Journalist Spotlight | Interview with Alice Ellis at Time Out Australia

Alice Ellis, the Head of Content and Editor in Chief for Time Out Australia, details her career journey from magazine editing to national leadership, emphasising her commitment to "service journalism" that enriches people's lives. She also discusses the shift from print to digital publishing and explains that successful story pitches to Time Out require positive, innovative angles supported by high-quality imagery. 

As the Head of Content and Editor in Chief for Australia, how did you get your start in the company?

I started as Editor of Time Out Sydney 3.5 years ago, then worked my way up to this national role, leading the Sydney, Melbourne and Australia editorial teams. I previously worked in magazines – at Women's Health for 10 years, as well as the Virgin inflight magazine and some custom titles, but I've also worked in marketing and communications roles (in sport, the fitness industry and at a not-for-profit).

You’ve also worked across media roles and publications throughout your career. What has been your proudest moment and/or greatest achievement thus far?

I was proud to work on Women's Health's Women in Sport campaign for many years. We worked to boost the profile of female athletes and sporting leagues through content and our annual Women in Sport Awards. We helped build audiences for things including the AFLW, WBBL, NRLW, and I was so passionate about that, I ended up going on to work in sport. Here at Time Out, I'm proud of the work we do every day to fight the war on the couch. The couch is a very appealing place to spend time, but we encourage people to get out to experience where they live – for more vibrant cities, more connected communities and better mental health.

How have your different roles prepared you as Head of Content for TimeOut Australia?

I have always worked in the "service journalism" space. Whether it was for Women's Health or Time Out, I create content that helps enrich people's lives.

Can you speak on the differences across how the different publications you’ve worked for plan and produce content? What does a typical day for you look like currently?

The biggest contrast has been the differences between working in print magazines and digital publishing. Working in print, everything was very planned out. For Time Out's digital channels, we have to be organised and thinking ahead, but it's more important that we're flexible and reactive, jumping on things fast.

Finally, as the Head of Content, what makes for a memorable pitch?

Time Out publishes content that help people feel good, so positive news stands out. Newness helps; while we're also in the business of supporting long-standing venues and institutions, people come to us to be in the know, so they want to know what's new. We need to know what the unique selling point is straight up – what makes this different; why is our audience going to care? It's not enough to launch a new-season menu (everyone does that) – pitches need to stand out as something that's particularly great value or quirky or innovative. And, probably the most important tip of all – we need excellent imagery. Photos are the #1 things that capture our audience's attention, so without excellent photography (landscape and portrait), we won't be able to run a story.