What was your first job as a journalist?
Sportswriter/Photographer at the Mid-Hudson Post covering High School Football, Soccer, Basketball, Pro Boxing, and Minor League Baseball.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Raoul Duke.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I enjoy discussing the subject matter of the story/assignment and what angles can be pursued. But have the story's background covered first.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram. Continues to evolve - allows users to keep up with culture, products, music, people, personalities, etc.
Who do you wish followed you?
David Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports.
Why did you become a journalist?
I enjoy sharing people's stories whether it be the person down the street, small businesses getting off the ground, or advancements in tech.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No - we did not have one. But I was a contributing writer for The Daily Orange at Syracuse University.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Show some personality, find a common denominator that you and who you are interviewing might share, find the good in your subject matter.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
An alarming, mysterious, 100-page fax sent at 9 pm by mercenary Keith Idema (former US Special Forces.) while trying to close an issue.
What's your favorite drink?
Seltzer - not shaken or stirred.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Reading, playing guitar, walking or giving love to my dogs, helping family members and friends in need, and spending VIP Time w/ my Children.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Mojo, Guitar Player, Guitar World, the Economist, Batman/Detective Comics, Granta, Modern Home Builders, Octane, and Stereophile.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
It exists in a single silo, but it actually combines technology, housing, e-commerce, retail, and major U.S. economic metrics.
