Rick Smolan
New York
Photojournalist, filmmaker, entrepreneur and #1 New York Times best selling author with over 5 million books in print.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Photographing two policemen in Philadelphia who claimed to seen a Flying Saucer land (for the National Enquirer)
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yup but I am a two finger typist (shoulda listened to my mother's advice all those years ago!)
How is social media changing news?
Using artificial intelligence, machine learning and data scientists to develop semi automated ways to extract info from social media
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent (mild mannered reporter) and William Miller in "Almost Famous"
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Not just telling a story but changing the narrative and outcome by sparking an informed conversation
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
in person
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
The usual - a MacBook Air with a terrific little gadget called StorEdge that adds another 125 Gigs of memory by using the SD card slot
What's your favorite social network?
LinkedIn makes it much easier to reach individuals than cold calling or going through traditional channels
Who do you wish followed you?
Thomas Friedman, Malcolm Gladwell, Nick Wingfield
Why did you become a journalist?
I was painfully shy as a kid and when I got my first camera at 16 is was like a personality transplant - with a camera I was fearless
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I was director of photography (and chief bottle washer)
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
www.NatashaStory.com and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk5D0bd0Ksk
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
find a topic you are fascinated by and tell that story from as many different perspectives as possible using a wide range of media
When's the best time to pitch you?
10 am
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