Stories From The Frontline: Copy Writer

1. Name: Elizabeth Soumya

2. What you wanted to be as a child: Archeologist

3. Current Job: Copywriter

4. Average working hours: 11/day

5. What are some of the typical stressors in your industry? Unreasonable deadlines, late nights, difficult clients who are unsure about what they want, hundreds of reworks on the same copy till it's completely disfigured.

6. What do you do when you are stressed? Listen to music, take a walk

7. On a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being the worst and 10 being the best), how would you rate your work-life balance? 0

8. Which colour de-stresses you the most? Pastel Lemon

9. What can be done to improve work-life balance? Realistic deadlines, better time management to ensure we don't work on weekends, brief motivational quotes by the boss, better pantry, space to de-stress in office, giving us days off for the weekends we work, having an HR department in the same city!

10. Something nice the job? Informal environment and opportunity to do creative work

11. Favourite work quote: "The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one" - Oscar Wilde.

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This interview was brought to you by The Workplace. You can also read our Life Of A... series.

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Life Of A Copy Writer

I am Vani Vedula

I am a Copy Writer with Percept/H, New Delhi

Advertising? How did I land here?
Well, when I was in college, I wanted to get into corporate communication but friends always believed that I was good at creative writing. Eventually after a couple of classes from a well known industry people called Nandu Narsimhan and Shubho Sarkar, I took up copywriting.

What’s a typical day at work like?
Well, it can either be very hectic with lots of briefs flowing in and impractical deadlines from the servicing or a chilled day with moderate work.

Highs and lows (personal, organizational, etc)
I often get depressed over rejection of good work. Because creativity is relative and sometimes your boss or servicing executives might not get your point which basically dumps good works. Besides, late nights and working over the weekend is a big pain. Leaves you with little time for your personal stuff.

Why I think you should be in advertising
If you are crazy, whacky and expressive on paper and have an opinion, you should be in advertising. The only glamorous field, besides films and modeling.


Vani is a copy writer who writes her copies in a copy book first!

Why I think you should not be in advertising
It doesn't pay well in the initial years. This isn't a specialised job. Anyone with good writing skills and a creative mind can become a copywriter. So, since the competition is a lot, hence the lesser pay. Unless you prove your worth.

What nobody will tell you about copy writing
How to write creatively. It's like lycra. Either you have it or you don't.

What do you need to do to get into this industry?
Start working in an agency as soon as possible. Approach a consultant or just mail the creative guys for internship if you are a fresher.

What are your career prospects?
You can really do well if you are talented. If you are not then, be nice to your boss. Follow him to the smoking zone if required. Build that rapport and bond well during booze outings. Be known in the circuit. It pays off.

Would you like to ask Vani questions about her job, or about working with an advertising agency? Mail them to jobsmediablog@gmail.com. The best questions will be handpicked, answered, and published on a later date.

Comments are open for this post. Feel free to talk about anything under the sun.

Previously: Life Of A Music Manager

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Shivani replies to your queries

Shivani Srivastava, a Music Manager at Big FM, has responded to questions from readers who had written in.


First up, we have Renuka V Suryavanshi from Pune who asks: I would like to apply to the Mumbai or Delhi office of your radio station. How do I go about it? I have completed my Diploma in Journalism and Communication from the University of Pune in 2006-07.

Shivani's reply: To apply you have to mail your CV to our HR department or visit the career page on our website and post your CV there


Next, Chris Ponappa writes in from Bangalore: What dictates the the choice of music on air? Who or what decides what music will be played at what time? And where do you get your music files from?

Shivani replies: Every radio station has its own music policy and according to that a radio station plays the songs. Therefore, there is music scheduler who decides what will play at what time. We buy the CDs from music stores.


Aayesha writes in from Delhi: What are the salaries like for someone who's about to begin his career at an FM station?

Reply: For beginners it is somewhere between Rs. 18,000-20,000.


Brajesh Patel from Ahmedabad wants to know: How normally is the hierarchy of an organisation like yours structured?

Reply: On the top we have Station Head, under whom come the different departments like Programming, Sales, Marketing, Traffic, Public Relation, etc. RJs , Producers, Sound Engineers, Music Scheduler come under Programming.


With this Question+Answer session, we conclude the first part of our 'Life Of A...' series, in which we try to bring you snapshots from the lives of media professionals.

Did you like this article? Is there something else you'd like to read? Talk to us. Tell us what you're looking for. Write in to jobsmediablog@gmail.com

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Life of a Music Manager

Our new "Life Of A"... series attempts to bring to you snapshots from the lives of media professionals. This is the first of the series, in which we feature a youngster with an FM radio station.


I am Shivani Srivastava

I work with Big FM, New Delhi, as Music Manager.

Radio? Now how did I land here?
By accident. After completing my diploma in advertising and public relations, I had never dreamed that one day I will be in the radio industry without having any prior knowledge about it. It was like a dream for me to work in the medium which is growing so fast.

So what’s a typical day at work like?
Very challenging and hectic. You have to be passionate about your work. Everyday you do the same thing which becomes boring and monotonous after sometime and then it will be a challenge for you to do some things differently from your competition.

My highs and lows
Once you are into this industry, you don’t get much time for your personal life as your professional life takes most of your time. Radio is a passive medium where you are live and have to mark your position in the niche market.

Why I think you should be in radio
Radio connects you to a huge number of people very easily. At the same time you have to be very creative and spontaneous. Radio is an easy platform to fame. You not only touch the hearts of the masses but also you entertain them and give information about their city, culture, music, anything which is in the interest of the listener. So if you think you have that creativity and spontaneity, then you’re are the right person for this job.


Shivani at her workstation. Yes, you get two terminals, not one!

Why I think you should not be in radio
Radio is not a place for those who can’t work 24x7. There will be situations like festivals etc., when you have to be at your workstation performing your duties religiously, while your friends will be enjoying that particular moment.

What nobody will tell you about radio
Nobody can tell you what exactly radio is unless you yourself are part of it.

What do you need to do to get into this industry?
There are many institutes like Indian Institute of Mass communication, Simran’s Academy of Radio Management, Roshan Abbas’s EMDI Encompass Institute of Radio Management, etc where you can get thorough knowledge from the gurus of the radio industry. You can also join the radio stations as intern or trainees and can start your classes by working in the live radio station instead of the dummy classes.

What are your career prospects?
It’s a place where you get the money based on your caliber. After 5 years you can be the head of your department.

Would you like to ask Shivani questions about her job, or about working with a radio station? Mail them to jobsmediablog@gmail.com. The best questions will be handpicked, answered, and published on a later date.

Comments are open for this post. Feel free to talk about anything under the sun.

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