Freelance journalist
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Reporter at the Pulitzer Prize Winning 'Point Reyes Light'.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes!
How is social media changing news?
For better and for worse. Social media is reactive and generally chases the "shiny things," but it promotes amazing stories, as well.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Roger Moore's James Bond presented himself as a journalist in 'A View to a Kill' to do reconnaissance on the villains he battled.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To work hard and be under-appreciated doing important work for very little money.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
A conversation on the phone as opposed to an email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A phone and a computer.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram.
Who do you wish followed you?
Barack Obama, Jia Tolentino, Jon Stewart, William Finnegan, Steph Curry, David Remnick, Malcolm Gladwell.
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to write, and to meet interesting people doing interesting things.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, but I was writing fiction and making art.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Obscure waterfront issues and the Golden State Warriors.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
. . . So what's your backup plan?
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Find a good story and write it.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Do you want to cover one of the advertisers of our publication and write a glowing story about them?
What's your favorite drink?
It's an even tossup between cold water and cold beer.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On the water, on a trail, or on a basketball court.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That the waterfront is irrelevant and that sports are easily boiled down to talking points and unrealistic expectations.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.