Meg Wagner – Social Chair
Hey guys,
Last month SPJ hosted a music and entertaining writing panel that discussed covering local and national entertainment stories for newspapers, magazines and the Internet.
Our panel consisted included: Alison Schwartz, Avenue Editor for the Alligator and a former intern for People.com; Maghan McDowell, Editor for INsite Magazine; Dante Lima, a reporter for the Gainesville Sun; and Henry Taksier, Photo Editor for The Fine Print and Travis Atria, a writer who runs the music website thillermag.com.
Each of our guests talked about their experiences in entertainment journalism. Several of the panelists emphasized that a lot of
entertainment stories are, at their core, human-interest stories, and writers should have excellent interviewing and feature-writing skills. For example, a story about a concert isn’t necessarily exciting, but writing about the lives and experiences of the musicians can be an amazing story.
Our panel also spoke about the local music scene in Gainesville. Many bands and musicians make Gainesville their home, and the city hosts numerous concerts and performances. The panelists suggested that students who are interested in entertainment writing start now by looking in their own backyard – covering emerging musicians in the local scene can be a great way to start an entertainment writing career.
It was a really great night, and out guests provided some interesting insight into the world of entertainment journalism. Thanks to our panel and everyone who came to the meeting!
Hope to see everyone at the next meeting!
