Educational Program: Entertainment Journalism in the USA as an International Correspondent
Working in Hollywood may be something of a dream, but it certainly has its challenges.
But what’s it like for foreign correspondents? Two esteemed entertainment journalists decided to share their insights into covering the entertainment industry as part of the latest educational program from the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (AFPC-USA).
This educational program was held on Wednesday, March 1 and moderated by Miriam Spitzer, an international correspondent for a number of Brazilian outlets who has a performing arts background. Based in New York, she started her career in 2011 as an on-air reporter for TVCOM, a local news channel for Grupo RBS and one of the largest media companies in Brazil. Additionally, she often contributed to Grupo RBS radio shows and newspapers. She has been published in renowned magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, L’Officiel and Marie Claire and has contributed to major broadcast and radio outlets including Rede Globo, Band and Jovem Pan.
Spitzer was joined by Anke Hofmann, an entertainment reporter who regularly freelances for the German publishing house Funke Mediengruppe. She writes for Germany’s highest-circulated bi-weekly entertainment guide, TV Digital. She also contributes to Germany’s oldest weekly programming guide Hörzu, the science/tech/history/health-oriented bi-monthly sister magazine Hörzu Wissen, and the newly established quarterly magazine Streaming, which is focused on digital content. Hofmann is also a contributor for TV Direkt and Gong, as well as , www.Goldenekamera.de, the online portal and companion to the annual German film and television award Die Goldene Kamera.
The AFPC-USA is solely responsible for the content of this educational program. Below, readers will find a summary of some of the most important takeaways from the presentation.
ON THEIR PRIOR EXPECTATIONS AND WHAT SURPRISED THEM THE MOST WORKING IN THIS INDUSTRY
Hofman says she always enjoyed reading books and meeting new people and that she ended up starting her career working for a Dutch magazine that hired her after she was recommended by friends. She doesn’t describe herself as “a person of expectations” and that she’s very “solution-oriented.” Her solution was to start writing.
Spitzer says her expectations were “very different” in that she started covering Broadway because she already knew people in the industry who were able to connect her with publicists and from there she moved to covering film festivals. She says she had challenges working in Brazil because she started working in the United States and had more connections in the latter country.
ON HOW THE INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES
Hofman says it was easier to make connections when she started working in 1992 because there weren’t as many junkets and you could typically make phone calls to the appropriate parties. In the age of the internet, everything has become much more bureaucratic.
Spitzer agrees, noting that before the internet, journalists didn’t have to compete with bloggers and influencers and “other segments” to get eyes on their content.
Both women note how press junkets have changed: they used to be more in-person but have now become largely virtual, with at times hundreds of journalists on the same Zoom calls working on stories for their respective outlets.
ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOMESTIC JOURNALISTS AND INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE SAME VIRTUAL JUNKETS
Virtual junkets and press conferences have actually adversely impacted foreign correspondents, says Hofman, because work is “harder” and becomes “more obsolete” when you’re working from different time zones so the work has shifted to editors. However, in-person junkets are slowly coming back, which gives her hope for the future.
Spitzer stresses the importance of having a “strong network” with publicists and people in the industry “from the perspective of your home country and also the local team.” People “fight a little more” to make room for you if you foster good relationships, she adds.
ON THE BEST WAY TO PARTICIPATE IN JUNKETS AS A FREELANCE CORRESPONDENT
Hofman recommends signing up with the Motion Picture Association to obtain a press credential, which makes it easier to approach publicists.
Spitzer says she made headway by participating in film festivals. The first step, she says, is to have an outlet that is “somewhat recognizable” that can “show the work that you’ve done.” Creating a portfolio is crucial if you want people to give you access. There are always people to interview who work in different positions in the film industry. She says “there are so many disciplines that talk to each other that even if you're going for something a little bit more technical, it can still be a fun story for the general audience to read or to watch.”
Hofman says “showing up and paying your dues” goes a long way, especially when you’re trying to build a network in your new country whether as a freelance correspondent or an international student interested in entering the industry. Speaking to lower-level and less famous people who are trying to get their work seen are easier to interview, which helps you gain experience.
Watching movies and “understanding the art” is critical, says Spitzer, who says publicists notice when you’re asking questions from an educated perspective.
ON THEIR FAVORITE INTERVIEWS
Hofman says she doesn’t really get “starstruck” but that the one exception was when she met the famous primatologist Jane Goodall while doing a piece about a National Geographic documentary about her work. She says she appreciates the “impact” Goodall has had on the world.
Spitzer says she’s always “loved Hollywood'' but that it surprises people when she says she’s been more starstruck by stage performers on Broadway, where she got her start. She says she recently felt starstruck while meeting Steven Spielberg, her favorite director, and the famed composer John Williams, who often works with Spielberg.
ON BASIC ETIQUETTE
Both women stress the importance of being kind, polite, and respectful. They say this pays off in interviews, especially with the very famous, who are less inclined to speak to reporters for multiple reasons, including the fear of having their words taken out of context. When these people see “a familiar face” at a press junket, they’re much more at ease.
Asking good questions is also important because you’ll get good answers from people who know you’re “not going to use the information [they give] in the wrong way,” says Spitzer.
ON THE BEST ADVICE THEY CAN GIVE TO THOSE STARTING THEIR CAREERS
Hofman recommends lowering one’s expectations but to “never stop dreaming or hoping and trying.” Being kind and not pushy goes a long way.
Spitzer says it’s important not to underestimate “the power of connections and networking.” It’s important to remember to think of yourself as a brand when you’re freelancing when “representing your outlets and a whole group of international correspondents” who have less access than those in domestic media.
Hofman says there is a lot of “beauty” in being a foreign correspondent covering the entertainment industry because foreign correspondents bring “diversity, variety, different opinions, [and] different tastes.”
