Wowzers! I'm so busy today. The July 4th festivities are coming up which means deadlines have been pushed up a bit. It also means I'm pulling my hair out in frustration.
My story on the Porter Mills exhibition made the front page of the Beverly Citizen and I'm tickled pink over it. I don't think it has sunk into my mind yet, reading my name on the front page of news publication and such. It won't occur to me until a few months later when this internship is over and I'll finally think to myself, "Wait, I made the front page? Holy shit." That's just how my mind works.
My editor is now starting to have me take pictures to go along with this story, which is hilarious because I have to pretend I'm a professional photographer while snap photos with the camera on my iPod touch. One of my photos was published in last week's Citizen and it came out well, so go me. My editor will sometimes send photographers to the places I'm assigned to go and I'll spot them snooping around taking photos. It's like I have this weird camaraderie with them. I'll nod to them whenever I see them as if we're part of this secret brotherhood or something.
Contacting people for stories can be frustrating, especially when someone doesn't bother to pick up their phone or check their email for days. If everything goes smoothly, it's quite easy work. However, one missed phone call can send everything into chaos. I'm working on a story right now and I finally heard back from someone after days without a response, so now I'm on a time crunch when trying to write the story. Not fun.
The best news I've heard all week is when my editor informed me at our story meeting that I get to attend a July 4th parade called The Horribles. It's a parade in Beverly that makes fun of current news events. I'm hoping for a float dedicated to the Kanye West/Kim Kardashian pregnancy fiasco, but that's just me. Anyway, I never get to do enough on America's birthday, so this assignment is more than welcome.
I have the same issues with contacting people. At some points you feel like you are committing some form of harassment, but whatever. The parade sounds hilarious, I'm sure there will be plenty to write about.
ReplyDeleteI always found the worst part of that to be when the most important person didn't get back to me or wouldn't take my calls (Just what EXACTLY do you have going on that is more important than talking to ME?!?!), and I had to make the story work without it.
ReplyDeleteCameron, Sarah, Kit -and each of you cranking out product - remember to save your clips or their equivalent. Get two of the print edition or make a copy of the digital page so you'll have it for your portfolios. You never know what you'll need when you graduate and start applying for positions, so save them as soon as they're published.
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ReplyDeleteA few times I have worked to contact someone, probably bordering on harassment, and they are super bitchy when they finally call back. I understand their frustration to some extent, but on the other hand most of what I am writing only reflects positively on that contact or their event/business, so the attitude is unnecessary when I'm working to do them a favor.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what your situation is, Cameron, or what your story is about, but a few quotes will not take hours to give, so people need to relax just a bit. Treat others the way you want to be treated and all that jazz.