Sandy Chu
Covers:
Global fashion, culture, lifestyle & tech.
muckrack.com/sandy-chu
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
My first paid job as a journalist was at WGSN working as a contributor. I was then hired full-time based on my performance.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, as a kid. But just as a toy.
How is social media changing news?
It's making it more real time, but for those who don't understand media literacy it's also creating a breakdown of quality and fact.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
I don't have one.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be looking for an interesting angle that encourages greater intelligence and deeper thinking around any given topic.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I usually find the dichotomy between a visual and a caption to be what's funny about a post.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
By email. Please check out my LinkedIn to pitch relevant ideas.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Social media, bookmarking tools and industry networking.
What's your favorite social network?
Tough one, it's either Instagram, WeChat or Weibo. Each has different perks.
Who do you wish followed you?
Anyone who enjoys exploring new perspectives.
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to work in events, research or in an operational or facilitator role. None of the other career directions panned out.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I love writing Chinese consumer insight reports, it's great to dispel ethnocentric, factually inaccurate beliefs.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
If doors don't open for you make your own. Start a blog. That's how I ended up as an editor.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Whenever as long as it's by email.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
To interview CEO of Pitti Immagine.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Someone who I had tried to cover previously and ignored my request later contacted me to cover them in a demanding way.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At a restaurant, cafe, lounge bar or cultural space.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I don't have one.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it's about being super glamorous.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.