William Hopper
Covers:
Automotive, Technology, Lifestyle, Travel, Interior Design, Architecture, Gardening, Construction, Industrial and Product Design.
Doesn't Cover:
Guns, Politics, Religion, though I do have a background in those.
Gay Boomer, Automotive & Lifestyle Freelance, President Emeritus of @WashAutoPress, member WAPA @IMPANews. Tweets my own, retweets grabbed me.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Researching and writing a technical guide to Washington's Thrift and Consignment Shops. People still call asking for that guidebook.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Honey, I learned on a Royal manual! Yes, I am that old. Actually, as a kid, I would use my Mom's portable electric and write stories.
How is social media changing news?
What was hot yesterday is today's old news. Keeping it fresh, and accurate is what we need to always do on all platforms.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
JK Rowling
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Researching the real story, and telling it in real time without bias or pitch. Here are the facts, here is what I found out.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Call me, email me, let me know what you are looking for.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
What ever I can, from a pencil to a typewriter, from a laptop to a cell phone, from a video camera to the latest in tech. I want to learn it.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram, though I spend way too much time on Facebook.
Who do you wish followed you?
Real people, who want to know real things.
Why did you become a journalist?
To keep my curiosity in check.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Nope, I kept under the radar in High School.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Writing about great cars and trucks.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Your reputation is everything. It will take years to develop it, and hours to ruin it.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Here are the keys to the latest sports car, take it out and come back and tell people about it.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
There is no such thing as the worst pitch, maybe a sad story
What's your favorite drink?
Water, Wine, and a Scotch Neat
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Behind the wheel of one of the world's great automobiles, or in my garden.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
NY Times
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it is all a bunch of influencers and bloggers, and that is OK.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.