What was your first job as a journalist?
As a paid contributor on the (now defunct) MoviePilot Creators platform.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes (but never professionally!)
How is social media changing news?
Social media breaks stories at lightning speed, and non-journalists play a much bigger role (for better and worse) in content creation.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent (although I suspect Lois Lane's columns are more fun to read!).
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To inform, engage, and challenge.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
This doesn't really qualify as "news" per se, but yielded some amazing responses.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I don't really have a preference; emails, social posts and DMs, phone calls – whatever works!
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google Workspace (including Google Docs), Office 365, Photoshop, and several other tools/apps I'm probably forgetting...
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter. It can be an exhausting place, but the sheer number of insightful (or hilarious) tweets I see every day keeps me on the hook.
Who do you wish followed you?
It's impossible to narrow down to one person – there are so many writers, artists, filmmakers, commentators etc that I admire!
Why did you become a journalist?
I'm not sure I AM a journalist; that said, I write so that I can share my passion for pop culture and connect with people who feel the same.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Sadly, my high school didn't have a newspaper (although if it did, I doubt I'd have been confident enough back then to contribute to it!).
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My article for Polygon's "Year of the Ring" campaign. Polygon was a dream client and landing that gig validated my decision to go freelance.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Learn to embrace constructive feedback; every decent article I've ever written was vastly improved by the editor I collaborated on it with.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime (so long as you don't expect an immediate response!).
What's the best pitch you ever got?
None spring to mind (and I'm usually the one pitching, to be honest) – whatever the last pitch was that I accepted, I guess!
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
For a while, I received regular pitches to review/promote self-help books – I'm sure they're great, but they're not pop culture!
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee (cappuccino, to be precise).
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Strolling around London (hopefully headed to a restaurant or bar I haven't tried yet).
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I'm going to cheat and say "Any of the pop culture coverage that falls under the Vox umbrella".
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
From an audience perspective, the idea that pop culture writers' coverage is unduly influenced by studios/publishers/corporations etc.
