Dan Clapson
Verified
(He/Him)
As seen in:
The Globe and Mail,
Apple Podcasts,
MSN,
VICE,
CTV News,
Flipboard,
Global News,
Epicurious,
Eater,
Out Magazine,
enRoute (Air Canada)
and
Covers:
Food, drink, travel, music, art, agriculture
Author of the best-selling cookbook 'Prairie' 🔗👇| writer | Wish We Never Met podcast co-host 🎙️| @bluejaysessions creator 🎵
he/him 🏳️🌈
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
My first paid food writing gig was composing short monthly restaurant features for Food Network Canada's website in 2010.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
For fun? Yes. To write an article? No.
How is social media changing news?
It's interesting to see who many people can have a voice these days via social media. That is a good and bad thing, obviously!
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Carrie Bradshaw because I'm a sucker for a good voice-over.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To tell an engaging story in the most genuine way possible.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Can't think of one off the top of my head.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
An email with succinct information as well as media assets if its something timely like a restaurant opening, new product launch, etc...
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I use most of Google's services (Drive, Sheets, Docs, et al.), a Google Pixel phone for photos and Ecamm Network for livestream production.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter helped build my career initially, so I have a soft spot for it. I have also drank the TikTok Kool-Aid as of late...
Who do you wish followed you?
Kelly Clarkson and maybe a Spice Girl or two.
Why did you become a journalist?
Originally it was because I loved to cook at home and dine out at restaurants. I know...predictable, right?
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Our high school didn't have a newspaper, but we did have annual poetry anthologies, so best believe I had poems in there!
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
In general, I love being able to shine a light on the Canadian Prairies' food scene through my column. It's often overlooked.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Always try to keep a bit of your own personality in your articles. Don't let an editor fully remove what makes you sound like you.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Mornings are great.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The best = most hilarious. I once received a pitch from a PR firm asking if I wanted to interview myself.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I don't know if I can think of one pitch that was *the* worst. Occasionally getting press releases in word document format is pretty bad.
What's your favorite drink?
A Dirty Gibson which is the booze-forward lovechild of a Dirty Martini and a Gibson.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Talking a stroll along the river in Calgary and dreaming up my next great idea. That or having a pint at my favourite pub with friends.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
These days I find I am less tied to a certain publication and more to specific writers and the articles they share. Love Ivy Knight's work.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it's a "dream job" to review restaurants.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.