Annie Underwood (Penguin Random House)

Name: Annie Underwood

Subject: BSc Physical Geography (Australasia)

Year Graduated: 2014

College: Cartmel

Where are you now and what are you doing?

I have been at Penguin Random House in London since I graduated from Lancaster. I am now a Senior Producer, working on the production of authors and titles such as Jamie Oliver, the Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups, Zadie Smith, Mary Berry, Rachel Khoo and Paul Theroux. Essentially, I take the book from a word document of an edited manuscript to a fully designed and printed book – it is a great combination of the technical and creative sides of publishing.

What would you like to do next?

I love my job as it is at the moment – I have made my way up from Production Assistant, to Producer, and most recently to Senior Producer, so I am continually being challenged. I would like to stay in Production and publishing, working my way further up through the ranks.

Why did you choose to study at Lancaster?

Lancaster offered a course that really interested me, it had a great reputation, and when I came for the open day I fell in love with it!

What was your favourite part of your degree and why?

The field trip to Iceland at the beginning of second year was brilliant – it was very intensive, but learning in the field is always better, we were a great group, and it was a great experience. I think in general all the field trips made the degree extra special.

How do you think your time at Lancaster prepared you for what you’re currently doing?

While what I do now does not at first glance have anything in common with my degree, I picked up a lot of transferable skills. I also worked on SCAN and Bailrigg FM while I was at Lancaster, which gave me some media and organisational experience that came in handy with my move to publishing.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Lancaster? (Including extra-curricular activities and beyond?)

The friends I made, the experiences I had (both course based and outside of the lecture theatre), the location (I grew up in inner London – the open spaces of Lancashire were a big change!)…I could go on and on!