Travis Smola
Verified
As seen in:
MSN,
U.S. News 360 Reviews,
Flipboard,
WorldAtlas,
NewsBreak,
Outdoor Life,
Field & Stream,
Wide Open Spaces,
GearJunkie,
OutdoorHub
and
Covers:
hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, geocaching
Outdoor Writer, News and Sports for The South County News, Avid Geocacher making new videos when I can: YouTube.com/Tsmola
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
My first job was a general assignment reporter for the Cody Enterprise in Cody, Wyoming.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. I learned to type on one.
How is social media changing news?
News gets out faster than ever before. And unfortunately, often gets misinterpreted because people only read the headline.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
I don't know that I have one to be honest with you.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
For me it's all about the audience. It's far more meaningful to get an email saying they enjoyed my article than any awards or accolades.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Anything with "Florida Man" tends to be great.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Bring a pitch to me with a specific case use scenario rather than just a bunch of marketing buzz words.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Word, Photoshop, Gimp, Semrush, Word Press.
What's your favorite social network?
YouTube and Instagram. There's just a lot of creativity with these two with less of the drama and arguing seen on other networks.
Who do you wish followed you?
Honestly, I don't sweat over this kind of thing.
Why did you become a journalist?
To be a part of the outdoor industry that I love so much, and because I love telling other people's stories.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I did. I wrote mostly features. Our paper rotated editors every month, so I got a chance to fill that role a few times too.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The single most exciting for me was interviewing Bill Dance on his signature series of lakes. It's hard to top interviewing a living legend.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't give up. It's a really hard road, but if you stick with it, things will work out.
When's the best time to pitch you?
In the mornings.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Probably the Puerto Rico press trip where they were trying to inject some new life into the tourism industry after major hurricanes.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Anything where they're just throwing a bunch of specs and buzzwords in there with no substance to it.
What's your favorite drink?
root beer or water
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Outside in nature somewhere as long as the weather is decent.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Probably North American Whitetail. They're still spot on with the great big buck stories.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it's all fun. Sure, I get to do a lot of cool things. But there's a lot of work involved at the end of the day.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.