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Brian Kerin A&E Editor I recently had the privilege of interviewing Doug Kim, the Arts & Entertainment editor for The Seattle Times. Kim has been in the business most of his life, and since I am considering pursuing journalism as a career, I decided to take full advantage of the opportunity by asking for some guidance. Prior to the interview I made a list of questions, ranging from what initially attracted him to journalism in the first place, to how he got such a coveted job at Seattle's biggest newspaper. My experience interviewing Kim turned out to be both informative and inspirational. I realized the status of Kim's job while I was waiting in the lobby with a security tag stuck to my chest, eyeing the Times' arts section, "Ticket." I guess not just anybody can walk into a newspaper office and wander around aimlessly; security protocol is in full effect, from the guard at the desk to the button-activated revolving gate separating the office from the lobby. These precautions put me in a state of unease; when Kim came down to greet me I must have appeared nervous. He walked me up staircases and down hallways pointing out different parts of the Times' office. None of the other branches of the office fascinated me much; it was the A&E section that I was interested in. Kim showed me where the A&E writers work, as well as the section editors and the photo department. The office was alive with movement and voices. I think I would have felt out of place if I was bombarded with interloping stares, but the office was so teaming with action no one had time to notice the stranger strolling through their office with the editor. We found a small conference room, and I started to ask all the questions that came to me the night before. Kim started his career in journalism as a copy editor for the University of Oklahoma's newspaper. He wasn't writing a lot, but he had a good grip on the English language and was good at editing. His next stint on a newspaper was with the Tokyo-based Stars & Stripes, a publication distributed to military personnel. This time he was doing the writing, not the editing. He found a fondness for language, in particular, working with words and the construction of sentences. When he returned to the states Kim found a job as news copy editor on his first big-city newspaper. Nevertheless, when the A&E editor position at The Seattle Times came up, he applied and has been there since. I told him of my aspirations for journalism and of my love for the arts. I asked him what advice he would give to someone in the same position as me and with so many burgeoning questions. He started out like all great inspirational speakers by complementing my enthusiasm and drive. He told me to keep pursuing, that journalism itself isn't for the timid or shy, but for someone who is insistent with no shame. He told me that journalists need a feel for language and curiosity, and an excellent work ethic. He asked me where I really want to go with my career; I told him I wanted to write for the University of Washington's newspaper, The Daily, and eventually write for a paper like The Stranger, where the arts is the focus and national news comes second. I told him I had not been down to The Stranger office, and he suggested that I start going down there, just stick my foot in the door, make my presence be felt, so when I am actually looking for a job there my face is familiar. This idea seemed a little aggressive, but coming from The Seattle Times' A&E editor, I couldn't argue. My meeting with Kim was truly inspirational. We talked about playing guitar, some of our favorite bands and even some cool movies that are coming out in the near future. For the most part, he gave me counsel and confidence about my career of choice. I don't exactly know how he got such an important job in charge of all those people, but what I do know is that I could very well be in the same position as long as I continue to push myself in a positive direction and don't give up my dream. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™ |