Flow Communications extends a warm welcome to newly appointed subeditor Carina van Wyk, the latest recruit to the Flow wordsmith crew.
Along with fellow Flow word nerds Willem Steenkamp and Keith Nicholls, Carina will champion correct usage of the comma, she’ll fix tense and tone irregularities, and she’ll ensure that the copy Flow Communications prints, publishes and presents continues to be word perfect.
“We welcome Carina to our fabulous band of Flowstars and we know she’ll fit right in. She brings depth of experience and a keen subbing eye to the writing studio. In the two weeks she has been here, she has quickly become indispensible,” says Melanie-Ann Feris, head of the Flow content team.
Willem agrees: “Flow can be proud of its strong subbing contingent, and Carina is a worthy addition to the team. We pride ourselves on excellent content to drive traffic to our client websites, and clean and clear copy is paramount,” he says.
With a print background, and broadcast experience too, Carina has learnt that it pays to have a fine eye for copy faux pas.
“In my former life as in-house editor at Black Khaki, I worked with Ella Marren who is one of Flow’s current project managers. When I saw Flow’s advert for a subbing position, I immediately called Ella. She gave Flow the best endorsement I’ve heard. She said Flow is the best place she’s ever worked. So naturally, I applied,” says Carina.
A natural fit for Flow, before long Carina was logging hours on Basecamp, learning the finer art of the Apple Macintosh computer and commanding respect (and humble apologies) from the Joburg and Cape Town writers.
“I’m getting used to the online subbing environment and finding my way around the website content management systems. My biggest challenge at the moment is making the mind shift from traditional print to digital media,” she says.
Carina, or Van Wyk as some of her friends call her, is in good company – most of the Flow writers and subs have a background in traditional print journalism.
So what does she think working at Flow is about?
The people.
“When I came to Flow for my interview, as I walked in I heard people laughing upstairs and I thought to myself – ok, I could work here. The people – Flowstars – are helpful, nice and put me at ease very quickly. I feel welcome already and it’s only been two weeks!”
As she learns the ropes and gets to know workflow systems, Carina is subbing content for Flow’s clients – mostly blog posts, news pieces and newsletters, much of it for our clients in travel and tourism.
“Flow has wonderful clients – I love anything travel related, so this is fun and interesting stuff to work on,” she says.
Travel – by car, by air and by just about anything that takes you from point A to point B – is in Carina’s blood. An avid cyclist, she has successfully completed the Argus and the 94.7 cycle race – twice! She isn’t fussy about her ride; she even did three out of the four races on a “chunky, bottom-of-the-range mountain bike”.
“I love travel and – without being clichéd – I love the way there as much as getting there. I love getting lost, exploring my way off the beaten track, and finding new routes to wherever I need to go. I use road maps, not a GPS,” she laughs.
When asked about her future at Flow, Carina’s words are an inspiration to all who work here: “I like to take things a day at a time, and so I believe that if you simply do your best every day things will fall into place – and you’ll get to grab opportunities as they come along.”
Well Carina, here’s to a world of new opportunities, fun and friendships at Flow!