Deputy Editor Charlie O’Keeffe

Hello, I’m Charlie, one of your two deputy editors this year. Some background as to how I ended up as deputy editor: I’ve been a member of Redbrick since my first week at UoB, and I absolutely love it. Despite this, until last print, I’d very embarrassingly only written for one section, news. As much as I loved being a news editor and of course still feel a lingering loyalty, this year I’m making an effort to rectify this failure. Although perhaps not every section is within my skill set (I’ve never comprehended a sports match in my life).

What I love most about Redbrick, is what Alex was talking about in the last print, its focus on relevance to the student body. Whether that’s through allowing our wonderful contributors to share with their peers their opinions on new films, tv shows, albums, and much more, or spotlighting the work of student societies like Boob team. Personally, my favourite stories to write have always been reports on protests, as I love building an understanding of the issues present on campus. Going to events like this and asking questions has developed my confidence like nothing else. I really hope Redbrick can do this for other people too. 

Redbrick is always full of articles offering new insights or important information. I want to express my gratitude to everyone working to fill this paper with the high quality writing that it consistently contains. As much as Redbrick can seem intimidating (I know as a fresher I found writing for print as daunting as it was exciting), it really is a labour of love. Everyone I have met in this society has been someone who loves to write and to read, and to share information with others. It really has been such a lovely society to be part of throughout university, and I’m so glad to be one of your deputy editors in my last year. So now that the EAs, and the editors, and everyone in committee have emerged from the basement, having not seen natural light in days, I hope everyone feels really proud of their hard work and what it has achieved.

Thanks everyone!

Charlie

Deputy Editor Oscar Frost

Hello! I’m Oscar, and am one of the Deputy Editors for this year.

My Redbrick journey started as a complete nepo-baby, with my sister coaxing me into writing an article for the Food & Drink section in my first year. She was a section editor at the time, so I duly obliged by writing for the section. From there, I moved on to the sports section, where I attended the section meetings to get at least some human interaction during the pandemic.

I loved being a writer and continue to try and write as much as I can, but I also loved being a sports editor. In my second year, I grappled with InDesign and edited loads of interesting articles, but it was in my third year that I really think I found a love for the role. Liaising with sports teams and editing online articles were ways for me to stamp my mark on the sports section. Running a journalism panel for the writers was also a highlight of my time in the role.

As many of you may know, I was on a year abroad last year, which is why my face is maybe less familiar than some others if this is not your first year in the paper! While I was away, Redbrick was a huge way of still connecting with Birmingham, and I really enjoyed still contributing to the paper that I love so much. Being awarded the ‘Best Editor’ prize at the Redbrick awards will always be a special accolade, and one of my most proud achievements at university.

I absolutely love being a dep-ed, and it has only allowed me to immerse myself even more in the paper. One of the best parts of my job is managing the EAs, who are such an integral part of the paper. All their names should be just under this editorial, so go look at the real unsung heroes of the paper, as it really could not happen without their hard work.

I have loved being a part of the paper as a writer, editor, and now committee member, and I cannot wait for the rest of the year!

Oscar x