I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.” –Douglas Adams
Name: Kristi Eaton
Age: 25
Occupation: Freelance Journalist
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Tulsa, Okla., and that’s where I currently live. I’ve also lived in Tempe, Ariz., San Francisco and a tiny island in the western Pacific called Saipan.
Did you go to college? Where? I went to Arizona State University.
What did you study? Print journalism
Where do you work? I freelance for several different magazines, newspapers, and websites, including the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Ms. Magazine, TulsaPeople Magazine, OKLAHOMA Magazine, Green Living AZ, Italian America and many others.
Why did you pick this career?
I love learning about things and sharing that information with others. At the most basic level, that’s what journalism is.
What are your future plans for your career?
I would like to continue to break into and write for more national publications. In addition, I have plans to begin a non-fiction book soon.
How did you get involved in this career?
I’ve always enjoyed reading newspapers and been a news junkie. As a child, my parents had three newspapers delivered to our house each day. By the time I was in third grade I was reading one or two newspapers each day. In high school I was on the school’s yearbook staff. I decided in high school that I would study journalism in college. After graduating from ASU, I accepted a job as a reporter at a newspaper on the island of Saipan, in the western Pacific. While there I was able to travel to Asia and a few Pacific Islands for work. I was there for close to a year before returning to the mainland U.S. After an internship in San Francisco at a biotechnology magazine, I returned to my hometown in Tulsa, where I began freelancing for various local, regional, and national publications. I love being my own boss and the variety of reporting and writing I can do as a freelancer.
How did you prepare yourself for this career?
Although I studied journalism in college, I think most of my experience came from outside the classroom. I worked at ASU’s school newspaper, The State Press, working my way up from reporter to news editor to editor-in-chief. While juggling classes and The State Press, I also interned at various magazines and newspapers (The Arizona Republic and The Oklahoman) during the school year and on summer breaks. Throughout all this I was able to build a portfolio with clips that I can share with new editors I’m pitching to today.
And if you just happened to land in this career what made you stay?
I didn’t just land here. It’s been a definite progression, but I stay for the rush and excitement of writing a story and seeing my name in print. I also love the variety of issues I cover and the people I get to meet.
What are the downsides to this profession?
Journalism in general is changing, which is hard enough to deal with. But freelance journalism is especially hard. I don’t have a regular paycheck coming in every two weeks. I only get paid for the stories I pitch, report and write, and editors deem worthy enough to print. There’s A LOT of rejection in freelancing. For every 10 ideas I pitch, maybe two editors will bother responding, and only one of those two will accept the idea. I not only have to sell the editor on the story, but also on the fact that I’m the best person for the job. With magazines and newspapers constantly reducing their budgets as of late, many editors would rather have a staff writer write the story and not spend the extra money on a freelancer. If I’m successful in getting the assignment, then the actual work begins, where I conduct interviews, transcribe interviews, write the story and maybe get a few hundred dollars.
People don’t get into journalism for the money. But it’s especially hard for a relatively new journalist to be freelancing because I have to make connections with editors as I go along. I’ve always been very frugal and thrifty with my money, and I don’t have student loans or debt to pay off.
Also, I work seven days a week. Because I set my own schedule, I’ve decided to work at least a few hours each day. I work less on the weekends, but I still put in several hours on Saturday and Sundays.
What is a typical workday for you?
It varies widely depending on my mood. But more often than not, I wake up around 8 am and check my e-mail from my iPhone while still lying in bed. If I have interviews already scheduled, I’ll do those by phone or drive to wherever they are being conducted. If no interviews are taking place, I usually have a story to write that I’ve already done interviews for. I typically have five to 10 stories going at once in different stages — researching, pitching, interviewing, writing and invoicing to get paid.
After a few hours I’ll take a break from work, either by watching TV, surfing the Internet or running an errand. I work some more in the afternoon before hitting the gym. I might have dinner and watch a movie or TV with friends or my boyfriend. I usually work for a few hours at night, too, before I go to sleep.
But the nice thing about freelancing is I am able to set my own schedule. If I want to sleep in one morning, I can, provided I don’t have scheduled interviews or a deadline. I can also take vacation when I want. Last month I took a trip to Antigua and I’m looking to take one to Los Angeles and San Francisco to visit a friend next month.
How might this job be a stepping stone to other professions?
As a reporter there is always the possible move up to editor in the future. Also, many journalists turn to law school or become teachers. At this point, I don’t have any plans for that, but I do know journalism prepares people to be able to juggle many tasks at once and meet deadlines.
What is the single-most important piece of advice you can offer a person pursuing this career?
Understand that like most professions on TV, real-life journalism is not usually glamorous. In real life, there’s no way Carrie Bradshaw could do what she did and live how she lived.
What steps do you recommend to someone who is planning to pursue this career?
Read every news story you can. Also, start small. You aren’t going to start out writing at The New York Times or even, depending on the size of your city, the local daily newspaper. In today’s Internet-driven world, people think you can automatically pitch a story to The New York Times and become a journalist. While that may work for a few people who are naturally very talented, know the right people and have an amazing story they came across, it’s not the case for the majority of people out there. It takes years of climbing up the ropes just to write for a medium-sized daily newspaper or a regional magazine.
What professional or community volunteer organizations are you currently a member of?
I’m a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and have delivered meals as part of the local Meals on Wheels in the past.
What’s a funny memory from your college or high school days you are legally allowed to share?
It’s funny now, but it wasn’t funny back then. While taking part in an in-depth reporting class in college, I got left behind at a bus station in a tiny Mexican village. I had gotten off to go to the bathroom, and my friend and classmate didn’t know I got off so she couldn’t alert the driver when he took off. I was stranded without any money, purse or cell phone and with only a basic knowledge of the language. That was a lesson in resourcefulness. If I can handle something like that, I know I can handle anything.
I also look back fondly and laugh about many memories from my time on the college newspaper staff. We worked in a window-less basement affectionately called “the dungeon” and had many late — but great — nights.
How can we find out more about you?
How can we find out more about you? </strong>
A simple Google search of my first and last name will tell you a lot about me. Most of my stories, including those I wrote about personal experiences, are all over the Internet. Also, you can check out my website, kristieaton.com, which has my bio, resume, links to articles and posts about traveling around the world. You can also e-mail me at Kristi.eaton@gmail.com.
Where can we stalk you online?
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kristi.eaton
Twitter: twitter.com/kristieaton
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kristi-eaton/2/6ab/839
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