On Wednesday (3/17) I got the opportunity to interview Ben Folds before the show he played at the University of Florida. It was definitely the first time I've interviewed a pop star...and the first time I've had to deal with the whole publicist/scheduling monster I know a good percentage of journalists have to deal with on a daily basis. I'm really grateful for the chance to do this story, mostly because Ben is a brilliant human in addition to being a fantastic musician. However, it was also easily one of the more stressful stories I've ever worked on.
I understand that part of "the biz" is dealing with event organizers who may or may not (usually the latter) understand exactly what being a journalist and covering an event on deadline entails. I consider myself a fairly organized and professional individual, so it's hard for me to deal with others that don't take their job as seriously as I take mine. Sometimes it can be rather frustrating when you show up at a venue and there's no information about where to go or what is or isn't allowed. Similarly, I don't appreciate getting reamed by staff members at the location because communication hasn't happened.
Ultimately, the experience was positive. I met a musician I already admired and learned a lot more about him. I even squeezed a little over 12 minutes out of my publicist-given 10 minutes. I'll have the transcript and audio file for a good long time and I'm proud of the package (preview, interview and event coverage) I put together. Also, I gained a little insight into what this type of journalism entails. I now know that there are many components to making an event, and covering said event, go smoothly and these components are exacerbated when there is some form of celebrity involved.
I chalk it up to one more journalistic experience that will help me prepare for the professional arena. I just hope I can continue to add them as I inch ever closer to graduation.
No comments:
Post a Comment