I Spoke To The King (No, Not That One)
Plus, the most important thing I've learned as a freelancer.
Hey all,
Like every other journalist, I’ve been getting a lot of emails about a certain soon-to-be king. But yesterday, on my flight from Bhutan to Bangkok, I said hello to a different king.
The King of Bhutan was on my plane and very graciously walked back to speak to passengers. He explained he was headed to London for the coronation and thanked us for coming to Bhutan. Strangely, this is the second time I’ve been on a flight with royalty/head of government. A few years ago, on the world’s longest flight from Singapore to Newark, I sat across from the prime minister of Singapore for 19 hours and had no idea until we landed.
Sharing a plane with government leaders really gives you that extra boost of confidence you’ll get there in one piece, ya know?
The Most Important Thing I’ve Learned As A Freelancer
I just spent a week in Bhutan and am still reeling from the intense beauty in every corner. I’m pitching like crazy this week, but I am noticing something…
Given all the recent and impending (VICE is rumored to declare bankruptcy soon) layoffs, editors are either gone or inundated. Not only are they losing colleagues, thus adding to their workload, but there’s an influx of new freelancers in the industry. Many of my editors are also cautioning that they have a huge backlog of content. So, they’re getting more pitches and are spread thinner than ever.
Which brings me to this crucial aspect of freelancing. While it seems landing an assignment is getting harder and harder, patience is the most important thing I’ve learned from nearly five years of full-time freelancing. Be kind and patient with your editors, and trust that your story is good enough to get commissioned. This goes for journalists and PR equally. I’ve been pitching an idea for over a year, and it recently got commissioned.
The First AMA For Paid Subscribers!
Drum roll, please….
The first AMA Zoom session for paid subscribers will be on May 17th and 10:30 am EST! So, if you haven’t already upgraded to become a paid subscriber, now is the time.
I’ll be answering any and all questions about pitching, press releases, commissions, where to eat in Vietnam, favorite editors, the latest episode of Succession, and basically anything you want to talk about.
Getting Deep
If you’d like to chat privately or get into the specific nitty gritty, I’m doing a private consultation session.
Please get in touch if you’d like to organize a session to ask any and all questions.
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Upcoming Travels
May - Hong Kong
June - Hong Kong/Taiwan
July - Taiwan
August - ??
If you’d like to work together while I’m in any of these locations, please send me an email at klockhart14@gmail.com
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