I HAVE LITTLE RESPECT for power. And when I can see a way to help someone out, I tend to barge in regardless. Here are two examples.
The first was at a Christmas party for the Daily Telegraph, where I got talking to a freelancer who had some ideas she wanted to pitch to the editor, Charles Moore, but didn’t know how to go about it. So I said I’d introduce her. I tapped Moore on the shoulder and said, ‘Hi, Charles, sorry to interrupt, but my good friend Claire here has some great ideas for features.’
Afterwards she came to thank me for the introduction, and asked how I knew Charles Moore. I told her I’d never met him. What difference did it make? He’d never have admitted he’d forgotten who I was, and in any case I wasn’t around long enough for him to try to remember.
The second occasion was at a party where another freelancer wanted to meet another editor. She had no qualms about introducing herself, but the editor was deep in conversation with another man. So I went up to the other man and said, ‘Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, but can I have a quick word?’ and I took him to one side.
Once I’d seen that she was now talking to the editor, I explained the situation to the other man. He was quite amused.
The moral is: what’s the worst that could happen?
