Note/Mini-Process Writing

This piece is obviously incredibly incomplete. I apologize. Please don't focus on that if possible. I'd like to know if you think Dan is interesting so far and what you think of how I lead into the story. Of the several parts I haven't yet expanded, which ones are you most interested in? Right now I'm sticking with the Biggby focus, however I predict this focus may change.

So far I've only had the opportunity to interview Dan. And this isn't in the piece so I'll tell you, it was a full hour and half of 'interviewing' but in the course of our time together he caught up with an acquaintance, talked to her about a job he might have for her, overheard a conversation about Africa from a different media group that happened to be at that same coffee shop where we were, and that media group attempted to hire Dan as an extra for a shoot they were doing the following week. This isn't an excuse for being incomplete, but if you happen to read this first you can see where I'm going with Dan's character a little more clearly maybe.

I will definitely be interviewing his partners in media as well as Kyle, the Biggby Coffee franchise owner. 

Profile--Title Pending

Publication: Kalamazoo Gazette

Twenty six year old Daniel Martinez is working on a new concept in a new downtown office in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This new concept stars the Biggby Coffee Company that calls Kalamazoo its home, while it is currently working on expanding throughout the country. The various visual scenarios for this potential client are in the works, but Dan reveals the slogan for the concept, ‘Biggby Coffee—Just for Drinking.’ This is one of his team’s “big projects” says Dan.

Dan is the co-founder and co-owner of Rhino Media Productions whose new office sits on Rose Street across from the Amtrak station. Its big picture windows, high ceiling, and open layout give its team of Media Ninjas room to roam while they fill the whole space with creativity energy. There’s a bottle of mouthwash sitting next to Dan and his big Macintosh computer that his uses for his video editing. He caught me eyeing the mouthwash inquisitively as he finished up a bit of work. “I hate coffee breath, there’s nothing worse”, he states, a smile breaking across his face dissipating his concentrated features as explains, turning his attention away from the screen.

I am whisked away in his beige Honda, Dan is always on the go. He is wearing his Friday casual: jeans, business loafers, and his Rhino Media polo. His black hair is cut short. A genuine people person, he tells me about his life with ease. “Everyone has a story”, he insists. That’s what he walked away with after his time spent in Africa. One of his biggest life questions—“How can I tell people’s stories”. While a contract with Biggby doesn’t exactly answer this question, Dan isn’t concerned. He is however confident that as Rhino Media continues to grow, and crash through new boundaries, like the one standing between personal narratives and advertising perhaps, that they are “on the verge of something big”. 

Dan’s co-partner at Rhino, as founder and owner, is Kevin Romero who is pitching Rhino’s promotional video ideas to Biggby’s Corporate Division today. Back when Rhino Media was still in its “pipe-dream” stage, the members of the team spent much of their time at Kyle yle Kinney’s Biggby Coffee Franchise on Stadium Drive. After making some promo-videos for local franchise owners such as Kyle, Rhino caught the interest of ‘Biggby Bob’ at Corporate.

Reading Response--"U.S. Ideals Meet Reality in Yemen"

Finkel’s lede does so much for us in his piece titled, “U.S. Ideals Meet Reality in Yemen”. He draws me in with all the fast paced talk of days which turns out to be foreshadowing. I wonder, will he be foreshadowing the dismissive reference or is that just the starting point of what he will revel throughout his piece? We also know that the story involves an American—Robin Madrid and the President of Yemen. We already have to characters and a direction in one sentence. Then in small snippets the story builds. I know how it started and how it finished, interesting structure but it sounds like it’s meant for an audience that might not understand the complexity of what will come in the middle. And here we get to the point, the story of “what can happen when the United States tries to use democracy as a way to reform the world”. I’m hooked and I understand everything thus far despite my lack of knowledge in world politics. So I’m beginning to realize that the best journalism narratives are journalism but they read like a good novel. I’m concurring with everything Finkel is writing and it’s also opening my eyes to some things I used to believe about democrats and republicans. It’s so interesting that republicans complain about democrats spending on helping the poor in the U.S. but all the while republicans are spending billions overseas to help other people who may or may not really want it. This quote blew my mind, “I think there are times when you throw spaghetti against the wall and see if it sticks” from deputy assistant secretary of state in regards to how America takes democracy overseas. I absolutely love the way that Madrid is described! There are so many details, some more relevant than others with such a quick pacing—I’m so into Finkel’s style right now. She’s very likable throughout the piece but seems so naïve…      

Reading Response--"Life on Chittock"

Aupperlee’s piece, “Life onChittock: Plenty of Eyes Watch Chittock Avenue, and There is Plenty to Watch”, has quite a bit of foreshadowing but not much pay off. I’m not a fan of the structure he uses to describe the blocks he’s talking about, “the 900 and 1000 blocks”, because I’m not really sure what it means. I’m not really sure which city we’re in either, I mean I assume it’s Jackson because I know that the author is from there but I really don’t get a sense of where Chittock hill is. I don’t identify with Edwards story of reporting speeding and then the police arriving too late—that makes a lot of sense to me that they would arrive too late. The ending seemed abrupt. What else happens? I’m left wondering.

Reading Response--"Grass Lake Teens"

Aupperlee’s story "Grass Lake Teens Paralyzed in Separate Accidents Form Friendship in Hospital"  has such a fun voice to it. It’s hard to believe that the nurses condoned their wheel chair races and helped the boys prank their but that’s pretty awesome. The ending seems a little too nice, their only problems were a bow tie and ill-fitting crown, as if the bigger problem of paralysis just didn’t matter so much but I think it’s great that there was such a positive story here. I wonder if Aupperlee knew that it would be so heartening when he took on the piece.

Reading Response--"Mother Who Beat Cancer"

In Aaron Aupperlee’s article, “Motherwho beat cancer walks miles every week to support son who is heading to prison” I thought that Gail Hammett’s characterization was really interesting. Her first quote is, “He’s my son; I think that any mother would. Maybe I’m not just any mother. I’m his mother.” This contrasts starkly to what we learn later about her alcoholism and her absence. I wonder if it would have been possible to interview the son, Jimmy, and see what he thinks and how feels toward his mother. I also took issue with the focus that is elucidated in the long title—that she walks miles every week despite her struggles. But walking four miles a day is less than an hour of walking, not that much really and also pretty good for you. I suppose overall it’s a story of Gail Hammett’s redemption but it doesn’t particularly touch my heart. Although she does admit that she allowed alcohol to wreak her life and refers to her husband’s arrest because of meth dealing as “bad luck”. At the end of the article I’m just mostly confused about what the point of it is. I would be interested to re-read it after gleaning Aupperlee’s perspective.

Reading Response--"The Events of October"

            What I learned from reading Gail Griffin’s “The Events of October” is that structure is everything. The image of Gail in her cabin with note cards lined up and a story board and all that—it’s inspiring to think that if I could organize a story idea like that I could write a novel, I could be a writer. I write a lot but when I think of writing something big, it’s intimidating. And what’s even more intimidating is to think about taking on such a dark, emotional story that many people have strong feelings toward. I think the change up in structure at the end of the book is really brilliant. The threads that Gail weaves are subtle and the first part of the book with the chronological story structure flows naturally into the discussion that begins in chapter 10 and leads us into statistics and where we take the story from here. I had a hard time reading this book, but once I made it through, I was glad I did.