How did Free Reign come about?
Well, being in lockdown as well as being furloughed from my pub job meant I had a lot of time doing nothing, but lots of time to think. I’d just finished my Sports Journalism course at Teesside University and I felt lost. I thought about setting up a podcast for like-minded young women in the creative industry to discuss about our experiences as students, our aspiring career goals and - of course - lockdown.
The lightbulb moment came one Monday and I thought: “Ah, what have I got to lose?!” So, I posted about my idea on the Young Journalism Community page (which is amazing) and it snowballed there. I was utterly overwhelmed by the response and demand for something like this! I set up the private group “Creative Gals” (not the best name, I know) so everyone could get to know each other better and then scheduled the first Zoom meeting.
A committee was formed then the name came soon after. Cheyanne (Head of Social Media and Comms) had the brainwave of "Free Reign", as I mentioned in the Zoom call as I was absolutely up for letting people do what they want and write/talk about whatever they want. Free Reign had the freedom and inclusive connotations myself, Cheyanne and Charlotte (Head of Web Design) were after. We decided to establish ourselves as a creative space for women, trans and non-binary communities, because we want Free Reign to be a platform where anyone who usually doesn’t have a much of a chance in the mainstream media can get their voices heard.
Massive thank you to Charlotte, Cheyanne and Lottie who have been there since day one. I can’t believe my little idea on a random Monday afternoon has actually paid off, and I’m so excited to work with you as well as all the amazingly diverse, talented contributors we have!
Featured image courtesy of Mika Baumeister via Unsplash
By Eden Lewis