London, Dublin… and now New York: How my career in media took me Stateside

The Manhattan skyline; celebrity news; and hopping on a plane to cover breaking stories.

It sounds like a delightful mixture of Devil Wears Prada meets Sex And The City with a healthy dose of House Of Cards. But the reality is - unsurprisingly - a bit more complex, not to mention seriously tough. Still, a whole load of folk with an interest in media, journalism, and writing dream of pursuing their career Stateside amid the hustle and bustle of New York.

And if this week you're looking for a serious injection of career inspo - 33-year-old Louise Boyle can do just that.

Originally from near Glasgow, she's spent time working as a journalist in London, Belfast, and Dublin - and is currently in New York, where she works for DailyMail.com.

This is her story in her own words:

I’m a reporter for DailyMail.com, based in New York. Right now, my job involves travelling across the US and occasionally internationally, working on a mix of breaking news stories, interviews, and investigative pieces.

Probably like a lot of journalists, when I was at university (studying English in Edinburgh) I worked on the student newspaper, and it was after that taster that I decided I wanted to make journalism my career.

When I graduated I landed a place on a Daily Mail trainee scheme in London. I spent around nine months at the Belfast Telegraph, where I learned loads, and then moved to Dublin to join the Irish edition of the Mail. After a few years working on news and then the features desk, I returned to London to join the MailOnline team.

I was only there six months when got an offer to go to New York to help launch DailyMail.com... and suffice to say I didn't have to be asked twice; I jumped at the chance.

I still get asked about what a 'typical' day is like for me and all I can say is no two days are the same. I can be up at 5am to catch a flight; spend all day working on a story, and then be writing an article in my hotel room at 10pm.

When I'm not travelling, I normally start work around 7.30am. I spend some time reading the news on the site, as well as New York Times, New York Post, Washington Post, BBC, the Guardian, the New Yorker, LA Times, TMZ, WSJ... the list goes on!

I also check what’s on the morning shows on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Today, and BBC World News America. I also reply to any urgent emails or messages I’ve missed overnight. I am an incessant list-maker! I normally have several lists for different subjects - on current stories I’m working on, people to get in touch with, story ideas.

I cover everything from politics and crime, to the environment, social issues, and celebrity news. I’ve met some incredible people too: the De Giron family in Honduras who were fighting for healthcare for their baby girl after she was born with microcephaly caused by the Zika virus. I've met survivors of domestic and sexual abuse who shared their #MeToo stories. I've met and interviewed people who have overcome natural disasters and mass shootings.

One of most important moments for me was witnessing the Sioux Tribe of the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota celebrate when President Obama blocked the Dakota pipeline after their months of protest. It was a short-lived victory until the new administration came in, but after all that the tribe had gone through, it was an incredibly emotional day.

More than a decade into working in the industry, I still love that being a journalist allows you to witness world events first-hand and to share the stories of so many different people. Those are things that I try to remember when the job is frustrating or tiring or upsetting.

Of course, I've seen the industry change a lot over the last couple of years: we all know it’s rapidly evolving. I started my career writing for a daily newspaper, with a daily deadline  - and now I write predominantly online articles in a 24-hour news cycle. You just have to be open to change and to just learning as much as you can.

To date, my work has taken me to 42 US states; Canada; South America, the Caribbean, and the Philippines.

And no, the job isn't pure drama all the time! The reality is that there is a lot of waiting around for people and sifting through piles of documents. And the travel is rarely glamorous either.

However, it's also a brilliant career to get into. And in terms of advice if you fancy doing something similar within media - I would say, get out there, talk to people, and pick up the phone. It seems simple but you’re not going to get a story while sitting silently behind a desk and shooting off a few emails. Oh and be meticulous on the details too.