Bryan Pirolli
(He/Him)
As seen in:
CNN,
CNN Travel,
HuffPost,
The London Standard,
Substack,
Time Out,
Time Out New York,
ZDNet,
Lulu Press, Inc.,
Thrillist
and
Covers:
Travel, tech, innovation, sustainability, culture, food, LGBTQ+
Absolutely not using this app anymore. Find me on @SubstackInc
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Teen contributor at a county paper.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Ages ago.
How is social media changing news?
I wrote a thesis on this, so I'm not sure I can answer in a tiny box...
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Philip Pullman.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means championing the truth and serving a purpose through storytelling.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Shrugs.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email please.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Laptop and my brain.
What's your favorite social network?
The one I don't have to use.
Who do you wish followed you?
Peter Jennings.
Why did you become a journalist?
It's not a career that allows me to get bored, among other reasons.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, and worked as news editor.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A lot of my tech and innovation stories out of Paris were so fresh and fun to work on, and it felt like I was keyed into a moment of change.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't do it for the money. Don't leave it because of the money.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Whenever I'm caffeinated, so there's no telling.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I had a pitch about Elba through a Napoleonic lens that I always remember, but that's because I'm a history nerd.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I received a pitch on dog fouling in Paris (dog poo) that really had no true value, surprise, or storytelling potential.
What's your favorite drink?
Black coffee.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Walking and thinking how much I don't want to return to the computer.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I'm getting into some new fiction creators on Substack.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Travel is often seen as fluffy, but travel can also be very, very impactful in so many ways, for better and for worse.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.