Rick Ellis
Verified- Founder and Managing Editor, Too Much TV Newsletter
- Founder and Managing Editor, All Your Screens
- Contributor, Forbes
Twin Cities
As seen in:
All Your Screens,
Forbes,
Too Much TV Newsletter,
Medium,
Yahoo Entertainment,
Yahoo Canada,
Yahoo News Australia,
Yahoo News Malaysia,
Yahoo News UK,
Yahoo Singapore,
The Hollywood Reporter,
Yahoo Finance,
Yahoo Finance Canada
and
Covers:
Television and the media in general. But that ranges from the latest Netflix movie to a new book worth reading to a behind-the-scenes look at a media executive. Anything available on a screen.
Doesn't Cover:
Celebrity gossip
AllYourScreens.com & toomuchtv.substack.com. TCA Member. Appeared on "Dark Side Of Kids TV" doc, winner of 2024 David Robb Award for investigative reporting
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
My first paid assignment was for the Chicago Tribune's Friday section.I was just out of college & sold a cover piece about local country bars
Have you ever used a typewriter?
I grew up using a plastic typewriter my parents bought me for my 10th birthday.
How is social media changing news?
It's made it much easier to uncover new trends and smaller story ideas. It's also made it much easier to get lost in the daily buzz.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
I love being able to tell someone's story or being able to explain a complex business deal in a way the average person can understand.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email. It's difficult to reach me by phone and social media pitches can get lost in the avalanche of notifications and DMs.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Aside from a laptop, my primary tools are a webcam, Joomla CMS, audio editing software & basic photo editing software.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Judd Apatow
Why did you become a journalist?
I have been writing since I was a kid. At some point, I realized that I enjoyed telling other people's stories more than my own.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
In 2003, I broke a series of stories about Phil Donahue exiting MSNBC. It received tons of national attention & solidified my career.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
It's a cliche, but journalism can be one of the most rewarding jobs imaginable. It's also one of the least lucrative. That's another story.
When's the best time to pitch you?
I generally work pretty long days, so you can pitch me via email just about anytime Sunday-Friday.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
It was someone who I didn't know personally. But someone who had not just looked at my work, but connected the pitch to my specific POV.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Not the worst pitch, but the worst response I ever received was one that included a long internal thread discussing how they should respond.
What's your favorite drink?
Sweet tea.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Decider.com
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I am interested in gossip or fashion stories. Entertainment is a big beat, but many people pitching stories don't understand that.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.