Melody McCune
Verified
(She/Her)
- Contributor, Freelance
- Features Writer, MovieWeb
- Trending News Writer, Men's Journal
California, Los Angeles, New York
As seen in:
Men's Journal,
MovieWeb,
Medium,
MSN,
Yahoo Entertainment,
Yahoo Life,
Yahoo News UK,
Aol,
Flipboard,
Yahoo Sports,
Miami Herald,
Yahoo
and
Covers:
Entertainment, pop culture, TV, film, music, art
Managing Editor: GGA (RIP). Words: @collectsideshow, @TellTaleTV_, @EulalieMag, @movieweb, @MensJournal. Critic: @rottentomatoes, @thecherrypicks. She/her
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Geek Girl Authority - also my current job! But I've worked for and freelanced for other publications since then.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Once. I was awful at it.
How is social media changing news?
News has become more instantaneous than ever thanks to social media. However, this also presents a challenge to media publications in the form of resisting the urge to use clickbait titles and sensationalized language to ramp up readership.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
J. Jonah Jameson, of course.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To objectively and effectively keep the public informed.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
None that I can think of ... so far.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email is good!
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
WordPress, Asana, and Slack. Plus the good ol' internet.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter, but it's also a hellish platform.
Who do you wish followed you?
Every blue checkmark I follow.
Why did you become a journalist?
I love to write, especially about entertainment. I love sharing my enthusiasm for pop culture with likeminded folks.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I didn't! But I was in our journalism club.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I put together a collaboration piece with other writers regarded what Kamala Harris' win as VP means to us at Geek Girl Authority. Loved that I could write about a significant part of history.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Keep writing. Keep applying. Keep your finger on the pulse of what's in the zeitgeist.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Morning and midday.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
An interview opportunity with Mark Pellegrino.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A pandemic-themed card game. No one wants to make light of this dumpster fire of a year.
What's your favorite drink?
Jack and coke. I'm a simple gal.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Watching TV. Playing with the dog. Reading.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Syfy Wire!
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That there's more opinion-based pieces than factual stories.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.