Barbara's Biography

Barbara Campbell is the former editor of The Journal Newspaper (sister paper to The Voice). Her journalism career began in 1994. She was offered a job as a journalist by The Voice, even while she was a student. She became editor within two years of working with The Voice. She freelances with The Independent on Sunday, Miss London, Girl About Town, The NUJ Magazine and Black Media Journal and The Guardian.

Previous to this she worked as a feature writer for New Nation Newspapers and until June 2000 was training director for an Institute that specialises in journalism. She was responsible for writing the NVQ Level 4 course / syllabus that students followed in order to become competitive journalist in mainstream press.

More about Barbara...

Multi-talented Barbara Campbell is founding editor of LIVE Listings Magazine, the only multicultural listings publication in the UK. She is a finalist for the European Federation of Black Women Business Owners (EFBWBO) Awards 2002, a finalist in for the ACPIF Black Plus Award 2002 and a nominee for the Men and Women of Merit Award 2002.

The magazine was started due to the lack of information carried by current listings publications, including Time Out and What's On, by Barbara Campbell, former editor of The Journal newspaper. She left her job as Training Manager for the BMI (Black Media institute) where she was employed to write the teaching curriculum for trainee journalist. From beginning as a bi-monthly 20,000 print-run production, LIVE is now monthly and producing up to 50,000 every month. Come August 2003 LIVE Listings will be three-years-old.

"After looking at the work available on the job-front, there was nothing out there I wanted to work on," says Barbara, who started out working as a work placement on The Voice in 1994. She gained editorship within two years of being formally taken on in 1995. "I had no wish to go back into newspaper reporting and the magazines industry was not producing or covering things I found interesting. I knew what I'd always wanted to purchase in a magazine, but nobody was producing the kind I wanted to read. "

As the idea, (which had originally formulated in her head around 1997) started to take hold Barbara, who was born in Jamaica and brought up in London from the age of four, looked around for business partners. "After searching for many months and being disappointed each time, a good friend of mine remarked: "How do you expect people to invest in YOU if you're not prepared to invest in yourself!". I cashed in my life insurance policy and set up shop in a back-bedroom with a new telephone line and with my 10-year-old son typing in the listings."

LIVE now has the endorsement of the GLA (Mayor of London), The Royal Festival Hall, The LDA, (London Development Agency), The Arts Council of England, London Arts, The European Federation of Black Women Business Owners (EFBWBO) and the IOD (Institute of Directors) - to name a few.

One of the greatest obstacles was in being taken seriously in the market place. "Publishing is one of the most precarious industries to enter. The attitude of many advertisers when first approached was 'come back to me in six months time - if you're still going'. This was because most independent magazines not funded by LARGE companies only manage to produce two or three issues before falling by the way-side," says the single mother of two.

One 'big' advertiser in particular who does the Black Hair and Beauty Exhibition told me: "If she was going to advertise it would be in Time Out because they've been around longer and print more copies". Never mind the fact that Time Out does not cater to the audience SHE wanted to reach.

The attitude made her more determined than anything else. She says she's always been the kind of person who faced her fears. "As much as I didn't want to go into business alone I knew I was on to a winner and needed to prove myself to ME more than to anyone else. I had to give up many things, like taking taxi's, treats for the family, holidays, retail therapy, throwing social evenings in-doors, to make ends meet as I worked even harder at getting those little advertisers who were more willing to support than the big boys.

In distribution she covered as large an area as possible in any one drop. So libraries (all the one's in London), universities, business centres, Fitness First centres, networking organisations, Tesco and Sainsbury's and other superstores were targeted.

Gradually the print-run of the bi-monthly publication crept up until 20,000 was being produced with a circulation of treble this amount.

"Apart from being constantly 'financially challenged', and having to give up the luxuries of holidays, taxis, treats and pleasure trips out, the lowest point in my career as an entrepreneur is hearing my son begging me to stay home with him when I knew I HAD to go to a dinner function."

She went to the function after promising to be home earlier than planned. Despite this promise she did not get home until after midnight and found him slumped asleep on the lounge floor. "He had tried waiting up for me and his dinner in a tray was still beside him - you see he had wanted to have dinner with me himself. But one of the things I've discovered is that if you want something to grow you have to be prepared to sacrifice BIG time," says Barbara.

"You have to be prepared to network like crazy. People need to know who you are and what you're about. I've joined the EPN (Executive & Professional Networking organisation), The Women's Resources Centre, attended the Women into Business Conference and a host of other (mainly female led) networking sessions organised by established groups." She is also regularly called upon to give talks to media students at schools, colleges and universities and work with youngsters who wish to get into journalism.

What would I do differently now? I would not have began the magazine until I had a backer, but then, investors are not easy to come by so I would probably never have started the magazine so maybe it's just as well that I did a Frank Sinatra and did it MY WAY!

LIVE Listings Magazine has a great scope for success. Everyone who has seen it declares that something like this is long overdue. They want it in the Midlands too and overseas franchises beckon. "There are lots of spin-offs for a publication of this nature, the world is a big place and with a lot of nationalities that need to be presented in a way that unites the races."

People ask what keeps Barbara Campbell going. She has a simple reply. "It's belief in myself, in my vision and the knowledge that what I am producing is wanted and appreciated."

If anyone wants to know more about LIVE or wish to subscribe to the publication call: 0207 207 2734 or email: Cbabsmag@aol.com or livelistings@aol.com
Visit www.livelistingsmag.com