Monday 5 August 2013

How to make the most of your time at Colosoul

We have a high turn over volunteers at Colosoul, due to the nature of our organization. We have a high number of volunteers that come to us to do their uni prac or uni internship. I can tell between the people who want to make a career and those who are just doing the hours required to graduate. This post is directed to those who really want to make a career in the media industry. Here are some pointers to get the most out of your work experience.

·      Take the time to get to know your team leader, team members, managing director and CEO. I cannot stress the importance of this. We can help you! We want to help you! Trust me, we are the ones who have the knowledge to help you get to where you want to go. We also know other people who can help you. We will be your biggest fans if you let us help you. Also remember if your team leader succeeds so do you.

·      If your not busy there is something wrong. If you aren’t busy at Colosoul something isn’t right. Trust me when I tell you there is always something to do. Even if it isn’t in your own section, offer to help out somewhere else. When I see people sitting around the office doing nothing or just talking about their weekend, I start to get worried. It does not look good on you if you’re not busy working when your in the office. We do so many projects at Colosoul your expertise can always be utilized somewhere. People who stick their hand up to help in other areas or projects get noticed. Taking initiative is highly appreciated. People who go the extra mile will get noticed. These are the ones who end up getting to do the fun jobs because people remember the ones who helped them with the tedious ones.

·      Please ask questions! Seriously!  Everyone at Colosoul loves being asked questions, no seriously we do. It’s better that you ask questions than sit in the office for an hour not knowing what to do. Time is a valuable asset. Asking questions shows us that you have initiative, you want to learn, and you’re critically thinking and engaged in what you’re doing. So ask away!

·      Yes you do have to do tedious jobs. Trust me we have all been there and done that. Although Colosoul is different in the sense that we offer real life experiences, but as with everything in real life there is the tedious side to every job. We know it sucks but we appreciate it and we will notice it and reward you for it.  Use this as an opportunity to show us your willing to work hard to get what you want.

Venus x

Fashion, Food & Marie Antoinette


When it comes to organising a photo shoot, a lot of things come to play. Venue, models, apparel, shoes, hair and makeup are just a few things that as editor,  I  have to coordinate the organisation of. Yesterday we had the opportunity as apart of Vashti Magazine to be in the heart of the CBD in Perth for a special 'Alannah Hill' photo shoot. The photo shoot was Marie Antoinette inspired, with exquisite food, an amazing team and a terrific location at Moana Coffee. Here is a sneak peek of Issue 2 of Vashti Magazine, from the behind the scenes photos taken by myself.


Behind The Scenes Photography: Natasha Drake
Left- Right
Hair: Joanne Banks, Model: Kylie Board
Cupcakes Courtesy of: Bella's Cupcake World 
Makeup: Crystal Brown @Crystal Glow, Model: Stephanie Simpson

Thanks for the team for all their hard work and support. Look out for Issue 2 of Vashti Magazine, on Magcloud. 
 
 

Sunday 28 July 2013

Saturday 27 July 2013

Friday 26 July 2013

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Reviving Teensoul


When I started at Colosoul nine months ago I was nervous to say the least. I had already been given the Teensoul magazine to re-launch after some time of inactivity and with so much creative freedom I had no idea where to start. I was fortunate enough to have a strong team of three from the start and from there we expanded to over twenty writers, photographers and editors combined.
I’m not saying this path has been an easy one, but from early days we’ve gone from Teensoul being a pamphlet, to something with a bit more weight. We’ve been fortunate enough to interview local bands, local start up companies and even shoot a zombie photo shoot, which while advantageous, turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences that Teensoul has created to date.
The true successes of Teensoul aren’t mine though as without my team I’d have just had to write all the articles myself. Without their constant communications and passion for what they do, we’d have no content, no money and no Teensoul.

Thanks team for all your hard work to this point and I look forward to working with you in future issues. It’s been a hell of a ride and there were definitely times when we could have thrown in the towel, but I’m glad we got past that.

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Saturday 20 July 2013

Thursday 18 July 2013

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Life at Colosoul so far...

They say every career starts off somewhere, and I’m so glad I’ve chosen Colosoul Magazine to begin mine.

Launching a career in the media industry is a tumultuous task – it really is “who you know, not what you know” – and I believe it takes a fair amount of bravery and persistence to go down the journalism route in today’s society.

After what seemed like a thousand phone calls, emails, even personal meet and greets with local newspapers and magazines in search of a job, I was beginning to give up on the idea I could pursue a career in journalism in Perth. Though publications were impressed by my portfolio, there simply weren’t any jobs available – editors told me they were even questioning their own job security. I was starting to lose patience as I began to question my years of study and ask myself - was it all really worth it?

I was so incredibly relieved when I came across Colosoul Magazine and their mentorship program in an online advertisement. My faith in the media industry had been restored.

Everyone who is a part of the Colosoul Group is united by a common goal – and it is this desire to gain experience in a chosen career and establish and develop contacts amongst the industry which contributes to its’ success.

Though I signed up as a general writer, I am also able to work alongside the editor of Colosoul Magazine, where I am given detailed insight into every aspect of the publication world that comes with putting together a magazine. Each day I learn something more about what it takes to print a 50-something page publication – from sourcing writers, to managing layout, to calling upon advertisers and liaising with individual department editors. There’s a lot of work involved, but when I believe in something that is truly rewarding, the persistence, dedication and hard work is all worth it.

Working at Colosoul Magazine means I see first-hand, what it means to be a writer for an independent, non-for-profit social and cultural publication. The idea of the Colosoul Group giving students and uni graduates the chance to gain experience, knowledge and contacts within their chosen industry is fantastic, and knowing I’m working for a company with a larger, more philanthropic purpose, well that’s just truly enlightening.

Brooke.  

Monday 15 July 2013

When the going gets tough!


It's been a tough last month. Mostly because I've been quite sick with a bad flu and as everyone knows when your the boss there's no time to be sick. For the first time in my working Colosoul History I actually didn't go into work for a day because I couldn't get out of bed. My whole body was drained. Even to open my eyes, it was an effort. The rest of the days for the next week I went home at 5 and went straight to bed. Definitely out of character for me since I'm also usually awake for half the night as well.  It's such an important time for me as the CEO of Colosoul because we have our corporate festival coming up at the end of September. I've been emailing as many corporate CEO's and business's that I can. Our corporate festival is to bring more awareness to the business world about who we are and what we actually do. A lot of preparation needs to go into this event as it's a make or break event in relation to the success of our organization. I really hope we are able to convey what the Colosoul Group does and the difference we are making within the arts sector. I really hope we can get the right people on our side to prove that as a youth organization we are professional, engaging and a much needed asset to the local community. For the sake of our youth I hope people are able to catch the Colosoul vision and enable our organization to move forward into greater heights.  I can only hope, that's a great start and I'm sure with all the hard work and determination of the Colosoul team we will be able to make it! 

Tricia xxx 

Sunday 14 July 2013

Saturday 13 July 2013

Friday 12 July 2013

Thursday 11 July 2013

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Things I’ve learnt so far - Part 1


Hallway meetings

Things I’ve learnt so far working at Colosoul.

Persistence pays off. I’ve been working at Colosoul for over a year and half now, and I’ve watched a lot of people come and go. I’ve met people from many different industries. I’ve met successful people and I’ve met unsuccessful people. The one thing that I’ve noticed is people are either determined or their not. I’ve seen people that give up when they hit the first speed bump and I’ve seen people who take that speed bump and let it airlift them to something better than they can imagine. The people who persist are the successful ones. They’re the ones who get the jobs, success and money. If you can learn the art of persistence or you are blessed with it already you will be successful in whatever you do.

Be a sponge. Learn and absorb as much as you can. Never stop learning. When you think you know it all you don’t. We live in a world where we have constant to access to information, this information is always being updated. Use this to your advantage to be on the top of your game. Keep up to date with what’s happening in the world. Read the news daily. Keep on top of the trends. You never know how you can use this to your advantage.


Put in the extra mile. The people who put in the extra hours, days and weeks into a project etc. are the ones who will get to where they’re going a lot faster. People, bosses and companies notice these people; these are the ones that will go far in their chosen career.

Venus x 

Sunday 7 July 2013

Saturday 6 July 2013

Friday 5 July 2013

Thursday 4 July 2013

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Tuesday 2 July 2013

Monday 1 July 2013

Sunday 30 June 2013

Saturday 29 June 2013

Friday 28 June 2013

Thursday 27 June 2013

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Monday 24 June 2013

Sunday 23 June 2013

Saturday 22 June 2013

Friday 21 June 2013

Thursday 20 June 2013

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Our other "office"

The Colosoul Crew

This is our other "office" everyone in this photo is from Colosoul!  Industria  a cafe down stairs which allows our crew to work from their cafe. Cheers guys! 

Monday 15 April 2013

Carbon Festival

Met the very cool Founder and Editor-In-Chief Andrew Montell and Editor Sean Irviring from Acclaim Magazine at Carbon Festival this weekend. Thanks Acclaim for putting on such an inspirational event bringing over some of the top motivation speakers from around the world. With speakers such as Shawn Stussy, Ronnie Fieg, Woody from Sneaker Freaker, Martha Cooper and so many more sharing their stories about how they made it in the world of hip hop culture through fashion, art, photography and design. I was totally blown away by their humbleness and complete openess. They definitely weren't afraid to say how it is and to be themselves whilst giving some of the best advice for young people wanting to break out into the arts industry. One thing that encouraged me is that I know I'm not alone in this freaking crazy world of working around the clock to achieve my goals and when I think I can take it easy, according to this crew there's no time for taking my foot of the gas. They highlighted their ups and down, regrets and successes and the sheer determination that just drove them all to be where they are today. Cheers Acclaim and thanks to all the crew who came to Carbon to share what they've learnt so that others can be inspired.

(Ronnie Fieg, Venus d'Scarlett, Tricia Ray - 'Lunch with Ronnie' Carbon Festival 2013) 

We arrived in Melbourne on Friday morning and had to head off straight to interview Ronnie Fieg, by the time we got there I was so hungry I said to Ronnie "Do you have any sweets in your pocket?" He was said "No, why? do you need one?" I said "I'm sorry, I'm really hungry, I'm going to faint, I can't do this interview right now." Ronnie said " Well I need to get you some lunch then, lets go you can't be hungry." So we headed downstairs for a quick lunch and did the interview over lunch. Thanks Ronnie for being so understanding! 

Around the clock

Tricia and I are sitting in Cheeky Monkey a cafe in Melbourne catching up on working between meetings.




 As I'm scrolling through my emails this picture comes up on PR Daily, needless to say when I showed Tricia we both had a good laugh at how perfectly this describes our life.

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Even your car fits your office


Tricia and I were trying to find a cafe at 9:30pm to work in after our group meeting. We couldn't go into Fremantle because everything was closed, so we stopped at a Chinese restaurant because they're normally open late. We went in and sat down, then the lady came over and told us they were closing and only doing take-away. Then we tried to go to the kebab shop down the road and they were closed too. We are now sitting in the car working at 11pm because everything in Perth is shut!

Colosoul Group Inc Meeting 9th April 2013 

Car office! 
(Tricia Ray and Venus d'Scarlett, 9th April 2013)

On Sunday night we ended up sitting on a street bench working because we got kicked out of the cafe we were working in, they kicked us out at 9:45pm when they were supposed to be closing at 10pm because they wanted to go home. We tried every other cafe in Fremantle and they were all closed! 


Welcome to the world of Colosoul....We make our office anywhere!
(Tricia Ray and Venus d'Scarlett, 7th April 2013)

On Monday night we thought we would try do something different and go to Leederville to work because they're open later. We ended getting kicked out of the cafe we working in again! 

11pm and nowhere to go! 
(Venus d'Scarlett and Tricia Ray, 8th April 2013) 

It is an interesting and adventurous life working for Colosoul. Only at Colosoul would you end up working out of your car at 11pm at night! 

Tuesday 19 March 2013

The things we do


It's funny what you will do to win people when they're not seeing eye to eye with you. Using chocolate is one of my personal favourites....you can't really say no to chocolate ;) Plus chocolate gives you endorphins so you can't possibly be negative while eating chocolate!

- The Colosoul Crew