Immediate Media Co Partners With Leading Independent Publisher Network Handpicked Media

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Exciting news in publishing: Handpicked Media, whose independent publishing platform Frost Magazine is proudly part of, has teamed up with Immediate Media. The press release is below and we are very excited.

The Handpicked Media team.

Immediate Media Co, the special interest content and platform company, announces a partnership with Handpicked Media to provide sales agency support for the leading social content marketing and blog network.

The partnership sees Immediate’s commercial division provide agency sales support to Handpicked. Immediate already provides similar services for a roster of clients including BBC Worldwide, Eye to Eye Media and LPG Inc.

Handpicked represents over 300 independent websites and blogs, reaching over 10 million unique users a month. The partnership will allow Immediate to use its commercial infrastructure to unlock the value of these influential bloggers and sites.

As a social content marketing platform, Handpicked Media has curated a growing network of influential blog sites across a range of lifestyle channels since it was launched in 2009 by media entrepreneur Krista Madden. It manages the interaction between its network and a range of consumer brands, offering clients an array of opportunities to reach a very targeted and highly engaged social audience. Key content channels within the Handpicked network include Entertainment, Lifestyle, Beauty, Fashion and Food.

Immediate Commercial Director Duncan Tickell says: “Handpicked has a network of fantastically engaged audiences with its roster of blog and independent media sites. These highly passionate and engaged audiences are complementary to our existing portfolio and offer our commercial partners a new and exciting way in which to connect with them”.

Handpicked solutions include social media strategy, blogger outreach, content creation, events and integrated campaigns for a range of brand partners including Intel, Vodafone, P&G and Hilton.

Krista adds: “We are really pleased to be working with the successful team at Immediate Media, their range of brands is a perfect fit for the Handpicked audience. We both see the benefits of creating great content with context and scale across our popular communities. ”

Immediate is home to internationally famous brands including Radio Times, Gardeners’ World, BBC Good Food, Olive, You & Your Wedding, Perfect Weddings and Made For Mums.

Follow them at @Immediate_Media

Yes Please By Amy Poehler Book Review

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Yes Please is Amy Poehler‘s first book, and what a corker it is. I loved this book. I mean, really loved it. Yes, I know this review is starting to look like a gushing fan letter and not a proper review but a woman like Amy Poehler can do that to you. I loved her on Saturday Night Live and Parks And Recreations. The book starts off with Poehler talking about how hard writing a book is:

“Everyone lies about writing. They lie about how easy it is or how hard it was…No one tells the truth about writing a book…the truth is, writing a book is this: hard and boring and occasionally great but usually not. Even I have lied about writing. I have told people that writing this book has been like brushing away dirt from a fossil. What a load of shit. It has been like hacking away at a freezer with a screwdriver.”

She goes on to talk about how she wrote the book on set, when her children were sleep, at airports and even on the notes section on her iPhone. It is a corking start and everyone who has ever written a book will relate to it. Poehler goes on to talk about improvisation, sexism, marriage, divorce, pregnancy and motherhood. She is a hard-working, talented woman who has gone for what she wants and knows that she is worth it. Amy Poehler leaned in. Amy Poehler is the coolest woman in the world. Well, she may have to share her crown with best friend Tina Fey but you get the point.

The book is split into three parts: Say Whatever You Want, Do Whatever You Like and Be Whoever You Are. A lot of the book is advice like ‘treat your career like a bad boyfriend’ but all of the book is well-written and funny. I rushed through the book and nothing else mattered while I was reading it. Hence why I did not go to sleep that night until 4am. This book is a must read for both men and women. There is definitely a reason it is on the Amazon Bestseller List: it rocks.

After reading this book I felt inspired, happy and thoroughly entertained. This is the non-fiction book of the year. I love, love, love it. I am pretty sure you will to. You can buy it here.

Not That Kind of Girl By Lena Dunham Book Review

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Where to start? I guess with the fact that this book is not what I thought it would be. It’s not bad, it’s just not what I expected. Let’s get the controversy out of the way: I don’t believe Lena molested her sister. The passage about ‘spreading open her vagina’ makes for very uncomfortable reading but, in my opinion, is very different from sexual abuse. Same gender curiosity in young children is different from sexual abuse, many have said that if this book was written by a male things would be different, but not if the male did what Lena did to his brother. Young children don’t even know what sex is. So, end of.

The thing is, I don’t relate to Lena Dunham. Or at least I thought I did until I read this book. I don’t get the drug use, I am very anti-drugs and always have been. I don’t even care if I come across as boring but mentioning casual drug use as if it is not a thing to me is irresponsible. Many people think drug use is ‘cool’ and ‘artistic’ but it’s not. Drugs ruin lives and society. Now go ahead and judge me for my controversial view: I don’t care. The book is full of sex: masturbation and sexual encounters. This also makes for uncomfortable reading. Not bad reading, just uncomfortable. Dunham seems to want to punish herself with jerks and bad sexual encounters. It’s a version of self-loathing and it made me want to pick her up and hug her. Then of course there is the fact that Dunham was raped. Rape is never fun to read about, but Dunham’s courage in telling her story is commendable. The book is full of brutal honesty.

I know that in many ways this review will seem like a bad review, it’s not. I still think Dunham is talented, amazing, brilliant: a trail blazer. We are similar in age and I also made a web series about young twenty-somethings struggling to find their way in life, though with less success than the juggernaut that is Girls. We are both writer/producers/actors/directors and I always thought that Dunham was so together. I think she is now and that is what is interesting about this book. After all of the self-loathing, punishing herself dating/having sex with men who treated her terribly and other self-destructive behaviour the book comes beautifully full circle: she no longer runs away from people and herself, she in many ways, becomes a grown up. She finally stops causing herself pain. While I related more to Amy Poehler and her awesome book, Yes Please, there is something here to learn. Dunham is unvarnished, naked, almost embarrassing in her honesty. Dunham has been called the voice of her generation many times. Truth is, she doesn’t speak for me or many people that I know. But the thing is: it doesn’t matter. She is still paving the way for women, still creating waves in the film and TV industry, still making progress in a brutal, sexist industry. It doesn’t matter that I don’t 100% relate to her: she is still awesome. I may not write endlessly about my vagina the way Dunham does but then, maybe my vagina just isn’t that interesting. There is a lot of stories of bad sex in this book, and I hope that other women who read it don’t think this is par for the course. It shouldn’t be.

This book is certainly worth a read. It really made me think and feel. This is essentially a collection of autobiographical essays which Dunham was paid £2.3m for by Random House. It is not as good as it could have been, and Dunham could have done with more editing, but she is certainly a talented writer and I am sure there will be more to come. As Dunham says in the book: “There is nothing gutsier to me than a person announcing that their story is one that deserves to be told, especially if that person is a woman,”

Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s Learned is available here.

A Time For Courage By Margaret Graham Book Review

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

I have been a fan of Margaret Graham for a while now and have read many of her books. It was with much excitement I got my hands on a copy of A Time For Courage. Margaret Graham has a special talent for writing about ballsy heroines who are worthy of making history. More than role models, these women tend to change history and pave the way for future generations, Hannah is no exception, she is the heroine of this story. Daughter to a tyrant, the sexism of the world starts at home but this is Victorian times and women are not even allowed to vote.

War is a running theme in this book and Graham has a rather special knack of writing about war well. Few writers can match her skill and knowledge of military historical fiction. You can tell that she knows her stuff. Her book draws you in and does not let go. At the start of the book is the Boer war and the aftermath, later is the first world war. That great destroyer of generations of men and broken women. Hannah is torn between one class and another, she is born into wealth and much is expected of her. If you consider embroidery and simply being a wife and mother a lot. But Hannah wants to be a teacher, she wants an education. University is denied to her by her tyrannical, misogynistic father but she finds a way with the help of her mother, even though her mother is weak, broken by her father and multiple pregnancies. In contrast Hannah has a cousin called Esther. The difference between Hannah and the selfish Esther is vast.

This is not just a story about Hannah, but also about her brother, Harry. The siblings have much in common: decency, morality, a love of family and an understanding of what is wrong and what is right. Unfortunately their decency and morality is ahead of its time. Harry fights against racism and Hannah fights against sexism. They both face penalties and conflicts of loyalty for their values. Sometimes doing the right thing brings consequences.

This book is so well-researched it is impossible to not be impressed. This book is gritty and complex with a love story at its beating heart. Over 400 pages long and I raced through it and was sad when it finished. There is much in this book to applaud and I found myself learning a lot about history. Much is covered, including the Suffragists and Suffragette (not everyone will know the history behind the two different groups), diamond mining, human rights after war, social changes…this is more than a novel, it is also a social document. Her writing really works the imagination, creating a beautiful, wonderful and vivid story. I was sad to leave Hannah and her story behind after the last page. I feel the author probably did too.

Stunning: a must read.

A Time for Courage is available here.

Skip Hop Duo Special Edition Changing Bag Review

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

It is hard enough to find a bag you like in life without the addition of baby paraphenalia. Which is why changing bags have it so hard: they need to be functional and gorgeous. Parents don’t expect anything less.

First thoughts on the Skip Hop Duo Special Edition Changing Bag were good. It is a beautiful bag. It is well made and has a lovely design. It is so stylish and beautiful that I would actually buy it if it wasn’t a changing bag. But is it functional? Yes. The bag has wipable fabric and a cushioned changing pad. It has a total of nine pockets which included a personal zip pocket and two hidden insulated side pockets.

It has two pockets on the front of the bag which are very handy, and the pocket at the back has the cushioned changing pod in. The back pocket still has room for other things too. The front pockets have magnetic closure and one of the things I really love about the bag is that it is not bulky at all. It is incredibly well designed and you can tell a lot of thought and time has gone into making such an excellent changing bag.

The bag is a good size and I love a big bag. Other great things are the slip-resistant adjustable stroller strap & the rolled handles, the key fob zipper pull and the fact that the bag is BPA and Phthalate-free. This bag really is a winner: highly recommended. It is perfect for fashionable parents who want the best of everything.

The latest changing bag to come from the New York based SkipHop brand is the Duo Special Edition. The bag’s ultra-stylish, fresh design came about after Skip Hop cleverly incorporated all the style and functionality of its best-selling Duo Deluxe changing bag, but added three contemporary patterns and several extra special features, ensuring parents really stand out from the crowd.

With the Duo Special Edition, Skip Hop has cleverly combined high style with practicality. Mums will love the faux leather detailing, smart key fob zipper pulls and rolled clutch handles in addition to the slip resistant shoulder strap. And when it comes to the bag’s material, it looks just like a regular, smart fabric but in fact it’s a clever, wipe-able material that ensures the bag stays looking as good as new for years to come.

Other features on the Duo Special Edition include Skip-Hop’s special patented shuttle clip system which allows the Duo Special Edition to attach effortlessly to the buggy handles in seconds. The nine compartments let you organise all of baby’s essentials and keep wet and messy items separate; the pockets include a large, roomy main compartment with a zip closure to keep contents safe, large rear pocket for changing pad and nappies and two roomy front pouches. Contents are easy to spot with the contrasting lining and the convenient side phone holder and easy access pen holders ensure mums and dads have everything to hand. Parents will also appreciate the ‘quiet’ magnetic closures to help prevent waking baby. The changing pad is cushioned and waterproof and the entire bag is of course BPA and Phthalate free.

Parents have a choice of three fabric patterns: the smart black and white ‘Aztec’, chic ‘Blue Pin’ or the ‘French Stripe’, a classic ‘boating’ style navy striped fabric that looks just like canvas.

Skip Hop Duo Special Edition: RRP £65.00

STOCKISTS:

French Stripe – marksandspencer.com

Blue Pin – marksandspencer.com

Aztec – www.jaijai.co.uk

More Skip Hop Duo Changing Bag’s available here.

www.maguari.com

Things That Suck About Being Pregnant

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Pregnancy is supposed to be an amazing time but it doesn’t always work out that way. My mother always talked about her wonderful pregnancies and, in truth, I don’t think I ever heard a negative pregnancy story from a family member or friend. Sure there were some truly awful stories in the media and, although I found them horrifying, I cast them out of my mind. Which is why I am pretty annoyed now. Pregnancy is not this magical thing people told me about. It is not a magical time at all. Okay, creating our child is wonderful and I would not have it any other way but wonderful or any other such word does not encapsulate it. In fairness, my pregnancy has been termed ‘unlucky’ by my doctor. It is a bit of an understatement due to the horrendous acute morning sickness but, never mind. Here are my pregnancy rants. Feel free to add your own because ranting is good for the soul.

Bump Molestation

Seriously, what is up with this? Today I actually had a stranger molest me from barely underneath my breasts all the way down. I may have been in a sitting position but it was not appropriate and if it had not been an elderly woman she would have at the very least been slapped. It is not okay to touch a pregnant women’s bump without asking her. And even then, keep your hands to yourself unless you are a very close friend or family member. How would you like to be felt up? Especially when you are creating a life and feeling very protective of your bump? This brings me on to my next rant….

A Women’s Body Does Not Become Public Property When She becomes Pregnant

Not only does this mean NO TOUCHING but it also means you don’t get to tell her what to eat or drink, how to exercise or how much weight to put on. You don’t get to make comments on how she looks or what she does so mind your business.

The Unsolicited Advice

Your pregnancy choices were good choices for you. Only share them with other pregnant women if they ask. If you are a man, keep quiet unless you are a doctor and a question is asked. Also annoying is pregnancy advice from women who have never been pregnant. I mean, really?

The Constant Personal Questions

When people find out you are pregnant they ask you everything from what you are going to call your baby, what the sex is and how much weight you have put on. It really is too much. People seem to forget their manners when they are in the presence of a pregnant woman. If you feel uncomfortable just smile and avoid the question or say you are not sharing that information publicly yet.

Morning Sickness

As Miranda says in Sex & The City, ‘I don’t know why they call it morning sickness when it lasts all fucking day.’ Exactly Miranda, exactly. Some woman get barely any morning sickness and some, like Kate Middleton, get acute morning sickness which is otherwise known as hyperemesis gravidarum. Morning sickness is not fun. Think of your worst hangover ever and then think about suffering through it everyday for about three months, sometimes longer. There you go: morning sickness.

Not being Able To Tell Anyone Why You Are So ill

The chances of miscarriage are high in the first 12 weeks so you are recommended to keep your pregnancy to yourself. Suffering in silence is not= fun and colleagues will probably notice something is up. Just know you will get to the end of it.

Having To Do All of the Stuff You Did Before

There is a popular quote that Ginger Rogers had to do everything Fred Astaire did but backwards and in heels. Well, pregnant women have to do everything everyone else does but whilst dealing with morning sickness, being kicked internally, headaches, muscle pain, nausea, random pains, tiredness…the list is endless. The pressure for pregnant women to not let anyone down and act like some kind of superwoman is tremendous. The reality is: pregnant women should be given some slack. If you don’t like that, just remember that the little baby they are creating will be paying for public services in your retirement.

The Fact That EVERYTHING Hurts

I mean everything. From your head to your legs to your vagina. A lucky day is when it doesn’t hurt all at once.

The Constant Worrying

I stopped reading the pregnancy literature before 12 weeks. I could not take it. Even now the stuff overwhelms me. Sure, things can go wrong in pregnancy but do you really need to know about every single thing that could go wrong? No, you don’t. So relax and read a magazine or a good book instead. Ignorance is not bliss, but somedays it is easier.

The Glee of Awful Things To Come

Too many people take such glee in the fact that, apparently, you will never sleep again, nor have a life. People can seem pretty happy because they think that having a child will ruin your life or career. Ignore these people. They are jerks.

What are your pregnancy rants?

The Hidden Health Risks of a Nutrient Gap: Should You Be Taking Vitamins?

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Late November I attended a very interesting event at The Ivy, Mind The Nutrient Gap: Hidden Health Risks. Apart from having lots of fun chatting to amazing journalists and eating an extraordinary lunch (I would not have expected anything less), I found out some interesting facts. many of which I found shocking. Leading dietitian Dr Carrie Ruxton, top nutrition specialist Miguel Toribio-Mateas, and regulatory expert TC Callis, all gave excellent talks and revealed exclusive research into the growing and hidden nutritional gaps in the UK and its wider impact on health.

DID YOU KNOW?

Almost 40% of Brits admit that they do not know what nutrients can help them to support heart health, immune health, bone health, eye health, energy, nail or hair health
A third of Brits state that they do not have time to prepare home cooked meals
77.7% of Brits reveal that they do not get their five fruit and vegetables a day
Over half of us say we don’t understand the benefits of vitamins and minerals
Obesity figures in England have more than tripled over a period of 25 years. Over 30% of children (aged 2-15) are overweight or obese
More than a fifth of Brits in their 40s and 50s do not know how best to adjust their eating habits to support their nutritional needs

There is some controversy on whether people should be taking vitamins but the truth is our diets are just not good enough. The evidence that some of us should take vitamins is insurmountable. We don’t all need a daily multivitamin but we all have gaps in our diet that need filled in.

The Health Supplements Information Service unveiled new research on our diets, the nutritional gap we face, and its wider impact on long-term health sorting fact from fiction. If I wasn’t convinced to take vitamins before, I certainly was after. A shocking two out of three adults don’t hit their five-a-day target of fruit and vegetables. To make matters worse, intake has actually fallen over the last four years. More than a quarter of calorie consumption comes from crisps, treats and drinks which have minimal nutritional value. Even more worryingly, 57% of people thought that children did not need to take supplements. Despite the fact that the Chief Medical Officers of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have repeatedly reminded parents and health professionals that all children under the age of five need supplementary vitamin D unless they get a sufficient intake from fortified formula milk.

It is not just during pregnancy and childhood you need vitamins, many people start taking vitamins in their forties and fifties but by this time you can already be paying the price of a bad diet. Leading dietitian Dr Carrie Ruxton notes: “The lifestyle choices you make during your middle years are incredibly important. When you’re younger, you have resilience and are physically at your peak, but by 40-50-something years you begin to pay the price for any bad habits or nutritional shortfalls. Your nutritional needs also change, and certain nutrients, including vitamins B12 and D, calcium, potassium and fibre become increasingly important.”

The so-called sandwich generation, those ages 30-55 years, have the highest stress levels of any other age group. Sandwiched in-between their children and sick or elderly parents, they also have the early development of health problems to deal with and it is the peak time for career achievement. Women in the latter end of the spectrum also have the menopause to deal with and both genders have to maintain a home. According to Age and Ageing 2014, persistent job strain in middle age may lead to longer hospital stays later in life. Vitamins D intake is particularly important. We do not get enough sun in the UK and the evidence for vitamin D usage mounts all of the time. Dr Carrie Ruxton said that the recommended dosage was going up. Not only is vitamin D safe, it also stops infection. Women are apparently more likely to take vitamins than men and multivitamin use peaks at 30-44 years.

The truth is: our diets are just not good enough. We should eat more fruit, veg, lean red meat, low fat diary and oily fish. We should also drink healthy drinks. Any gaps should be filled in by vitamins or we will pay the price as we age. Most vitamins are safe and you would have to take a lot to overdose. Vitamin D is very safe, vitamin A becomes toxic over 3000mg, especially to pregnant women and over 5mg of copper is toxic as the body stores certain vitamins and our bodies also store minerals. It takes a lot to overdose on vitamins and keeping within the RDA and filling in our bad diet habits will pay off in the future.

What do you think?

The Quintessentially Foundation & The Crown Estate’s ‘Fayre of St James’

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Frost joined 500 other Londoners, including, Hugh Grant, Leona Lewis, Gabrielle Aplin, Tamsin Egerton, Charlotte Tilbury, Lady Ella Windsor, Olivia Inge and Nick Frost for the Quintessentially Foundations and The Crown Estate’s ‘Fayre of St James’ in association with Quaglino’s. It was tons of fun and we had an amazing night. The drinks were superb and the canapés were delicious. We had our picture taken in the Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve Photo Booth created by world-famous photographer Rankin and hobnobbed with the great and good of London.

The evening included a charity Christmas concert, with traditional Christmas carols and hymns and readings from Tamsin Egerton, Hugh Grant and Nick Frost, followed by the switching on of the Jermyn Street Christmas lights by Leona Lewis and the elegant Christmas party at Quaglino’s. Guests enjoyed sumptuous canapés and Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve cocktails, with live entertainment from X Factor hopefuls Only The Young and a Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve photobooth created by world-famous photographer Rankin. The evening raised over £200,000 for Rays of Sunshine, the UK charity committed to granting wishes to the seriously and terminally ill children between the ages of three and eighteen.

When: Thursday 27th November
Where: St James’s Church, Piccadilly and Quaglino’s, Mayfair
What they ate: American Crab Cake with Bloody Mary Dressing, Mini Lemon Meringue Pie, Wild Mushroom and Truffle Risotto
What they drank: Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve Flower cocktail, Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve Going for Gold cocktail, champagne

What they wore:
Roxie Nafousi wore a combination of Amanda Wakeley and Dior, whilst Alice Neylor-Leyland wore a beautiful dress by Valentino. Cheska Hull was dressed in Coast and Natalie Coyle was wearing Ted Baker and Steve Madden.

VIP Guests included: Hugh Grant, Tamsin Egerton, Leona Lewis, Gabrielle Aplin, Tamsin Egerton, Nick Frost, Charlotte Tilbury, Lady Ella Windsor, Olivia Inge, ,Ben Goldsmith, Jemima Jones, Astrid Harbord, Ben Elliot, Dylan Jones, Henry Conway, Francis Boulle, Cheska Hull, Adam Deacon, Roxie Nafousi, Preeya Kalidas, Tanya Burr, Natalie Coyle, Noah Huntley and X Factor’s Only the Young.

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