Colleen Bate

Background

About Colleen Bate

A wearer of many professional hats in communication, publishing and graphic arts, I have worked as an editor, copywriter, reporter, researcher, graphic designer, ghost writer, workshop facilitator, PR and communications professional. All these 'guises' have defined my professional values as- A strong communicator and creative solutions specialist: experienced in publishing,(editing, professional writing, copywriting, ghost writing, interviewing, researching art direction and graphic design), training, communication and public relations- Techsavvy: I started my career in South Africa as a journalist in the mining industry when the Apple Mac was making its debut. Merging this new technology with my writing skills led to the role of graphic design software systems trainer and ultimately, editor for a desk top publishing journal. I have co-written books on the Mac OS X system and Adobe Photoshop and worked as editor of various graphic arts magazines for South Africa, New Zealand and Australia- People centric in my approach: I am a proven team player, facilitator, interviewer, connector, relationship builder and collaborator. The highlight of my editing roles has been meeting and interviewing a number of high profile people across the globe- Freedom loving and independent: As freelancer for many years, I am self motivated and can work autonomously (but admittedly, excel when valued as a team member)- International experience: As well as the roles I have held as an international editor of graphic arts publications I have also written articles for a variety of niche magazines in the lifestyle, transport, and community sectors in South Africa, Australia and Hawaii (see images for full range of titles). A keen traveller, my career has taken me to many different countries to attend industry trade shows and seminars. Multi-skilled: I have assisted with art direction and collaborated on magazine rebrands; provided PR services for industry distributors and an international sailing event; ghost written personal stories and work as a communication professional at a Steiner School. I contemplated a change of career and received the Advanced Diploma of Steiner Education and the Bachelor of Teaching and Learning (Primary) in 2015, but somehow the call to excel as a communication and publishing professional has remained.