We have a shiny new intern, so it's right and proper that you meet him too

Date
29 October 2012

Well 2012 has positively flown by here at It’s Nice That HQ, so much so that it’s time to introduce our final intern of 2012. But last certainly doesn’t mean least and we’re delighted to welcome Ross Bryant into our editorial team for the next eight weeks. He’s published his own magazines, written for many others and once had what sounds like quite a serious industrial accident. Read on to find out more about him…

How do you explain what you do to your parents?

I’m incredibly lucky in regards to the famously tricky creative industries’ parental conversation. Just as my parents were saved from the awkward “birds and the bees” chat due to my extended (and older) siblings, I’ve been saved due to the lives my parents have led – for example father was a professional drummer touring America and Europe while he was my age.

So basically, they seem to get what I do and trust the floating path I appear to take. If the question is ever tentatively raised, I normally say that I think about stuff and sometimes I write it down. 

Who do you look like? 

Most recently people have said Kenny Everett. I can’t see it myself!

Did your education count?

Studying English literature could, at times, be dusty rather than dynamic but it always forced me to look at the world in new ways which broadened my horizons and shaped the person I am. In this respect, it was invaluable.

The main thing I thank my education for was the environments and people outside of the lecture halls and exam rooms. As I skulked around libraries- weighed down by theoretical books and poetry anthologies I’d always come across a breed of people exploding with personality, colour and just the one pad. Enter the illustrators and designers. I very quickly learned that these were the people capable of sitting in their pants while making the world look beautiful. This is my moment of education that led me to create, edit and publish magazines. 

What’s the best mistake you have ever made?

I’ll set the scene – a major dockyard where vast quantities of the fruit you eat and the cars you may drive are imported. It’s 04:36 (I know this precise detail due to the report that was compiled on the unfolding event). I had been working 12 hour shifts for two weeks as a transport driver which mainly involved shifting imported fruit off the boats, across and into the storage facilities, and ultimately to the lorry.

The forklift-type machine I was operating had a lovely trick up its sleeve whereby it kicked into a higher gear for the long, straight line drive to the loading bays which improves efficiency. Not in the early hours of this Wednesday it didn’t. As I inevitably hit the crash barrier, being flung through the air I remember thinking: “This isn’t for me, I want to be a writer”. At that moment I hit the wall. The next day I phoned a university up. 

When did you realise that this is what you were good at?

I think I wrote a pretty kick-ass Christmas card when I was eight. It involved a kind of story about “smelly-eggy, the Christmas egg” who wanted toast for Christmas. I aspire to be good at what I do, but that card remains a daunting object to live up to. 

What rules do you live by?

I try not to take myself or life devoutly serious all of the time. I’ll always work hard, genuinely care for others and dance when and where I can. I don’t really buy into all this destiny and fate mumbo jumbo – I prefer to think that we create a path as we walk.

What makes your day?

Good coffee 

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

The Batman 

What one thing would you like to be remembered by/for?

My dream is to create publications that convey or challenge the changing cultural landscapes of specific times. It would be beyond amazing to be remembered for a magazine that could be held up in the future as an example that reflected the values of a certain cultural shift or trend.

What’s your favourite combination?

Cheese, toast, and tea. Sometimes with Marmite too but I’m currently involved in an ongoing heated debate as to whether the introduction of Marmite violates the integrity of cheese/toast traditions. The jury is still out on that one. 

What’s the funniest thing you have EVER seen?

Dogs in hats. Dogs in cars with their heads hanging out of the window. AMAZING

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

Rob joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in July 2011 before becoming Editor-in-Chief and working across all editorial projects including itsnicethat.com, Printed Pages, Here and Nicer Tuesdays. Rob left It’s Nice That in June 2015.

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