An Interview with…. Julian Linley, former Heat editor (mag)
I interviewed Julian during my work placement at Heat when he was still in his role as editor. Read my exclusive story for an insight in the world of celebrity.
SH: How did you get your first job at Sugar without any media experience?
JL: I sent in a collage rather than a CV and they gave me an interview I think because of the balls I had to apply for the job in the first place and the collage I sent in.
They gave me paid work experience which turned into a full-time job after about three weeks (The magazine had just launched so they had no work experience people).
SH: Why do you think people are obsessed with celebrities?
JL: It’s a really complex question and answer. I think the really key reason is that in the last 20-25 years, society has changed. Diana’s death was another reason as there wasn’t another royal like her to replace her and so people like Victoria Beckham took on that crown and it was like an avalanche. It’s also like a religion as people have become less religious and need something else to worship.
SH: What is a typical week like for you?
JL: We start the week with a conference where the department tell me what they have found and have coming up. I pick out 10 ideas that I’m interested in then we decide how we’re going to put the story together which is constructed over the week.
Fridays are fairly relaxed but it can also be the busiest day if something goes wrong. For one issue the photos weren’t in until 3.30-4pm. We print at about 7. Our best seller wasn’t put together until about 6 o’clock on a Friday.
SH: Why did you decide to change the direction of Heat when you became editor?
JL: It used to be a very dry entertainment magazine. I came up with the idea of Star Style in my interview (Julian made up the name on the spot!) and said I would fill it full of frocks, make-up, accessories and haircuts and all of that stuff and obviously it struck a chord because they knew they were intending to change it to make it more female focused. It’s a woman’s magazine now – 99% of our readers are women.
SH: What’s the best bit of gossip/exclusive you’ve had?
JL: When Helen and Paul were in Big Brother, I got the first interview with them when they came out of the house as a couple and we did a photoshoot with them, but when we were doing the shoot, we had News of the World following me in the cab for the shoot. We had to have blankets put over their heads as they went into the shoot and then they kissed for us, even though their publicist said they would not kiss. They kissed for us in front of the camera and then I gave that picture to the Daily Mirror the day that we went on sale. The whole of their front cover was this story, our picture. I had journalists emailing me saying well done, you got the scoop everyone wanted.
SH: Who is your favourite celeb?
JL: I really love Victoria Beckham because I think she’s funny, she’s warm, she’s really smart. There was this wonderful clip I watched when she was surrounded by paparazzi and hundreds of people asking for her autograph. A guy with a camera shouts out “Victoria, smile for us!” and she just glares at him in a fun, cheeky way. She cracked a smile at him and he went “Oh my god, she just smiled” and she goes “Sshh don’t tell anyone.” Her big downfall is she is very insecure and she is determined that the world perceives her in a particular way.
My personal opinion (of why she is insecure) is that she is a classic example of an adult that has been bullied as a child because of the way that she conscious of how she is perceived and she talks a lot about how she was bullied at school. This is almost like the manifestation of these insecurities; the way that she holds herself now.
SH: Who has been the most difficult celeb to deal with?
JL: Natalie Appleton. We did a shoot once for Cancer Awareness. It was her, her sister, Donna Air and Kate Thornton; everyone was absolutely lovely. As she walked in I held my hand out and said “Hi I’m Julian from Heat” and she literally ignored it and said to me “I want peanut butter on toast” and walked away from me.
The irony is the more famous someone is, the more accommodating they are. What you find with a lot of younger celebrities is that they assume that when you’re famous, you get to be the big diva and ask for whatever you want. Davina’s (McCall) brilliant. She’s one of the warmest people to be around. She always comes up to you and never asks for a ride or anything like that.
You don’t want to antagonise the press, and I think Jennifer Lopez is a brilliant example of that. She was famous for her diva-like behaviour and it was her massive downfall in the end. Even her record company found that her demands cost them so much money that she failed, her whole career failed. In an interview she talked about it and had acknowledged that she had been a nightmare.
SH: Finally, where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
JL: I will be definitely working in the media somehow. I might still be editing Heat. I have no idea at this stage – I’m learning new skills myself.
Just a month after this interview Julian became the Creative Director of Lifestyle and Entertainment brands at Bauer Media. Good luck!
