What was your first job as a journalist?
Intern at trade publishing company for "Young Fashions," a childrenswear pub; and "LDB/Interior Textiles," about the home fashions biz.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Oh, yeah.
How is social media changing news?
Positive, it makes everyone a reporter and gets stories out there faster; Negative, that means amateurs are reporting, not being subjective.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Andy Sachs, of course.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To speak truth to power and spread good news.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
funny, yuk; not funny, ha-ha.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Short, concise email intro with a detailed press release attached.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Bullet Journal, MacBook Pro, iPhone, Scrivener, Evernote, Wordpress...just started using TapeACall.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram.
Who do you wish followed you?
Vanessa Friedman
Why did you become a journalist?
I love to write, but more than that, I love getting to know the people I interview and reviewing beautiful things.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
A little...some friends and I tried to start an indie publication because we didn't like having to answer to a faculty advisor!
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
An interview I did with Terry Pritchard who was the then CEO of Tommy Bahama.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
It gets better.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Doesn't matter. Any time. I'm gonna get to it when I get to it. Or not.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The one that ended up with me being invited to Madrid for a shoe show.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
When I worked at MR, which was a MENSWEAR trade magazine, I was always amazed by the number of women's pitches I got. Even cosmetics!
What's your favorite drink?
An aviation cocktail...or Rebel Coffee's oat.milk latte.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On an appointment. At the gym. On the PATH train or subway.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
New Yorker
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Particularly for The Manual, I'm not sure that people understand how focused the site is on its market.
