Bring it on!

About Jac Wilson

Jacqueline is Managing Director of IFA Magazine Publications, part of Clifton Media Lab, a multi-media platform which is based in Bristol.

She is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Bristol, a Visiting Fellow at the University of Leicester and has lectured and published widely on the Iron Age in Western Europe, Ireland’s relationship with the Roman Empire and provincial Roman Studies. Jac is a member of the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland, a member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Field Archaeologists but the award she is most proud of was being made a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2013 for her outstanding contribution to research in her field.

 

 

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