What was your first job as a journalist?
Covering Canadian Music Week in 2014! It was an adventure and the first music festival I had gone to working on assignment and not as a fan.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
On one occasion. It was really cool.
How is social media changing news?
The information comes at an increasingly fast pace but it's likely biased as social media generates content based on who the user follows.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
I don't think I have one.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be a purveyor of stories untold; to always have a critical eye, ear and mind, to champion the underdogs.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Can't remember one off the top of my head!
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
By email is the best!
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Twitter and Google Drive.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter is my absolute favourite. It's been a great tool to build community, amplify messages and connect with other writers and editors.
Who do you wish followed you?
Solange.
Why did you become a journalist?
I saw a disconnect in mainstream media of how my community was being represented and I wanted to disrupt how the discourse was being shaped.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I worked for my university's magazine as the Editor-in-Chief! That gave me insight into journalism like I had never seen.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I really loved writing my first piece for Noisey about dancehall. It was something that I had wanted to do for a long time and I executed it.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write about whatever moves you. Never do fluff.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime!
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The best pitch I ever got was when a writer asked to talk about the intersection of sports, race and protest.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
The worst pitch I've received was not bad content-wise but was just unprofessional.
What's your favorite drink?
I really enjoy Sangster's Rum and Raisin flavoured rum creme with a glass of cold milk and ice.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Buried in a pile of books or crafting pitches to be sent out!
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The FADER.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That there's nothing past Jamaica outside of music and violence.
