“Priya Patel is a producer in economics at the BBC in London which requires keeping up with the fast-paced news cycle every day, or at least she tries. After working her way into the journalism industry, taking up internships and finding connections, she has found ways to stay balanced and care for herself. ”
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ON HER MORNING ROUTINE
I’m in the terrible habit of looking at my phone first thing to check emails and look at the BBC News app and social media to see what is doing the rounds that morning. It helps get me on track for the day and ready to go into the office where I’ll take a look at the papers. I try and get clothes out the night before to keep my morning as simple as possible. I tend to keep my makeup minimal and natural for the day, and often I’m make-up free. As I’m not in front of the camera I don’t worry about it too much, but I do make the effort to look smart for work. I once got caught off guard when I was asked to go and interview the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street, and I was in a raincoat and trainers—not ideal!
I walk to work. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day as I pass loads of landmarks and cross the river Thames with a view of Big Ben on one side and St. Paul’s Cathedral on the other. I might listen to music or a podcast, or just enjoy the quiet time and view. Breakfast is normally some yogurt with a handful of my homemade granola. I keep a stash at work if I don’t have time to eat at home.
on her path to journalism
My family says I was always interested in politics, current affairs, and the news. We would have massive discussions around the dinner table about whatever happened to be going on at the time. When I think about my career I always thought I was just trying to make my way to something that I might enjoy doing. I still look at my career that way!
When I was trying to establish myself in journalism I did multiple internships, both unpaid and paid, just to try and get my first break. I didn’t know anyone in the industry and had to build my contacts from scratch. I felt it was an uphill struggle. A friend who wanted to help introduced me to a relative of hers who was a reporter on a national paper. After speaking for a couple of minutes she dismissed me, said that not everyone was cut out for journalism, and then walked off. Knowing someone in the business tends to be the way most people in journalism get work, so I kept going. I managed to get some freelance work answering phones on a football phone-in through a friend. At the same time, I got work at the CNN London office after doing an internship there and things felt like they were coming together. My advice is to keep going. No one is the ultimate authority on who will make it and who won’t, so keep going after the things you want until you get there.
““My grandparents moved from India to the UK in the ’50s. Growing up, we all lived in the same house with my parents and sister, then my aunt, uncle, and cousins at one point, so family’s a really big part of my life. I grew up in a really multicultural environment. Most of the people around me were from families who came to London from all over the world. Although I was always aware of my ethnicity, it wasn’t until I went to university and entered the workplace that I really experienced being a minority.””
on her role at bbc as an economics producer
A friend I was freelancing with put me in touch with an editor at the BBC. They were looking for freelancers at the time so I went in for a couple of trial shifts and it grew from there. A handful of shifts a month turned into being booked for weeks at a time, which then turned into landing a six-month contract and eventually a permanent job. My current job as a producer in economics involves looking at all the stories in the brief every day and working out how important or meaningful they might be with the editor. If it’s newsworthy, my job is to work out how to turn it into television and then go out and film and edit it with the help of a small crew. It means no two days are the same and I don’t spend that much time in the office which suits me down to the ground. Outside of news I’ve worked in sports and covered the London Olympics where I got to interview Andy Murray. I’ve also worked on documentary series that have taken me all over the world. It really helps fulfill my wanderlust!
on keeping up with the fast-paced news
Honestly, I constantly feel overwhelmed by the volume of information that is out there. I’ve accepted that I won’t be across everything there is, and that helps. I’m really selective about what I’ll spend my time on. If I’m not enjoying it, I won’t stick with it. I read, listen, and watch a lot of BBC stuff, but I also like to read The Economist every week. My sister introduced me to a podcast called The Guilty Feminist which is great. I probably use Instagram over any other social media at the moment. Two docu-series that really had an impact on me recently were Surviving R Kelly and Leaving Neverland.
on balancing work and personal life
It’s taken me a long time to get a better work-life balance and it’s something that I’m still working on. I try to put the time in when needed, but I’m really strict about using quieter times to focus more on my personal life. The balance is constantly tipping from one side to the other. I look at people around me with families and wonder how they do it. I’m lucky that my work is really social in nature so it’s easy to mix the two. I’m often at events or talks related to work in the evenings, or I’m out with friends. A big part of journalism is what you do outside of working on stories day to day.
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““Apply to all the different programmes and jobs BBC advertises for. Make the most of your contacts to try and get some work. Come up with ideas that you are passionate about and try and get them made, either on your own or by pitching to as many editors and commissioners as you can. TV/filmmaking and radio/audio programmes are much more democratic now in terms of who can make it. You can create and publish content on your own and create a buzz or make some success without needing a huge corporation behind you in order to get started.””
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““I’ve learned a lot more from when I’ve failed or when things went wrong than when I’ve succeeded.””
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on her beauty routine
I try and look after my skin by using mostly natural products. Pai and Ren are huge favorites of mine. I love Pai’s Rosehip Oil and Ren’s Atlantic Kelp range that uses recycled ocean plastic for the packaging. I use their body wash and Clean Skincare Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic. I use Lucas Papaw Ointment and Aloe Pura Aloe Vera Gel. I wear face creams with SPF religiously and don’t wear foundation. I mix Riemann P20 with Pai hydrating day cream. I just use a tinted face cream when i’m going all out. I mix my BB cream with Pai face cream and oil until I get a mixture I like! I have freckles across my cheeks and try and avoid using anything that changes how I look too much.
I like to get my eyebrows threaded at True Beauty in Wembley to keep them thick but in shape. I would recommend that over waxing or plucking. Their skin treatments that are great for Asian skin. I use castor oil on my eyelashes at night when I can remember—it helps them grow! I also use indian hair oil by Patanjali the night before I wash my hair to help it grow in good condition.
on her favorite books
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of my favorite books. It’s all about the power of knowledge, as well as identity and alienation—stuff that will always resonate. I can never get over how young and talented she was when she wrote it. It’s a brilliant read! When I finally went to Lake Geneva all I could think about was the book. I also recommend The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla, The Almighty Dollar by Dharshini David, Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Malory: Complete Works by Thomas Malory, The Power by Naomi Alderman, A Different Drummer by William Melvin Kelley and A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf.
on her love of music and current favorites
I always felt that the right song at the right time can transport you to another time and place. I played a lot of instruments growing up and I think it fueled the creative side of me. Unlike now, I was a shy and introverted child and I got a lot of enjoyment from listening to music and being in my own world. I pulled out the vinyls and CDs I’ve been listening to a lot recently. Once I get a song in my head I can listen to it over and over again for hours! I just think no one can make a guitar sound like Jimi Hendrix can. It’s pretty magical. I love the emotion in the voice of Florence and the Machine and think that PJ Harvey is just the smartest, coolest songwriter. I could have picked out any number of her albums.
““I find gardening really therapeutic. I used to help my mum a lot in her garden. Now I just look after a few pots outside the flat and a few indoor plants. Still, I find it relaxing and always interesting to see how the natural world responds to the way in which the season changes every year. The spring flowers came out extra early this year.””
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on her style and shopping habits
Lower Marsh and Bermondsey Street have amazing independent shops and are near me. The large print in my living room of the Haywood by Paul Catherall is from a gallery called Eames Fine Art in Bermondsey Street and I love visiting that place. There's an amazing lighting designer called Michael Anastassiades with a studio on Lower Marsh. I get my inspiration from wandering around London. There are people with brilliant style all around me, bags of individuality and diversity. I’m very inspired by the art scene in London.
My style probably changes day to day depending on my mood! I tend to keep the things I buy for a long time so simple things I can update with accessories is how I tend to dress. I love accessory shopping. Weathered Penny makes handmade items in East London and Studio Fusion in the Oxo Tower which has lots of artists selling their work there.
priya’s favorite films
Mean Girls by Mark Waters, Godfather Part 2 by Francis Ford Coppola (just for the De Niro part of the story about immigration which makes me think of what it was like for my granddad not speaking the language in a foreign country trying to make a life for himself, minus the organized crime), Pitch Perfect by Jason Moore, and Gone with the Wind by Victor Fleming and George Cukor.
priya's favorite places in london
The Nest in Wembley for lamb chops, Silk Road in Camberwell for Chinese food, Kadiri’s in Willesden for Biryani, Masters Superfish in Waterloo for best fish and chips in London, 40 Maltby Street for a special occasion, Bermondsey Beer Mile for beer (Partizan beer is my favorite stop), Unwined in Tooting Broadway Market for wine, Travel Cafe on Westminster Bridge Road for iced coffee, Yogavibes LDN for their excellent Prosecco brunch + yoga, Katamama in Bali and The Scarlet in Cornwall for holiday hotels.
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