Chris Ryall
As seen in:
Issuu,
The Globe and Mail,
The Toronto Star,
Skift,
flipsnack,
Travel Market Report,
Travelweek,
Vacay,
Travel Industry Today,
Ultimate Ontario
and
Covers:
Travel news/trends, spa/wellness travel and trends, spa reviews, transformative travel, personality profiles, resort/hotel profiles, destinations, lifestyle & luxury travel, cruises, cultural travel.
Travel & Spa/Wellness Writer, Tourism Marketing & PR professional, Public Speaker and Certified spa addict.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Worked in TV newsroom in Halifax.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes -- an old Smith Corona. What I used when I started my career.
How is social media changing news?
Social media has changed news - it's instantaneous and reactive instead of checking facts first. The plus - more people can be view it.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
An opportunity I take seriously to educate, inform and sometimes entertain readers on a destination, culture, hotel/resort/spa.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Keep it simple and short. Research me and my markets. Don't send a one size fits all pitch.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google and other search engines to research. Usual software programs and a couple of photo software programs.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Why did you become a journalist?
Being a travel writer provides the opportunity to satisfy my curiosity about other cultures and places and how they live.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
One of the first stories I wrote was on making travel more accessible to disabled and profiling a travel agent who was doing that.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Do your research. Be prepared and be professional and don't go in with an attitude.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Send an email first before phone call so I can do some research on the idea that was pitched.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A press release that the resort has a new housekeeping supervisor - great for the resort but is that news worthy of a press release?
What's your favorite drink?
Wheat beer
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
The gym or spa or doing something active.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Don't just have one favourite - it changes but National Geographic Traveler would be up there.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
It's all glamour -- travel and spa/wellness. Lots of work behind the scenes in terms of research and planning.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.