Career Stories

Want to become a magazine editor or publisher? Find out how Jenny did just that

Jenny Rudd, Editor and Co-Publisher, UNO Magazine.

What did you want to be when you were 16?
Either a criminologist, a journalist in war zones or a lorry driver. 

What did you end up doing when you left school?
I grew up in the UK, and went to university straight from school, then university in France. Towards the end of that degree (where I was based in Clermont Ferrand), I decided to go up to Paris for the weekend. I fell completely in love with the city, so ended up staying there and helping manage a pub for a year. It was epic. After that, I returned to the UK and worked as a trader in London. What a phenomenal experience. It doesn't exist anymore, the way trading floors used to be run. I feel very lucky to have been part of that history.

Describe a day in your life at work:
UNO is quarterly, so in the weeks running up to print, all my time is taken up with the production of the magazine: concepts, writing, shooting, design, making sure every feature looks absolutely PERFECT before being packaged up ready for print. Of course, I don't do all those jobs - we have fantastic writers, photographers, makeup artists, stylists and designers. It's the editor's job to sit in the middle and make sure everything looks and feels like UNO. I usually write a couple of features each issue, too. 

When we aren't close to deadline, I spend lots of time with different people all over the Bay: the kind of people who blow your mind with what they are doing with their lives. And a huge number of business owners, who advertise in our magazine. It's really important that we understand what they need to propel their business forward, so we can come up with ways of communicating that to our readers.

Work often drifts over to the evening, too. We are very lucky to be invited to lots of launches, and fun and fascinating events where we learn about all different industries in the Bay of Plenty. Sometimes I am invited to talk or MC at events, too. Or I'm interviewed for radio stations and podcasts.

Why do you love your job/career?
It's impossible to overstate the love I have for UNO. Because we are so involved with lots of businesses, enterprises and associations in the Bay of Plenty, I get to really understand what motivates the thousands of sparky, lively, active minds and bodies who choose to live here. To own such an influential media platform which speaks to all those people is an absolute honour. 

How did you get into your career?
Recognising opportunities, and PERSISTENCE.

What qualifications did you study?
I have a BA (hons) in Economics from a university in the UK, a PGCE in teaching primary with modern foreign languages (basically a post grad degree to be a teacher), and also, what was then called a Maitrise at a university in France, in international commerce. Actually, I haven't quite got the latter. I bunked off at the end of the degree and hung out in Paris.

Do you have any advice for getting into your sector?
Recognise what you are good at and enjoy and find a way to make your skill a job. When my three children were tiny, I wanted to work. I'd only been in New Zealand for a year, and I knew there was no call for traders, which was my previous job before I moved here. I went out for a drink with Sandra Power. "Whatever you should do for work, will be right under your nose," she said. "What are you doing in your daily life that you really enjoy?" I thought about it. My son was three, and my twin daughters were one. I was crippled with homesickness for England. So, I was writing really long emails back home to my friends. I loved getting lost in writing to the people I loved and missed so much. So, I started writing a mummy blog. From there, I started to get writing work for magazines and some copywriting work for businesses which I absolutely loved. And that's where it all started. Now, I own the world's best magazine with the world's smartest, funniest and hottest person - my husband, Mat Tomlinson. Thanks, Sandra Power!

What do you wish you had done differently?
Nothing differently, I suppose I do love looking back at some of the shocking mistakes I made. There really is nothing quite like learning from your own massive mistakes.

What would you say to your teenage self about defining your future?
Ooooff. I don't think that feisty know-it-all would have listened to anyone!