Aaron Alford
As seen in:
Medium,
MSN,
Wiley Online Library,
MarketWatch,
ACS Publications,
Trading View,
Medscape,
Dot Esports,
Morningstar,
ADVFN
and
Covers:
Esports
Technology
Diversity and Inclusion
Pop Culture
Critical Theory
VALORANT Lore Keeper
Creative Lead and Sr. Creative on @VALORANT and @VALORANTesports for ROSEWOOD Creative
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Writing esports features for Upcomer.com.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, but not to produce professional work.
How is social media changing news?
Journalists are no longer gatekeepers to talent or industry leaders. Journalists have to find other ways to provide value to readers.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Superman, I guess. I am more interested in non-fiction journalists.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
The role of a journalist is to speak truth to power and to help people better understand why things are the way they are.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Nothing comes to mind
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
email usually
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google Docs and Adobe Creative Cloud
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram
Who do you wish followed you?
Malcolm Gladwell of course.
Why did you become a journalist?
I have always asked questions and wanted to know why things are the way they are, now I can do that and get paid for it.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, I was homeschooled.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Probably my coverage of the security issues related to VALORANT's Vangaurd anti-cheat system.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Just keep writing and you will get better.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Mid-morning in Pacific time
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I am honestly not sure.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Once again, I can't recall.
What's your favorite drink?
Water
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Riding single track on a mountain bike.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
New York Magazine, BBC, NPR, The Atlantic, Reuters, Polygon
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That esports and technology are niche, nerdy, or irrelevant topics.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.