Ryan Baker
Houston
As seen in:
Medium,
Yahoo,
avonandsomerset.police.uk,
KFOR-TV (Oklahoma City, OK),
Firehouse Magazine,
Houston Food Finder,
Fastfood Professional Magazine
Covers:
Martial arts, fitness, food and beverage news, Restaurant review.
bachelor's of science in kinesiology and nutrition.
I write about sport science, nutrition, food, and booze news
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Writing press releases for a local food website.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Many years ago. In middle school, it was more common to find typewriters than computers in the library.
How is social media changing news?
I think it is allowing people to polarize more, by giving more sources from either side of an argument.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Does Ford Prefect from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy count?
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To inform, and to inform with honesty.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I like to see them written out.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google Docs, WordPress, and a Canon Rebel Eos.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram, I believe photographs go a long way in telling a story.
Who do you wish followed you?
Robert Simonsson, I really want to continue on the path of hospitality writing.
Why did you become a journalist?
I have an appreciation, if not a fixation on accuracy. I feel the industry needed more of that trait.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I did a handful of photographs, here and there. But, I was actively involved in the yearbook design, so I did not have enough time for both.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
One that I just finished writing. It was my first food critic assignment.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write, just write and try not to overthink every word.
When's the best time to pitch you?
I try to be responsive any time of the day. For a more specific time, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., I am pretty much guaranteed to be free.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
So far, to interview and explain the choice of a local celebrity chef, in his actions to expand a non-profit to another large city.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I don't think I have been around long enough for that yet.
What's your favorite drink?
A nuclear daiquiri. The drink splits the rum base with green chartreuse, and replaces the sugar with falernum.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
I have a degree in kinesiology, so you can usually find me in a gym.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Culturemap or any food and beverage are ones that I tend to prefer. Unfortunately, most health and fitness magazines seem to be unethical.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That anything the restaurant claims about health and diet, must be true.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.