Lacrosse. Host of Sticks In podcast. Current: @USALacrosseMag @NELaxJournal @Prep_Lacrosse. DMs open. Same name on all socials. SticksInPodcast@gmail.com He/Him
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I'm still doing it. Reporter for the Darien Times. My first story was a public hearing about the Board of Education budget.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Never. I suppose that makes me feel a bit younger though.
How is social media changing news?
Social media is a way for people to decide how they get their news. They can follow the outlets they like, and they can interact with them.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent. How could you not pick Superman?
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means telling people exactly what happened, and allowing conclusions to be drawn by a reader. The why is not always my job.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I love sports, and I was following the Kentucky Derby a few months ago. NBC Sports used the hashtag #WatchMeNeighNeigh and a horse emoji.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I love hearing from people in Darien about what things that are important to them and generating stories from there.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
My laptop and phone are always with me, and I am always on Google Docs and Wordpress to work with my editors as my stories develop.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter. Creating your own news feed is great, and the ability to interact with people offers a unique avenue to speaking with others.
Who do you wish followed you?
Bill Simmons and Nate Silver. The blogs they run produce some of the best written content on the web today.
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I love to write. I love being able to tell someone that their world is about to change.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I never did formally. I wrote the occasional satirical piece about events around school, but it wasn't regular.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The recent story on the race relations panel hosted byJim Himes. It was picked up by many papers in the area and ran on their front pages.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Never say no. Every chance you get to take on a story or assignment is a chance to make yourself stand out. Someone is always reading.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Morning. I am reachable all the time, but in the morning I can get into the piece right away while ideas are fresh. That's how I work best.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The story "Title Wave" I wrote was pitched well. Darien had a historically great year in sports, and I was excited to be the one to cover it.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I was asked to write about an internal audit being done, when the results wouldn't be known for months. It was a pitch to wait months.
What's your favorite drink?
Margarita. I'm a bit of a tequila snob. I collect tequilas and have around 30 bottle of my own.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Taking to dog to the park or at a sporting event. I spend a lot of time typing and looking at a screen, so I love chances to get outdoors.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Nate Silver's blog, FiveThirtyEight, uses a number of gifted writers to produce data driven content about sports and politics. It's terrific.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That nothing happens in Darien, or we write the same story over and over. Town dynamics make every story have a unique angle to discover.
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