Tiffany Dunk - Editor

Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Sydney, but while I’ve stayed put the rest of my family have scattered far and wide. Mum now lives in Queenstown NZ, my dad’s in Fiji and my brothers and sisters are all over the globe from Cairns to London. I’m never short of an awesome holiday destination (with a free bed attached) that’s for sure!

Most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you at school?
Probably having my many weird phobias (bananas, clowns and train stations just to name a few) exposed – and being mercilessly teased for them until the day I left school.

How did you score your job at DOLLY?
Hard work and a big dose of luck! About six years ago my then-boss asked me to write down where I saw myself working in the future. My immediate goal was to work in a senior role at TV WEEK (the first magazine I ever bought) or, in an absolute dream world, to edit DOLLY. I never thought either would come off but somehow I’ve managed to do both. I’m still pinching myself!

What were you doing before DOLLY?
After hearing about the vacancy from a friend who worked there, I landed the editorial co-ordinator job at CLEO not long after uni. While I didn’t have any experience (or even the right degree) I was super keen to learn and pestered all the different departments – from the writers to the picture desk to the fashion team to the art department – for extra jobs to do. It really was an amazing place to learn how everything worked from the ground up and I made some great friends in five years there there. After a few promotions (and a course or two) I moved on to the world of weekly magazines. I spent seven years at NW (my favourite gossip mag) as the entertainment editor (which may possibly have been the most fun I’ve ever had) before moving across to TV WEEK as associate editor before being made deputy. And now here I am!

What does your job at DOLLY involve?
Anything and everything from picking covers, brainstorming with the team to come up with features and fashion stories, meeting with our advertisers, working on DOLLY campaigns and events, checking the mail in our DOLLY inbox, attending events … it’s a hard life, but someone’s got to do it!

What are the best bits of your job?
DOLLY was such an important magazine for me when I was growing up that I’m beside myself that I get to have a hand in creating something that hopefully has the same impact for you guys now. I love hearing feedback from readers, I love brainstorming with the passionate DOLLY team about what we can do next, I just love being involved in every aspect of the mag. To be honest I’m yet to find anything that’s a “bad bit”.

Advice for readers interested in working in magazines?
Work experience and internships are great places to land your break in the industry. Start by putting your hand up for even the most unglamorous of jobs – hard work will definitely get you noticed by the powers that be and will eventually pay off. It may take a while, but unflagging enthusiasm for the industry and passion for the magazines I worked on was what saw me land where I am today.

Who are your favourite guy and girl celebs?
They’re pretty diverse and I can’t keep it to just one so here goes! Guy celebs – Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Guy Sebastian (I’m a huge Idol fan), Ed Westwick, Robert Pattinson, Justin Chambers, Callan Mulvey, Neil Patrick Harris, Robert Downey Jr (Less Than Zero is my fave ‘80s movie), Will Arnett, Taylor Kitsch… I could keep going but let’s leave it there.

Girls celebs – Jessica Mauboy, Ellen Page, Emma Watson, Nat Bass, Margot Robbie, Rihanna, Zooey Deschanel, Leighton Meester, Tina Fey, Beyonce, Drew Barrymore and Nicole Ritchie.

Favourite TV show?
My “I can’t miss” shows are (in no specific order) Lost, Friday Night Lights, Grey’s Anatomy, So You Think You Can Dance Australia, Australian Idol, Project Runway (Australia and original), Greek, Modern Family (can’t wait for this to start on TV), Rush, Survivor and True Blood.

Give us one random fact about you.
I’m an excellent thumb wrestler.