Coffee with a Journalist

Today, we're chatting with Ben Stegner, a Deputy Editor and Onboarding Manager for MakeUseOf. Ben oversees the Android, iOS, and Mac sections. He's been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more as a professional writer for over six years. Ben originally started his career in IT and began writing in 2016 for Nintendo Life.

During the episode, Ben tells us more about his role and the many responsibilities he has, why he tends to delete all the pitches he receives, where he gets ideas for writing articles, and more.

Today we sit down with Victoria Song, a Consumer Tech Reporter for Gizmodo. Victoria covers the news, product reviews, and in-depth features surrounding consumer tech products. Before joining Gizmodo, she was the Wearables and Smart Home Editor at PC Magazine.

During the episode today, Victoria talks about the madness surrounding CES, how she organizes her sources in her inbox, how she approaches reviewing consumer products, her simple rule for email follow-ups, and more.

This week we're joined by Terry Stanley, a Senior Editor for Adweek. In her role, Terry covers consumer trends, cannabis marketing, meat alternatives, pop culture, challenger brands and creativity. Prior to Adweek, Terry was a freelance writer for the LA Times, Mashable, and Brandweek. She has also appeared on The Today Show, CNBC, VH1, Fox News and other media outlets to talk about advertising, product placement and entertainment merchandise.

During the episode today, Terry talks about one of her biggest pitching pet peeves, how she is constantly communicating with sources, her favorite afternoon beverage, and lots more.

This week we're joined by Jacob Bell, a senior reporter for BioPharma Dive. In his role, Jacob covers the FDA, big pharma, and drugmakers. He has held positions at Industry Dive including reporter and associate editor and has reported for other notable outlets including The Deal, TheStreet, and McClatchy.

On the episode, Jacob tells us about pitches that grab his attention and ones that completely miss the mark, his preference for sources using bullets, his hopefulness for the future of journalism, and more.

Today on Coffee with a Journalist, we're chatting with Jane Thier, an associate editor for CFO Dive. Jane covers the news surrounding financial executives from major companies to politics and universities. She previously worked for Sauce Magazine, SmartAsset, and Thunderfoot as an editorial intern.

During the episode, Jane tells us more about the various publications underneath Industry Dive, how often she is producing stories and what she includes in them, what she values in a pitch, and more.

Today on the show, we're joined by Brena Nath, a managing editor for HousingWire Plus. In her role, Brena breaks down the daily news cycle for insights and analysis around the housing industry. Her coverage aims to connect, build relationships, and spotlight top industry voices. Brena has worked on both sides of the aisle throughout her career not only as a reporter and editor but also as a PR and community manager.

During the episode, Brena talks more about HousingWire's general coverage area and their move into the B2C space, the hundreds of pitches she receives per day, the importance of building connections with sources, and more.

On today's episode, we're joined by Simon Cohen, a contributing editor for Digital Trends' Entertainment and Home Theater sections. Simon covers consumer technology including audio and video products. He has been a journalist for over 15 years and has written previously for VentureBeat and OZY.

During the interview, Simon shares more about being a technology reviewer and the influx of products he receives, how he reads every email that lands in his inbox, his favorite Danish drama on Netflix, and more.

Today on Coffee with a Journalist, we're joined by Erika Wheless, a Commerce Reporter for Digiday. Erika reports around content and commerce including stories about platform shopping experiences, eCommerce data privacy, and tech's impact on eCommerce.

During the episode, Erika tells us about her coffee upbringings, her fascination with social media platforms entering the e-commerce space, her proudest moments as a journalist, and more.

Today on Coffee with a Journalist, we're joined by Steven Aquino, a freelance journalist, and contributor to Forbes, TechCrunch, and Macworld. Steven covers technology, accessibility, special education, and more. He's been a journalist since 2013 and writes a weekly column at Forbes about accessibility and assistive technology as a part of their diversity and inclusion coverage.

During the episode today, Steven tells us about his unique perspective when it comes to writing about accessibility, the shift in his inbox now that he writes at Forbes, his favorite quarantine activity, and more.

On today's episode, Tomio Geron, a Senior Reporter for Protocol, joins us. Tomio writes about technology with a focus on fintech. He has an extensive journalistic background and has previously written for The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Dow Jones VentureWire, and Red Herring.

Tomio starts by sharing more about Protocol's focus as a news outlet, a pitch he received about an FDA-approved product, answers an audience question about the best way to approach him with a story, and more.