On this episode of Inside the Media Minds, our host Christine Blake speaks to freelance and culture journalist, Thomas Hobbs.
Thomas discusses his background and recalls how reading magazines and reviews, as well as listening to music, drove him to pursue a career in journalism. After college, Thomas became a business reporter and learned many skills that led him to his dream career of covering culture and music.
During the conversation, Thomas shares how he approaches freelance journalism and how he spends his days interviewing music legends and compiling his feature articles.
As a freelancer, Thomas believes that every audience is different and works hard to adapt his pieces to each reader. He believes that as a journalist, you write history and it is part of the job to capture the whole event and showcase the voices that are making history.
Listen to the full conversation to hear from Thomas on topics including :
- Thomas’ career and what drew him to journalism
- The appeal of being a freelance journalist
- Thomas’ favorite interviews
- What he loves to cover
- The importance of adapting articles to specific audiences
- Capturing history
- The impact of COVID and what he’s been doing during the pandemic
Timestamps:
1:00 – Thomas’ background and career
4:07 – The publications he writes for
5:15 – Pros of being a freelance journalist
6:55 – Thomas’ most noteworthy and influential interviews
11:26 – His research into deepfake music
14:07 – His research process for a piece
16:32 – Thomas’ passion for sub-cultures and music
21:00 – How he tailors and approaches articles for different audiences
24:18 – Why it’s important to cover subjects with respect
25:59 – The impact COVID had on journalism and inspiration
28:01 – What Thomas likes to do outside of writing