Mark Chesnut
(He/Him)
As seen in:
Departure Level
Covers:
Travel, tourism, hospitality, meetings, incentives, Mexico travel, Caribbean travel, Latin America travel, LGBTQ travel,
Doesn't Cover:
fashion, health, guns
Travel writer & author, PREPARE FOR DEPARTURE. Winner of 2019 NLGJA Excellence in Travel Writing Award. Instagram: www.instagram.com/departure_level/
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Editor and writer for a medical publishing company.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, years ago.
How is social media changing news?
It's becoming more fluid, changing more constantly and more influenced by a greater variety of voices.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
We have the responsibility to present information that can help people to make informed decisions.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email, always.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
MS Word, Wordpress, PhotoShop
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram
Who do you wish followed you?
Trevor Noah
Why did you become a journalist?
Because writing is my favorite way of expressing myself, and it opens up the world to me.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, but I was a DJ at the high school radio station!
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The Panama guide for Fodor's, Brazil and Chile chapters for "1,000 Places To See Before You Die" and cover stories in TravelAge West.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Never stop writing. Start small, get clips, make connections, keep pitching and work your way up!
When's the best time to pitch you?
Weekday afternoons, via email.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A press trip to Columbus, Ohio, with lots of flexible time to explore and the ability to bring a friend.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Beauty products. I guess they never bothered seeing what I write about.
What's your favorite drink?
Tamarind margarita in Mexico.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
The gym, the movies, out to dinner with my husband, or on an airplane.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Vanity Fair
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I can immediately make up stories based on a single pitch about a property or destination that I've never visited.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.