My first job in magazines was washing makeup brushes on a beauty shoot. Things have looked up a bit in the century since and I've had the kind of crazy interesting experiences you can only have as a gung-ho journalist – from flying in a tiny high-tech chopper looking for a rhino wounded by poachers to flying in another chopper to be pampered at a six-star private lodge. Along the way I've been lucky enough to meet fascinating people doing their bit to improve their little corner of the world, from high-flying CEOs to Oscar-winning actors.
The small print: I'm a South African writer and editor specialising in lifestyle, travel, fashion, culture, celebrity, health, beauty, wellness and design. I have bylines in Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Sunday Times, Elle Decoration, House & Leisure, Destiny, Sawubona, City Press, Rapport, Insig, Fairlady, Sarie and Rooi Rose – and when not writing for magazines, I put them together, because I am a sucker for punishment. I also rustle up copy for commercial clients, including Basamat Arabia event company, Coca-Cola Beverages, Mediclinic, Lexus, Toyota, South African Breweries, Sanlam, Standard Bank, Nedbank, Edgars, Sun International, Lewis Stores, Umuzi Publishers, Boogertman+Partners architects, The Gaggler ecommerce site and Dubai Tourism. This pen's for hire: cvandeem at gmail dot com @christine_vand |