Prima Bureerak is the Senior Writer at Hello! Magazine Thailand – known for delivering exclusive scoops and high-profile interviews. Having graduated from Thammasat University with a journalism degree, she carved her path to become a full-time journalist through her love for creative writing, which slowly evolved into a successful career in storytelling.
Can you tell us a bit about your background in writing and your journey towards being a writer for Hello! Thailand?
I studied Journalism and Mass Communications at Thammasat University. At first, I wasn’t really into writing, but I grew into it – especially because I used to love writing novels. I was finding a middle ground between journalism and creative writing, [which led me to realise that] magazine writing was the right fit for me. I was recruited for an internship at Hello! Magazine, and it turned out to be a perfect fit in terms of lifestyle and network. As time went by, I grew into the role and got to know more people, which made everything really fun.
What is it like to be a senior writer?
I started as a content writer and only became a senior writer three months ago. As a senior writer, I have more responsibilities to handle – as a content writer, I have to write about everything, but [I touch on] only the surface of each topic. Being a senior writer means that you have to be an expert of the field you’re writing about. Fitting into the writing style is also quite hard, I had to change my tone to be more formal. I read the magazine everyday and did research about each featured person to adapt. We have what we’d call a bible filled with a list of people who are featured in a special book called the H! List, chosen by our editorial team based on their background and businesses. It’s a very niche group I had to get familiar with.
What sets Hello! Thailand apart from other publications?
Hello! Thailand has a very unique audience. We tell stories of a beautiful life – sometimes people will read and not recognise who we feature, but those within the circle will. It’s also about the perspectives we tell these stories from, as we focus on mainly the positive parts – to tell someone’s story sometimes is quite a niche subject; we’ve become a representative to voice their story to their inner circle. To me, the audience is really what sets us apart.
How do you decide if a story is worth telling?
It’d have to be something very niche and untouchable for most readers– like exclusive insights on their personal life. We dig into the featured talent’s lifestyle and the details they choose to share only with us, depending on their personal relationship with Hello! Thailand. Our interview with Mimi Manwad, for example, covered not just her event business but also her Paris trips and future projects she revealed exclusively to us. That’s how we get such rare inside scoops.
What has been the most challenging story to write so far and how did you approach it?
The most challenging topic to cover at Hello! Thailand is royal news – it’s sensitive, and we have to use specific vocabulary and narrative styles. Fashion scoops are fun, but we always aim to maintain a respectful tone.
Walk us through how you would execute interviews with high-profile personalities.
When approaching interviews with someone high-profile, we must always do background research to understand their interests, what they’re comfortable discussing and what they enjoy so we can outline the right questions to ask. Some details aren’t available online either, so a lot of the time we often rely on mutual connections to gain further insight.
How would you describe the work culture amongst your team?
I think it’s very friendly and family-like, we complain sometimes about being overloaded with work but I personally think it’s like working with family. We do a lot of things at once, but it’s also great discipline – some might think we operate in our own ecosystem, but to us, it’s like a little family business, and we know it best.
Three words to describe the work culture at BurdaLuxury.
Hectic, but fun, and family-like!
Who were some of your biggest influences growing up?
My biggest influence is my higher self. It might sound narcissistic, but growing up, the only idol I looked up to was myself as a grown-up. I always wanted to manifest who I’d be in the future – I watched Devil Wears Prada growing up, which gave me a firm goal of being in publications. I’m happy I fulfilled who I wanted to be as a child.
Why BurdaLuxury?
To be honest, I’d compare it to the Chill Guy meme because we’re a very chill company. Even when things change through time, the company still feels like a perfect safe space, almost like a second home to me – it has the perfect work mindset.
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