The Editor for FC Barcelona on How He Got the Job — With the Right Portfolio
Jason Pettigrove has only started full-time journalism in 2015, but already wrote more than 4,500 articles. Here he explains how he did that and how he has managed to become editor for one of the best known football clubs in the world.
Hi Jason, great to have you. Thanks for agreeing to share your experience with Authory so far. Please tell us a little bit about your background as a journalist.
Thanks for asking me! I’m a relative newbie to journalism, having not gone full-time freelance until 2015, aged 44.
I’d been doing some part-time stuff since 2012 but not enough to make a living, and I’d had no previous experience in journalism. It was purely a chance conversation with a well-renowned broadcaster at a social event which set me on the path.
Name: Jason PettigroveAuthory page: authory.com/JasonPettigroveNumber of articles: 4,536Number of publications: 26
My ’niche’ if you can call it that, was always Spanish football/FC Barcelona, though I have a broad knowledge of all of the major European leagues and also other sports, so if the opportunity arises, I can always work for other clients doing that.
“You’re going to get nowhere in this business by sitting on your backside waiting for work to drop into your lap.”
Being freelance, you have to learn to live with the ups and downs. Literally, one day you’ll be riding the crest of a wave and earning more than enough, and then it can all be taken away just like that.
Covid has seen such things magnified, but I am a firm believer in keeping hungry for work, and by so doing, opportunities present themselves. You’re going to get nowhere in this business by sitting on your backside waiting for work to drop into your lap. You’ll be waiting a long time!
I’ve been lucky to have written my own column for Gulf News, the biggest English language newspaper in the Emirates, be seen regularly by over 20m people on prime time Jamaican TV via their Sports Max programme, and work for high profile organisations such as Al Jazeera, beIN Sports and MARCA.
There are far too many others to name, some not well known at all, but I will never turn work down. This is a relationships business, and building rapport with everyone is ultimately what helps you to sell your ‘brand.’
You have been using Authory for a few months now. What did you look for initially?
I had previously had my own website, but the process of having to upload every article myself, and in different formats on occasion, was laborious and time consuming.
I’d looked at a couple of free sites that offered similar functionality to Authory in that they were a repository for my articles, but the process, whilst easier than using my personal website, still wasn’t what I wanted.
“The process of having to upload every article myself was laborious and time consuming.”
Authory’s automatic finding of bylines and then sorting them into the right client area — as long as I’d done the initial process correct (!!) — is a breeze.
And how has Authory worked for? Have your expectations been fulfilled?
My expectations have been exceeded. The process is so seamless and easy to understand/set up. I fail to see any negative points to having my Authory account.
Your focus is on sports, especially football. And you are even the official Content Editor for FC Barcelona. Can you tell us how that came about?
I was recommended to FC Barcelona by someone who was working for them but who was looking to leave. At the time, I was working for MARCA, which as many people will know is a sports paper that aligns with Real Madrid.
It was suggested that perhaps I wasn’t the right fit for purely that reason, but I managed to persuade the club to give me a trial, and they quickly understood that I’d be a worthwhile hire.
I’ve been there for just over three years and loved every minute so far.
You’ve written for a wide variety of publications over the course of your career. Have you ever had the experience of articles disappearing or being deleted?
I have, yes. Some of my best work, including an interview with Brazil’s 1970 World Cup winning captain, Carlos Alberto, have been lost forever.
“Some of my best work have been lost forever.”
At that time, I was freelancing for beIN Sports, but not long after I’d left, they took the decision to wipe all of the work I did for them, and wouldn’t allow me access.
Something like that is incredibly frustrating, where at least with Authory, once an article is found and saved, it’s there for all time.
What would you say to your journalist colleagues about Authory?
It’s an absolute must have. It works well as an addendum to your CV as much as anything else, as it allows prospective employers to take a look at how you write and who you write for.
“Authory is an absolute must have.”
— JasonPettigrove, authory.com/JasonPettigrove
The value for money is insane, and there really isn’t a good enough reason not to have an Authory account.
Thanks, Jason!
Jason and thousands of other writers and journalist are using Authory to take control of their content and their audience. Join Jason with a free 14 day trial at authory.com
