Daniel Trock
(He/Him)
As seen in:
3Blue Media,
MSN,
MSN Canada,
Yahoo Entertainment,
Yahoo Life,
Yahoo News Malaysia,
Aol,
Flipboard,
Yahoo Sports,
BGR,
SlashGear
and
Covers:
Video games, pop culture, TV/film, etc.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I was an intern at a small, local newspaper that catered to both English-speaking and Portuguese-speaking audiences.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Does a broken one with no ink ribbon count?
How is social media changing news?
People are in their echo chambers more often, so they've become a little less accepting of conflicting viewpoints.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be honest and impartial to the best of your ability, unless you're writing satire.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
One time Little Debbie's was trending on Twitter, and everyone was geeking out over Oatmeal Cremes. No idea what even brought it on.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Quickly and concisely.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Wordpress, Microsoft Word, Gunnar Optics blue light glasses, and a big ol' library of random music.
What's your favorite social network?
Tumblr. Less politics, more fanart.
Who do you wish followed you?
Honestly, nobody. I'd rather not have the eyes of someone I idolize on me 24/7.
Why did you become a journalist?
I like to write, I like to write about the things that interest me, and I like to share those writings with anyone interested.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Nope.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I did a very silly list of fictional characters that could be in the Persona series of games. That was a lot of fun.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write what you know, write what you like, and learn to take criticism on both.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Early afternoon, before I'm done with my other work.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Someone under me wanted to do a news piece on a remake of the film 'Cannibal Holocaust.' Anyone who's not a film buff would NOT be on board.
What's your favorite drink?
Iced green tea! It's calming and refreshing.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Watching the TV about three feet to the left of my computer. Or sleeping.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Siliconera! They cover a lot of smaller and import games that some of the bigger gaming publications miss.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
The gaming industry, despite the use of the word "game," is frequently not fun to write about.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.