David Landis
(He/Him)
As seen in:
San Francisco Bay Times,
MSN,
Forbes,
Nasdaq,
Anchorage Daily News,
El Paso Times,
Kiplinger Tax Letter,
O'Dwyer's PR News,
Noozhawk,
PR News,
Agility PR Solutions News by Bulldog Reporter
and
Covers:
Restaurants, food, consumer food products, chefs, sommeliers, cookbook authors, spirits/wine, travel, hospitality/hotels, entertainment; an LGBTQ+ focus is a plus.
Doesn't Cover:
Anything not related to the above.
Retired Founder @LandisComm, TheGayGourmet: SF Bay Times, past Pres @PRGN, Univ. Prof, writer. Love SF, arts, travel, dogs, theatre, food/wine.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Theatre reviewer at The Daily Northwestern at Northwestern University
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes!
How is social media changing news?
It's undermining news because it doesn't have editorial oversight. But it does have reach, which is helpful.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Lou Grant ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show")
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It's a responsibility I take seriously. Without journalism, we don't have unbiased reporting/editorial oversight, which supports democracy.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Cision, Google, Instagram
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram
Who do you wish followed you?
Alice Waters
Why did you become a journalist?
This is my 2nd career, after heading up a major SF PR agency. I wanted to write more and be more connected to the food/restaurant community.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, but I worked for my college newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, as a theatre reviewer.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I broke "Meals on Heels," drag queens performing while delivering pandemic meals before the NY Times; and that Todd English is coming to SF.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Always keep writing - and when you're reporting, search for the real story.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Monday-Thursday from 9:30 am (PST) to 11:30 am (PST).
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A pitch from a PR person in LA who represents a chocolate maker/retailer here in SF who is a lesbian. Right on target!
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Pitches about couples travelling the US in RV's - repeatedly. I cover food. Do your homework.
What's your favorite drink?
Negroni
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Sampling the culinary delights of restaurants mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area but also anywhere where there's a good food story.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
New York Times, SF Chronicle and NPR
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it's such an easy job. It's true, it's fun, but it requires research, hard work, investigation and great writing skills.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.