[West Coast Media Jobs] With open roles at CNN, Wired, The Daily Beast & more!
Plus, a Q&A with Luis Gomez (aka Run Gomez) about his new newsletter!
Hey everyone,
Like you, I was a big fan of Luis Gomez’s CA Media Jobs newsletter and I always aspired to make this newsletter good enough to pick up where he left off.
So this week, I’m thrilled to have a Q&A with Luis about his brand new newsletter: Missed Pitches, a newsletter for rejected story ideas, launching Oct. 30. Read on for more about it and the criteria for publication. You can submit your rejected ideas here and subscribe via Substack here.
Luis Gomez (Run Gomez) of Missed Pitches
What inspired you to create Missed Pitches and come back to the world of newsletters?
I have long been wanting to create a community where journalists and creative writers can practice the art of "pitching." It's one thing to have a great idea, but it's entirely something else to sell that idea effectively. I'm back with this newsletter because I've always thought of myself as a product creator and this is just one of several products I'm releasing these next few months.
What are your goals and hopes for the newsletter?
I want Missed Pitches to be a place where "rejected ideas" can have a shot at becoming a reality. My vision for this newsletter is to attract both creators and publishers to come together and make "rejected" ideas happen. If one writer's "rejected idea" draws interest from a publisher and ends up finding a home for that idea, then I will consider my job well done.
The newsletter accepts a wide variety of pitches that could have been—from journalistic stories to TV shows and movies. How much detail should submissions be?
I'm not looking for completed/finished stories, just looking for the pitch. Most of us who have pitched ideas to an editor probably have several of those sitting in our "sent" box. That's what I'm looking for. I want to see what you've pitched to an editor, I want you to copy/paste that into the Google Form I have (https://forms.gle/vmynCTfp13CWLicg8) and submit it. Your name/social media handle will appear attached to the pitch so you get credit for your idea. The pitch should not be any more different than what you've pitched to an editor, just a few paragraphs.
We all have those pitches we've always wanted to do, but no one has taken a chance on it yet. What is one of yours (if you're willing to share)?
I haven't yet pitched this idea (but it's up for grabs for anyone who wants to take it), which is essentially doing a dive into the support community of people whose family members have fallen into QAnon conspiracy theories. There is a Reddit subreddit called QAnonCasualties that has more than 28,000 members seeking help and sharing stories about how QAnon conspiracy theories have destroyed families and relationships. The subreddit is worth reading if you have a chance.
Subscribe to Missed Pitches on Substack and follow it on Twitter at @MissedPitches. You can follow Luis Gomez on Twitter at @rungomez
If you’re looking for a job, leave a comment about what you’re looking for on our September Gig Seekers Thread. It’s open to everyone; you don’t need to be a subscriber or based on the West Coast to participate.
If you’re a hiring manager, check out these talented journalists!
FYI: October’s Gig Seeker’s thread will be sent out tomorrow!
Crowdsource request! I’d like to start doing a monthly crowdsourced feature, with input from you all. For this month, I want to know: what are your Election Night Traditions? Whether it’s something complex or simple (mine is watching CNN with pizza, a throwback to my newspaper days), share it via this form and I’ll publish them in the Oct. 23rd newsletter!
From ABC7: Look out for the illegal California GOP ballot boxes.
From CalMatters: I filled out my California ballot last weekend and by far the best resource I found while reading up on propositions was CalMatter’s California 2020 Election Voter Guide.
What to Watch: This week’s recommendation was submitted by Lou Bustamante: “It's not new at all, but Good Omens on Amazon Prime is the perfect bit of levity and oddly appropriate right now. End of the world, demons, angels, and the antichrist?! Only thing hilariously off is Pestilence retiring and Pollution taking their place as a horseman of the apocalypse. Oh those simpler times!”
From Study Hall: List of publications that are/are not accepting freelance pitches. This is an essential link for freelancing right now.
Grants to aid freelancers during COVID-19: ICYMI, I’ve got a Twitter thread compiling them — I’m still adding to the thread as I find more.
For levity: The legendary Stevie Nicks has joined Tik Tok! Do I want a boyfriend or am I just cold — a fun look at cuffing vs. cozy season by one of my former writers!
Things of Note is now open to submissions! Submit your own links, pop culture recs, and stuff of note for future consideration.
Orange County Area
The Epoch Times, News Writer
Los Angeles Area
CNN Health, Senior Editor
Variety, TV Reporter
Los Angeles Times, Deputy Sports Editor
KPCC & LAist, Managing Editor (apply by 10/16)
The Independent, Editor - Independent Espanol
The Athletic, Social Media Associate
The Ringer, Copy Editor (part-time)
iHeart Media, Part-time News Editor
The AV Club, Staff Writer
Fox Sports, Senior AM Editor
TMZ, News Desk Producer
Entertainment Tonight, Senior Reporter
Long Beach Post, Food and Culture Journalist
Inland Empire/Palm Springs Area
Knowhere, Reporter and Newsletter Editor
The Desert Sun, Local Government/Watchdog Reporter
Sacramento Area
iHeart Media, Producer
San Francisco Bay Area
Old Navy, Senior Writer and Editor
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, Senior Editor, Local News Editor, and Lecturers
Palo Alto Daily Post, Reporter
News Break, Copywriter - Advertising
Pottery Barn Kids, Web Content Coordinator
Modesto
The Modesto Bee, Breaking News Reporter
Oregon State
The La Grande Observer, Reporter
Washington State
Longview Daily News, Local News Reporter
Remote/Many Locations
Daily Beast, Entertainment Writer
The American Independent, Social Media Manager
The Center for Investigative Reporting, Data Reporter
The Poetry Foundation, Guest Editor
Coda Media, Senior Reporter
The Center Square, Freelance Reporter
Nicki Swift, Celebrity Entertainment News Writer ($20/hour)
Looper, Movie and TV Writer
Internships/Fellowships/Grants
Insider, Digital Culture Fellow (Remote)
The Oregonian, Summer 2021 Internship (apply by 10/14)
Wall Street Journal, Summer 2021 Internships - NYC, Washington, D.C., San Francisco or Los Angeles (apply by 10/30)
Edutopia, Journalism Fellowship, Diversity and Inclusion (apply by 10/31)
LA Times, Summer Internships (apply by 11/15)
WW, Higher Education Media Fellowship (apply by 12/11)
Hearts Newspapers 2021 Fellowship Program - San Francisco, Houston, San Antonio, Albany, and/or New Haven (apply by 2/14/21)
SEJ, Fund for Environmental Journalism grants (rolling deadline)
Support This Newsletter!
Send along jobs, Things of Note, and feedback to hello(at)westcoastmediajobs.com or via this form. You can also tag @MalloryCarra & @WestMediaJobs to flag any relevant jobs via Twitter.
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Until next week! Stay safe.
Correction: The e-mail version included a link to an OC Register role that led to the wrong job description. It has been eliminated from the list.