About

Where I’m from
I was born in 1984 and raised on a picturesque farm near Stellenbosch in the Western Cape of South Africa. After spending many years running around in the outdoors and negotiating the rocky terrain of adolescence, I finished my schooling and went on to study journalism at Rhodes University in the Eastern Cape.

During the course of my studies, I travelled extensively throughout the province and country. From the rolling hills of the Transkei, to the mountainous Cedarberg and small towns in the middle of the Karoo, I tried to see as much of the country as I could. I also spent time on study exchange in the Netherlands where I was based in the university town of Utrecht.

After university I spent time travelling and working in Mozambique before moving to the powerhouse of Africa – Johannesburg. I have also lived in South Africa’s capital city, Pretoria. My latest move has brought me back to the fairest Cape where I am currently based.

Education and Experience
I finished my secondary schooling in Stellenbosch and went on to Rhodes University for a four year Bachelor of Journalism. I majored in photojournalism and graduated, with distinction, in 2006.

Thereafter, I worked as a communication do-it-all at a Johannesburg based company. I was involved in publishing and editing books, writing newsletters and marketing copy as well as blogging, overseeing websites and many other bits and pieces in between. The titles that I edited directly included Savvy Kids Menus and How to have a Big Life which was subsequently published in the United Kingdom.

I then moved on to a custom publishing company, TCB Publishing, where I was the editor of a number of publications including the 1time airline monthly in-flight magazine and website, abouTime, as well as Interlink airline’s monthly in-flight magazine, InterLink. On the corporate front, I was the managing editor and photographer for the Liberty Group’s bi-monthly internal magazine, Liberty News and also dealt with other smaller corporate publications.

I am currently employed by New Media Publishing in Cape Town as the editor on the MultiChoice account. The titles I work on include Dish, Dish Compact, Dish Africa, Dish Southern Africa, Dish Commercial, and Dish Listings for DStv, as well as the M-Net magazine, Magic.

In my own time, I am editor and founder of Veggie Buntch – a community-driven vegetarian lifestyle website.

In addition, I have regularly had articles published in local publications including De Kat, The Star, The Blue Train Magazine, Vita Nova, Inspirations and Indwe.

On the photography front, I have contributed images to a number of books, been published in magazines and newspapers and have worked as a photographer at various events.

Things I do after work
When I am not working I enjoy getting out and exploring the natural beauty that South Africa has to offer. As clichéd as it sounds, I love camping, hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking and simply relaxing while staring out across a lovely view. While I admit that I don’t always get the balance right between work and leisure, I try to squeeze in personal time as often as possible.

I have an insatiable appetite for books and if I don’t have a novel on hand I immediately feel like there’s something missing in my life.

If you’d like to get in touch, please send me an email on hello@lauracooke.com