2016-2017 Honors Mentorship Capstone Project interview

 

Essential Question: How does being self-employed through freelance communications facilitate a wider skill-set and provide me with the opportunity to integrate forms of media in my projects?

 

Matt Weinstock, Director of Communications and Public Relations

 

• What forms of media have you worked with throughout your career?

The bulk of y 20-plus year career has been spent in the business-to-business press, largely with magazines and weekly newspapers. As media has evolved though, so did my distribution channels, so along with a print product, I produced podcasts and videos and wrote a blog.

This is what I want to do. The podcasts, videos, blogging. As Matt has seen the industry change, I want to do be a part of that as I see the industry evolving in my lifetime.

 

• How have these different forms of media required you to have different skills in writing, interviewing, etc.

I had to learn how to vary my style when alternating between a feature story, daily article or blog. Features tend to be more analytical and you have the space to explore a topic in more detail. The hardest part for me was mapping it out to make sure that everything stayed connected. One thing I think reporters forget to do with daily reporting is keep the writing lively and interesting. You don’t always have to open with the news. Anecdotal ledes can be just as effective to pull in a reader. When doing a blog, I became more comfortable writing with personality. My goal was to always use facts and data to back up my point, but I wasn’t afraid to pull in a personal story or observation to make a point. With podcasts and videos, the biggest learning curve was understanding when to be quiet. I had to edit out a lot of my own unnecessary commentary to get the podcast or video down to a manageable length.

 

This is something I have definitely struggled with and learned over the past year, and with Matt’s help. There is a huge difference in interviewing a local volunteer about a new project for a newspaper article and interviewing a CIO for a spotlight piece, and I had to learn to find that balance. The writing is the hardest part for me, and as my career grows I will have to learn the minute details of the different forms and styles.

 

• Can you tell me about these skills and how they have changed based on your job or task?

My skills have evolved over the years and I’m still learning. As an editor, I never wanted to change a writer’s voice. As best I could, I tried to clean up the copy without making it sound like something I wrote. That said, there were a lot of times when I had to totally rework articles. Being an editor helped me grow as a writer because I learned how to refine copy for clarity and to make sure it fits in the space we had allotted to run the story.

I really agree with this. The few things I have edited for people it has been lots of effort not to rewrite the whole essay my way, but I know it is about their work, not mine. Seeing how language works together to form such pieces, it has helped me be better at crafting my work.

 

• How have you seen communications change with the advances in technology?

It’s a different world from when I started. The most obvious change is the internet and the ability of anyone to put out a blog or communications piece immediately. That puts pressure on reporters/editors/publishers. Social media, too, has had a huge impact. Unfortunately, in-depth reporting has given way to quick hit stories. We lose context when news is only reported in short bursts. There have been some positive changes though. Video and podcasts allow us to bring interviews/stories to the audience in a new and creative format. It’s important to provide as many entry points as possible to your content.

After working at the newspaper, I have seen the death of the true, factual, researched articles, replaced by clickbait. It hurts newspapers and puts the average person at a disadvantage, they have speculation instead of fact.

 

• Where do you see communications and PR going in the future?

There have been a lot of changes in communications. While tradition PR will never go away, a growing number of organizations are putting out their own content. They do this under the banner of thought leadership or, the more tradition route of content marketing (sponsored content). This allows them to control their message.

I can see myself working with this kind of content, putting out information for non-profit organizations, especially missions groups.

 

• Are there any skills you see that will always be necessary in this field, regardless of technology?

Technology is just a tool, same as paper and pencil and the typewriter. A good reporter must be able to listen and connect the dots. Technology can’t help a reporter see a trend or capture the human drama unfolding in a story.

First of all. !Typewriter!! This gives me so much hope when people talk to me about how useless a Mass Communications degree. You can’t teach the nose of a reporter. You can’t teach the vision for a story.

 

• What kind of projects or environments throughout your career have stretched your skills and abilities?

Every job has stretched me and forced me to learn new skills. I view each job/role as an opportunity to learn something new.

This is what I want. To have this kind of outlook. Between the newspaper and now my two internships this year, I have learned so much, and even though the newspaper was rough for me, I grew as a writer and as a person.

 

• With technology always so readily available, do you think communications will still be necessary in the future? Why?

Yes, communications will always be necessary. As I said earlier, technology can’t replace the important role that reporters play in snuffing out trends, doing analysis and putting stories into context. That’s true whether it is a reporter or communications professional.

I also like to chip in and add, not everyone can communicate well. Not always a lack of skill, sometimes people are so solely focused on their own passions they cannot detach enough to find a middle ground appropriate for convincing others to join their cause. That is where communicators come into bridge the gap.

 

• In your opinion, are there any benefits to being freelance? Drawbacks?

There are pros and cons to freelance writing. On the positive side, you are your own boss. You can cover a wide swath of topics. On the other side of the equation, freelancers are always hustling for work. Along reporting and writing stories, you are constantly trying to drum up new business. There’s no real downtime. That said, quality freelancers can find consistent work.

I hope to be such a quality freelancer. The covering so many topics is a huge draw to me, because I love doing all kinds of things. I think if I had to do the same thing day in and day out I would get super bored.

 

• Based on my essential question, is there any other thoughts or insight you would be willing to share?

There are a lot of options open to young people eyeing a career in communications. Reporting, PR, etc. I think it is important to keep those options open and find something that truly inspires you and pushes you.

I just want to use my passion for writing to change the world. Is that too much to ask?