"Tell me a great story about an art heist, or an influencer scandal"
How to pitch GQ's features editor, Oliver Franklin-Wallis
Hello! I’m so pleased that my first editor interview of the year is with Oliver Franklin-Wallis, features editor at British GQ. Oli’s quoted on the cover of my book, and was awarded Freelancer of the Year at the Freelance Writing Awards that I ran a few years ago – he really knows both sides of the freelancing/editing fence. Read on to find out about the pitches he loves landing in his inbox.
Tell us more about your role at GQ.
I’m the UK features editor. That means that in some way I edit or play a role in pretty much everything we do at length, from reportage and packages to cover stories to GQ Men Of The Year.
Most people know GQ for profiles, or for our industry-leading menswear coverage. Fewer perhaps know that we run stories on everything from the men’s cosmetic surgery boom to the detectives trying to catch the last Nazis, to Saudi Arabia’s crazy football league to why the hell Piers Morgan keeps going viral – so it’s a role that always keeps me busy.
Do you take ideas to meetings, or are they straight off the bat?
In all cases, I take the ideas that I’m excited by to the wider UK or Global Features meetings. They’re ultimately greenlit by Adam Baidawi, our deputy global head of editorial content, who edits the UK edition, or by Will Welch, our global EIC.
How many pieces do you commission?
It varies depending on what’s going on in our editorial calendar. During GQ Men Of The Year season, for example, I’m more dialled into cultural profiles; whereas at other times I love to get a vibe-y and unexpected essay pitch, a dispatch from a subculture, or a great scenic narrative that could work for Condé Nast Studios to turn into a film or TV show.
What are the pay rates? How quickly do freelancers get paid?