Careers: What it's like to work for ... Asia City Publishing

<p>Who's the boss? </p><p>On paper: me. In reality: clients, schedules, budgets, and my two kids. </p><p>How many staff? </p><p>About 30 in Singapore; around the region approximately 100. </p><p>Marketing responsibilities? </p><p>We handle sales and marketing of our magazine titles internally. That includes city-living publications like I-S Magazine in Singapore, plus tourist titles under the Where branding. We also have Splash, an integrated marcoms company. So, half the time I'm thinking how to better market our own products, half the time I'm thinking how to market someone else's. It's great discipline - and definitely harder to think out-of-the-box for yourself than for a brand you're coming to fresh. </p><p>Who's the competition? </p><p>For dollars, we compete with all media in Singapore. There has been a huge growth in outlets in this market in the last four years, with more newspapers, TV stations, magazines, plus expansion of the internet and other electronic media. For readers, we don't have direct competition. No one doing exactly what we do. </p><p>How do you get a job there? </p><p>We interview extensively, try to determine who fits into the company culture, and we give some sort of test to virtually every staff person who joins us. A lot of people are put off by that, which is a good way to tell who's serious about the work. </p><p>Department or office transfers? </p><p>Absolutely. We've transferred several people among offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok. We're a growing company, so it's important to transplant experience gained in one market to a new place. It's also a strong growth experience for the staffperson. </p><p>Any training offered? </p><p>Mostly on the job, with occasional organised sessions to deal with specific problems. </p><p>Pay and perks? </p><p>We offer competitive salaries and try to incentivise staff where possible. We don't really offer corporate frills, but since dining and entertainment are two of our main subjects, we get invited to exclusive events or given previews of new restaurants. And we're on all the best party lists. </p><p>Long hours? </p><p>It's publishing, so, yes. </p><p>Business travel? </p><p>As our core products are city-focused, there's not extensive travel required. We are growing our relationships with regional clients, and doing more cross-selling between markets, so the need for business travel is increasing. </p><p>- Greg Duncan is managing director of Asia City Publishing, Singapore. </p>