For this week’s meet the media, meet Mónica Guzmán, director and co-founder of The Evergrey, a digital news publication that helps Seattleites make the most of their city.
- How did you find yourself as the director and co-founder of The Evergrey?
I started The Evergrey with my cofounder Anika Anand in the fall of 2016, after a year spent on a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard. I’d been studying how journalists’ roles can evolve to serve a more participatory public, and after years of experiments contained in existing newsrooms, I was ready to start my own
2. Which of your stories are you most proud of?
I’m pretty proud of the work we’ve done to help Seattle locals process big changes in their city. Last summer we did a series of video interviews looking at tensions between longtime Seattleites and all these newcomers. It sparked lots of conversation, which was fantastic to see. Here’s one of ’em.
3. What is your favorite thing about your job?
That I’m constantly experimenting with better ways to help people live like they live here, and that every daily newsletter I write starts with a friendly hello.
4. What is your interview style?
In person. Candid, real, human. No posing, just getting to the heart of things and helping interview subjects discover insights in their own stories they didn’t even see before.
5. What do you look for in a story?
Is it delightful? Does it unlock some part of living in Seattle? Does it help people enjoy, explore, understand their city better?
6. What is your day like at your job?
I start early, like 6 a.m., with emails and such. In the morning I’m in the city meeting folks. In the afternoons, I write up the next morning’s newsletter.
7. Who do you most look up to in the journalism industry?
It’s all over the map. But I’ll focus on people like Sam Ford, Jennifer Brandel, and Melody Kramer. Each of them is inspiring other journalists to listen better to people and take our cues from them constantly.
8. What is your favorite news outlet?
Every single local site/blog/feed that’s helping Seattleites get to know the place.
9. Fill in the blank:
- If I am not reporting, I am… singing, watching movies, searching for Seattle’s best stouts.
- If I could interview anyone, it would be… Jeff Bezos.
- My favorite thing about Seattle is… It’s full of people who want to do good by each other.
- What is your guilty pleasure?
Chocolate!
Check out last week’s Meet the Media where we spotlighted Doug Thompson, freelance writer for consumer magazines such as Southern Boating and Sea Magazine and the publisher of VehiclesTEST.com
Want to be featured in a Meet the Media? Email ofuller@feareygroup.com