Andy Smith
New York
As seen in:
Medium,
Bored Panda,
Quartz,
The Boston Globe,
Yahoo,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Outsports,
JamBase,
Skiddle,
Rhode Island Monthly
and
Covers:
Culture, politics, music, art... NYC and Brooklyn...
Doesn't Cover:
Sports?
We're all just walking each other home. 🌌 Copywriting @blendlabsinc Formerly @betaworkstudios Author of @CanYouSurvive__ and @100thingsphish
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Covering the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
I remember using my mom's Brother word processor... a beast of a machine, basically a computerized typewriter with a briefcase handle.
How is social media changing news?
HIVE MIND.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Do the Hardy Boys count?
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Report.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Also a dumb question.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
MS Word, Google Drive, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, the Internet?
What's your favorite social network?
That's a dumb question.
Who do you wish followed you?
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
Why did you become a journalist?
I like stories, especially true ones.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
High school and college, though college (Pratt) was more fun... themed issues on Faith, War... went to DisneyLand in search of Freedom.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The Oral History of BK DIY Music... I published it on my 30th birthday after compiling months of interviews with all my friends.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write every day.
When's the best time to pitch you?
SHOWTIME.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
"Wanna take this weirdo's self-defense against terrorists class?"
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Anything followed by, "we can't pay you, but it'll be great for your portfolio."
What's your favorite drink?
A Manhattan
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Dining with friends or walking the town with my dog Luigi
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Atlas Obscura is always delightful: http://www.atlasobscura.com/
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I have a beat.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.