Client:BRAVO
Date:16 April, 2015
Online:It's a printed magazine. Drop by my place and I'll show you my collection.
BRAVO magazine was my entry into the professional writing world—my origin story, if you will. It was a dream come true and the start of a great journey that now spans over 15 years, and counting. In my two years at Ringier, I published hundreds of articles, won three awards with the editorial team, and was one of the most-read journalists in the country. It was the place where I developed my writing the most, gained the confidence to hold my own with anyone, and mastered the ins and outs of showbiz. I'm not gonna lie: it was a pretty awesome first writing job.
Interviews & biographies
It’s always great when you can mix the things you are passionate about with your job. That was BRAVO for me. I got to meet and discuss music with the heavy hitters of the industry and tell their stories—it was the ultimate fanboy’s dream come true.
Reviews & Previews
And, speaking of dreams, who doesn’t want to have backstage access to awesome concerts, listen to unreleased music, watch new movies before everyone else, and get paid for the privilege? All I had to do was write about them through in-depth features and in my own signature column presenting the top tracks and movie releases of the week.
Orginal articles & stories
Because writing has always been my jam, the coolest thing was the opportunity to research and come up with original articles based on my own concepts—for example, how to become a DJ, with tips from industry leaders and technical facts. And then, every Tuesday, seeing my stuff in print at the newsstand was a reason to get up two hours earlier.
analyses & insights
I am a business major, after all, so the financial and commercial parts of the industry were always on my radar. Having access to all this data and being allowed to compile the unconventional analyses, based on music genre, artists, and so many other metrics, was a nostalgic bridge to my pre-writing days and made a very teen-centric publication a tad more mature.
Exclusive reports & inside scoops
If you’ve watched any movie, it’s common knowledge: as a journalist, you have to investigate, uncover, and beat others to the information. Knowing everything before anyone else—I still claim I was the first to introduce quite a few songs to the Romanian public, and nobody can take that from me—and sharing it with the world was something that gave me massive positive vibes.
Hot news & latest updates
Compared to print media, the online environment is more dynamic, interactive, and fresh. The formula for a good web article was simple: the quality remains constant while the quantity expands and the form condenses. In other words, you keep your writing flawless but produce more and shorter stories. We used an online hub to get the news to the reader in real time, keep them informed, and make them curious so they would purchase the printed magazine for the detailed stories.
fashion & trends
Not everything is rainbows and unicorns. Sometimes, there's dirty work to be done. Some of the BRAVO articles, like the trends or advice columns, were imported from the German issue—the mother ship, as we used to call it—and had to be localized and adapted for the Romanian market. As the only German speaker on the editorial team, they always landed on my desk. While not my favorite task, as a sneaker fanatic and fashion lover, it helped me develop my knowledge and writing skills in a style-centric direction, which helped me a ton later on.
