When I was a travel writer for the briefest of stints, I pitched like crazy to all sorts of editors. Recently I found an old email from 2006 that tried to find a NYC angle on things that was going on (I was pitching these articles while I was on the road in Asia).
Hi [redacted],
Here are some of my ideas. Thanks for including me on this thread. I’ve attached some recent drafts. Can I ask what are your targets? I can probably better tailor ideas based on that better.
Fashion: Fashion for older men who still want to dress like they’re in their twenties aka yupsters (yuppie + hipsters). // Profiles of designers for the older hipsters or spots of hipsterdom (Williamsburg, Park Slope, etc.)Food: “When does Fusion Run Out of Fuse?” - When does cuisine loses its uniqueness and becomes a bland hotpot of cultures? A critique on the runaway excesses of fusion restaurants in big cities. //Top NY Restaurants who beg to differ. Interviews with chefs. Food: “Civilized Barbecuing” - Barbecue styles across the US. // NY Annual BBQ festival.Music: “Rock’s 2nd, or is it 3rd Act?” - The resurgence of rock music with interesting new blood from country, soul, dance and hip hop. // Feature interesting NY ‘rock’ bands.Film: “It could be your city” Where Hollywood is getting those city scenes. // Does NY really look like that? Business: “Space can add Zeros” Can office space impact the success of a company? // Some great NY office space designs.Art/Culture: “Private Displays” - Can our personal interests/lives be part of public domain? Quirky museums. // NY: Museum of Sex, Fountain Pen Hospital, etc.Culture: “When a Mercedes just doesn’t do it anymore” - How the new indicator of success is just not expensive stuff, but one-of-a-kind, well designed stuff. The design revolution. // NY based design studios/boutiques
Cheers, Josh
Oh boy are most/all of these ideas reaaaallly bad? But still.. those were the hustling days. And boy, did I hustle in my twenties. But for some reason, one editor replied:
Hey Josh,
Some of these look great. I’m quite taken with the office space idea, but I have a feeling that would create a nightmare, given that neither of us are based in NYC, so I have a feeling this would be more difficult to accomplish from a visual standpoint. Do you have any office spaces in mind already, or anyone who could help out with picture-taking?
SO — I’m more inclined then to go with the fusion food story. However, since we’re talking about [redacted] and they’re more warm and huggable, I think a safer angle might be less critique, more exposition — basically, instead of critiquing the restaurants that go overboard, mention the cardinal rules and how it’s so easy to go wrong, but instead focus on restaurants who do it WELL — and that can be the NY focus. (The golden rule of mags is to sell the destination — so if even the writer hates it, then why are we doing a story on it?) I’d imagine it’d also be simpler to forget interviewing the chefs, in terms of long distance calling and other logistics and cost nightmares (for you).
Do you already have some restaurants in mind? If so, I can start contacting them to see if they have press photos for us. Anyway, I’ll be pitching the fusion food to [redacted] for approval this week (unless you reply affirmative on the office locations for NYC) so you can get to work ASAP.