Columnist ditches blogging to be TV reporter
Fairfax Media’s long serving relationship columnist Samantha Brett has published her final column, following a change of career direction to become a TV news reporter.
Brett, who wrote smh.com.au’s and the age.com.au’s Ask Sam column, also wrote a number of books about dating including Sam and the City, Luv ‘n Text and most recently The Chase. Brett describers herself on her website as “Australia’s Carrie Bradshaw”.
She has stepped down from writing the blog for a news reporter role at Prime7 News in regional New South Wales.
In her farewell column she wrote:
“Towards the end of last year, I moved from my home in the middle of Sydney to the country to cut my teeth in regional TV news reporting.
“For the first time in a long time, I felt alive again and remembered how it felt to be passionate about something – and not be judged because I write this column.
“And with a renewed vision of the world, I have made the decision to focus on my news career.
In February, a column written by Brett in which she suggested that women had a greater advantage having large breasts rather than an education, created a furore on social media.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Whatever happened to the Pussycat Dolls?
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(Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy)
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Re: Job Application for Australia’s next ‘Carrie Bradshaw’
Dear Fairfax,
My name is Shannon Ford (though I am willing to change it to ‘Shassy’ or ‘Shancois’). I’m a hip, fun-loving writer in my late-twenties who embodies all smart Sydney girls looking for love (and sex) in The City. All of my friends say I’m ‘sassy’ and that I always give them the best advice on their relationships. This is true. My philosophy is that from our souls to our stillettos, girls are fabulous and deserve to be with a man who treats them like the princess they are.
I consider myself an expert on love and relationships, having dated hundreds of men who are either hot or rich (often both!). I am still searching for my own ‘Mr Big’ and I know your readers will soon be totally addicted to hearing all the goss on my adventures! My writing style is quite literary and thoughful (like Carrie Bradshaw’s). I relate all of my personal experiences to the big questions of life and love in the city by ending each musing with a big question that really makes you think. Such questions I have posed (over cocktails with the girls- easily convertable into paid article format) include, ‘What’s more important…a big heart or a big penis?’, ‘When should you tell your fiancee you’re not really blonde?’ and ‘How many carats are you worth to him?’ Whilst I could answer all these rhetorical questions (i.e. ‘penis’, ‘never’, ‘5’), I think it’s more important to encourage women (especially young girls) to think for themselves so I like to leave the big questions open to discussion so besties have something really interesting to talk about during coffee/shopping/cocktails. My writing also appeals to men because it gives them insight into how special women are and how all we want from them is a fantastic life full of beauty, wisdom, art, fashion, travel, dancing and love. It’s why smart women like me (and the readers of SMH) live in this exciting city that is Sydney. The greatest city in the world (after Paris, New York and London, of course).
I look forward to hearing back from you. I’m currently on a salary of about $85,000 at the boutique public relations firm I work at so naturally, I expect my writing salary to match that or be above. Given the Kardashians make $200,000 per nightclub appearance, I think you are getting a bargain because I’m every bit as inspiring to ‘real’ women as they are. I would also like some flexibility to focus on the acting/ TV presenting/modelling/book publishing/shoe designing/music performance opportunities which I expect to have in the near future.
Yours truly,
Shannon ‘Shassy’/’Shancois’ Ford
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Would be perfect as co-host of the Bolt report.
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hahahah..the look on Cate Blanchett’s face is priceless.
But seriously folks, who are we to judge her? Good on her if she wants to pursue a TV career. – it’s her prerogative to try and be as successful as she can be. And I guess if there wasn’t an appetite for her certain genre of vacuousness she wouldn’t have a job in the first place right?
I don’t want to offend people here but I suppose there exists a large slice of the female population who relate to her, chat about the same topics, dress the same and actually like her. Otherwise I doubt she’d have a column for 5 years.
I don’t blame her so much as I blame them for lapping it up.
She however needs some serious media training. She comes across as wooden, nervous and a bit uncomfortable on TV.
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“The push up bra is a better investment than a PhD”
Right until you’re 40.
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The poor woman clearly has no understanding of why people pursue PhD study – they don’t do it to for money or to advance their careers in TV, radio or the corporate world.
They do it to advance human knowledge in realms that have not been discovered before. And that is something that Samantha Brett is unlikely to do, unfortunately for us and for her.
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bullshit @notagain!!
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“The *medium* age for marriage” is up to 29 years old for women, apparently.
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@ fibbest
Frumpy?
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And no we cross to Samantha Brett at the Last Stand Nursing facility…and who do we have here Sam?
“Well today we are here to celebrate Enid and Norm Smith’s 60TH wedding anniversary”
SB
“Well i’m sure the question everyone is dying to know Enid and Norm is ….
as octogenarians how has being together for 60 years affected your sex life?”
“
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Totes. Just saying you don’t have to work as hard if you don’t want to… why waste the energy?
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@notagain!! pics or it didn’t happen 😛
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@Pive – LOL
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(Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy) Not that I’m one to judge. Maybe she can take a couple with her.
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