What was your first job as a journalist?
My first job as a journalist was covering trending automotive news for axeladdict.com as a freelancer writer.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No.
How is social media changing news?
Fact checking and verifying you expertise is imperative for journalistic integrity in the age of social media.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
My favorite fictional journalist is Mikael Blomkvist from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
You have to have a love of telling stories in an engaging, yet fair and balanced way.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Just search
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
The best way for someone to reach out to me about a story is to message me on LinkedIn.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I use grammarly, google docs and Wordpress.
What's your favorite social network?
LinkedIn is my favorite social network.
Who do you wish followed you?
I'd be tremendously happy if Stieg Larsson could follow me. I'd love to pick his brain about writing the Millennium Trilogy.
Why did you become a journalist?
I became a journalist because I love a good story well told. Writing and journalism are my ways of offering something to storytelling.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I'm most proud of a piece I wrote for Wealth of Geeks about a Porsche enthusiast who helped the police catch a murder.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be persistent. In a life full of things you can't control, the best choice you can make is never giving up.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Sending me a message via LinkedIn in the morning is usually the best time to pitch me on a story.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The best pitch I've ever received was the story I wrote for Wealth of Geeks about a Porsche enthusiast helping the police catch a murder.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
The worst pitch I've ever received was someone claiming that Jesus had been reincarnated as a car salesman at their local dealership.
What's your favorite drink?
Thai iced tea.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
I like nature, going on walks, shooting hoops, and watching the sunset over the nearest body of water.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I've always enjoyed the movie reviews written in Variety Magazine.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Don't believe what you see in movies or on TV or read in books. Journalism is not glamorous, and you don't do this to get rich.
