Rande Vick
Los Angeles
As seen in:
LinkedIn,
Medium,
Substack,
That Was The Week (Podcast),
Brandingmag,
Music Inc. Magazine,
Business of Story
Covers:
Neuroscience & Branding
Consumer Memory & Emotional Value
Music Industry Trends & Retail Strategy
Storytelling in Business
Trust, Identity, and Cultural Influence
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
This—writing thought-leadership pieces on branding and neuroscience. My “first job” in journalism started when my ideas became published articles.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, and its futuristic counterpart, the word processor.
How is social media changing news?
Social media blurs truth and propaganda. It spreads news faster than ever, but it also amplifies spin, bias, and flat-out lies. The challenge now isn’t access—it’s discernment.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Lois Lane. Fearless, relentless, and always digging for the truth no matter the risk.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Being a journalist means chasing truth, telling stories that matter, and giving people clarity in the noise. It’s curiosity with accountability.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
#covfefe — proof a typo can turn into a global headline overnight.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Short, clear, and human. Skip the jargon—just tell me why it matters and why now.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I lean on ScoreApp for diagnostics, Wix/WordPress for sites, Canva/Adobe for visuals, and I use Pages for writing. I use AI for analytics.
What's your favorite social network?
Linkedin
Who do you wish followed you?
Paul Zak — the neuroscience guy who inspired a lot of my work.
Why did you become a journalist?
I love the written word. I love big ideas. I love conversation, dialogue and debate.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I didn’t. My writing came later—through music, teaching, and strategy. High school me wasn’t chasing headlines, I was chasing guitars.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The story I’m most proud of is Branding is for the Brain, Not the Algorithm in Brandingmag. It nailed the point I’ve been chasing—brands live in memory, not metrics.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Stay curious, cut the fluff, and chase depth over clicks. If it doesn’t move people or make them think, it’s not worth writing.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Mornings work best.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
The worst pitch? A copy-paste email calling me “Hi [First Name]” and promising “AI will 10x your brand overnight.”
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee, matcha, whiskey. In no particular order.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Reading. Analog books. Or making noise on my acoustic guitar.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Brandingmag. Contributors are smart, and not afraid to push past clichés and actually wrestle with what branding means today.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That branding is just logos and taglines. My beat is the brain—memory, emotion, identity. The visuals matter, but it goes way deeper.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.