Being Married to a Pilot

[Londoner]

Tallgrl (what's your real name, by the way?)

At the moment I'm a producer for the news channel BBC News 24, based in London. I'm actually on a six month secondment to what we call the gallery (sort of the cockpit of journalism, lol!) where I'm responsible for all the text on the screen - like the breaking news and the ticker. Lots of pressure.

So hubbie and I struggle sometimes to see each other - but on the other hand, we're both doing something we want to do, and that is the main thing.

What's your role in advertising?

[Tallgrl98]

My name is Emily. I work in media - I plan and negotiate when ads run, where they run, who are target market is and what their media habits are and how much we are going to pay for the ad sapce. It's a lot of fun and surprisingly creative! Our industry is changing so much, it's almost hard to keep track of all of the changes!

I know this is weird, but I was always curious about who had the job of getting the scrolling text on the bottom of the screen and managing breaking news. Where do you hope to go with your career?

[Londoner]

Hello Emily,

That's a moot point at the moment! Having a bit of a career crisis, mainly because it's hard for my husband and I to see each other, and the fact that this current job is tiring me out. But in general, I love journalism. I've done all sorts in the past - radio newsreading, a bit of radio and tv reporting, and even some presenting - and I'm not sure where to go next, really. From here, I might eventually promoted to editor, if I'm good enough. I'm thinking about it!

It's the sort of job (like flying, again) where you need to put your family second to get to the top - and I don't really want to do that.

Difficult, isn't it? Where do you work?

Toryx

[Tallgrl98]

Toryx (that's a great name!),

I know what you mean about not wanting to put family 2nd. I struggle with "working to live or living to work." I think there has to be a balance. I'm pretty sure when I am 80 (God willing), I will not say, "I wish I did more work." Even though I love what I do, that can't be #1.

Right now I work at a large private agency in the US. The name probably won't mean much - most people don't know ad agencies. I used to work for Starcom/Leo Burnett and I think they had a London office.

[Tambralyn]

So Tallgrl, tell us the truth. Is Perfect Stranger based on your agency? Give us a wink if you need help getting out!

[Tallgrl98]

Wink.

:-)

[JulieGurel]

All I have to say is this post made my day! I can't stop laughing.. Thanks Tall!

[i2r2]

My husband walked in as I was reading this post and laughing. He's a corporate pilot and says that he and his co-pilot always say they are "heavy equipment operators". Admitting to being a pilot opens a can of worms.

Of course his job isn't nearly as glamorous as an airline pilot.... lol

Nancy

[Tallgrl98]

I LOVE IT!!! "Heavy Equipment Operators" is perfect!!! It could be anything from construction to bus driving to being an airline pilot :-)

[Kristie]

doug calls it "underpaid/overglorified bus driver" (but not to people that don't know any better) haha