[DO NOT DELETE] This sheet is for anyone in the Communications/Media industries willing to do pro bono work to help out other industry folk. If you're not a journalist, please specify what you do so there's no confusion. This is strictly career-adjacent work, not a way to advertise services for nonprofits. Any questions about this form: please get in touch via DMs @weischoice Upvote this document on Sourceful [DO NOT DELETE]
| Name | Pronouns | Preferred Contact Method | Website | Willing to Help With | Don't Ask Me About | Currently Available (Y/N) | Additional Info | Instructions re: follow ups |
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| Sonia Weiser | She/Her | sdweiser@gmail.com or DM @weischoice | soniaweiser.wordpress.com | resumes, portfolio critique, general advice, practice interviews, chronic mental illness and needing to vent about it etc. | where to send pitches, if I can edit your pitch, how I run my newsletter, personal editor contacts, contract issues including AB5 adjacent questions | For simple things yes. | Best to send specific questions | I promise I'll get to it. No need to nudge |
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| Fiza Pirani | She/Her | fiza.pirani@gmail.com | fizapirani.net | resume/portfolio critique, general advice, "minority" (hate that term) experience in journalism, experience with immigrant parents and journalism/creative careers | editing services, newsletter management, any commissioned services offered on website (girl gotta eat!) | Yes | Priority to marginalized workers, new professionals, anyone affected financially by covid-19. But will likely be able to assist anyone at all. | Feel free to nudge if I don't respond after a week, though Gmail tends to do the nudging, too! |
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| Gabriel Greschler | He him | ggreschler@gmail.com or DM @ggreschler | ggreschler.com | Making the jump from student journalist->professional journalist, general advice | where to send pitches, if I can edit your pitch, how I run my newsletter | Yes |
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| Ashley Mateo | She/her | ashmateo13@gmail.com | ashleymateo.com | resume/portfolio critique, general advice, pitch critique, pitching advice, first reads, story placement | | yes | | Please give me a week to respond! |
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| Sherel Purcell | she/they | Leave a comment at activecitytravel.com | https://activecitytravel.com/ | pitch critique, general advice, first reads, travel writing | where to pitch | Yes | priority goes to marginalized people from lower economic backgrounds, queer and trans people, people of color, black people, anyone who has a harder time getting their foot in the industry doors | I put all of these kinds of emails I get into a folder that I check twice a week and respond, if it's been a week please don't follow up yet, I promise I'm getting to you. if it's been over a week, feel free to check in! IF it's time sensitive please say so in the subject line |
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| Somdyuti Datta Ray | she/her | somdyutidattaray@gmail.com / @hellodyuti | somdyuti.contently.com | resume/portfolio/pitch critique | editing pitches/services | Yes | especially happy to help BIPOC individuals |
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| Tim Herrera | he/him | @timherrera | https://mailchi.mp/1a0d93c9a69e/howtopitch | Pitching advice | Individual pitch reviews | Yes | | If you entered your email in the form, I've got it! |
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| Joseph Hernandez | he/him | jhernandez312@gmail.com / @joeybear85 | heytherejoeybear.com | resume/portfolio critique, early career advice, pitch advice | Custom pitch reviews, direct contacts, assignments, editing individual pitches | Yes | Priority goes to marginalized people from lower economic backgrounds, queer, BIPOC individuals, early career journalists/writers having a hard time breaking in. *Please have specific questions in mind when reaching out.* | Please don't follow-up within 48 hours of initial query. |
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| Anjulie Rao | she/her | Anjulier@gmail.com / @anjulierao | anjulierao.info | website/public-facing collateral crit / topic dicscussions around writing about architecture/design | editing specific pieces/pitches | yes | Love to hear from people interested in writing about architecture/design! Women/BIPOC please reach out! | Please bug me if I don't follow up within five days |
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| Erik Sherman | If you spell my name correctly, we're fine | erikbsherman@gmail.com | eriksherman.com | contract review, pitch reviews | | yes | You must have read the contract yourself and developed questions | Give me a few days |
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| Melissa Lewis | she/her | mlewis at revealnews.org / @iff_or | https://www.revealnews.org/author/melissa-lewis/ | data analysis and visualization, database systems, records requests, Python programming, Git and GitHub | pitching | Yes | Priority is folks at local or non-profit newsrooms, freelancers from underrrepresented backgrounds in journalism |
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| Britany Robinson | she/her | britany.robinson@gmail.com / @britseeingstars | britanyrobinson.com | pitch advice/feedback | | Yes | Send me a google doc with your pitch and I'll add feedback. Happy to suggest publications and offer editor contacts if they're publicly available. |
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| Paris Martineau | she/her | DM @parismartineau | parismartineau.com | pitching advice, reporting questions, early career advice, questions about tech journalism | editing specific pitches\pieces, direct contacts, | yes | | give me a few days. if i don't get back to you in a week, bug me again |
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| Taylor Moore | she/her | taylorgm27@gmail.com / @taylormundo | taylorgmoore.co | pitch advice/feedback for early-career journalists, freelancing advice, questions about Chicago media | | Yes | freelancers and students, people transitioning from a different industry, women, POC, LGTBQ+ |
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| Iliana Limón Romero | she/her | ilimon@orlandosentinel.com | www.orlandosentinel.com/sports | Résumé critique, portfolio review, career advice, interview guidance. Sports editor at the Orlando Sentinel, but I also have news experience. | Unfortunately, I have no job openings and my freelance budget is frozen. I will answer questions about anything but want you to know that up front | Yes, but have limited openings weekly due to other commitments | I love it when you come with questions and any phone contact we have will be 30 minutes or less, so be prepared | Please do follow up if you have not heard from me within a week |
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| Jackie Mansky | she/her | jasmansky@gmail.com or DM @jasmansky | | pitching advice for history-specific websites, editing history-specific essays, early-career advice | | Yes |
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| Mark Yarm | he/him | markyarm@gmail.com / @markyarm | inputmag.com | Career advice for writers and editors, pitching advice | Input's freelance budget is currently frozen, so unfortunately I can't field any of your pitches at the moment. | Yes |
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| Abby Lee Hood | she/they | abigailhood17@gmailcom / @abbyleehood | www.abbyleehood.com | A free copy of "Pitches that worked," compilation of pitches landed in MTV, Teen Vogue, and more, and a free feature writing guide | Editor contact information, jobs, etc. I am but a humble freelancer. | Yes | Click here to get that free PDF with pitches that worked; these totaled more than $1,700 income for me: https://mailchi.mp/3e24488a294c/pitchesthatworkedv1. Click here to read my basic guide to feature writing: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1khR_Xdi40hWyKeSWa3aDfkoHbDdDTAAJgS_QTpDksdU/edit?usp=sharing |
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| Anna Dimond | she/her | anna.dimond@gmail.com | https://www.annadimond.com/ | feedback on/honing pitches, especially for outdoors/adventure sports | contacts, resumes, job market -- I'm freelancing anew myself | Yes |
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| Paul Tullis | | ptullis@gmail.com | paultullis.net | feedback on feature pitches for major magazines | celebrity, entertainment | Limited | Review my website & or this to see if I am the right person to help you https://www.theopennotebook.com/pitches/?fwp_search=tullis |
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| Jeff Siegel | | jeff-siegel@hotmail.com | winecurmudgeon.com | Life as a freelancer | | Yes | Happy to share 20+ years of freelancing experience |
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| Eleanor Cummins | She/her | elliepses@gmail.com | eleanorcummins.com | Contract questions, science/health/environmental journalism, pitching | | Yes |
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| Matt Crossman | | mcrossman98@gmail.com | mattcrossman.com | whatever you want to ask me about |
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| Stu VanAirsdale | he/his/him | stvanairsdale@gmail.com | stvanairsdale.com | pitch advice/feedback for early-career journalists, resume advice, freelancing advice, media entrepreneurship | | Yes (limited through May 20, wide-open after that) | Send emails with specific, direct questions and I can usually respond w/in 48 hours | Nudge me after 72 hours; I don't like outstanding business |
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| Zack Ruskin | he/him | zruskin@gmail.com / @zackruskin | zackruskin.com | Pitching national outlets, pitching regionals, freelance advice, whatever else. | Premiering your song. | Yes | I cover cannabis, music, books, comedy, drag, and esoteric history but happy to speak generally as well. | It shouldn't be an issue but please wait at least 48 hours between emails. Thanks! |
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| Caitlin Dewey | she/her | caitlin.dewey@gmail.com | caitlindewey.com | Your existential crisis! (Or really anything else.) I work at a local paper but spent six years at a national one. So happy to talk you through unconventional career moves, freelancing, budgeting for weird life/career changes, etc. | | Yes | | Please ping me if I don't get back to you within the week. |
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| Foram Mehta & Alina Heim | she/her | Website contact form | bestfaceforward.co | We're offering free professional profile audits (resume + online presence) | | Yes | UPDATE: We are refocusing our efforts to help those most in need right now. Free audits are for people who are at least one of the following: 1) Unemployed due to COVID 2) Newly graduated and entering the job market 3) BIPOC We're two content + digital strategists — all the info on our site! | You'll hear back from us ASAP with next steps |
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| Waverly Colville | she/her | wcolville64@gmail.com or website contact form | waverlycolville.com | Any college student or early career journalist who needs insight on internships, college, first jobs, living in NYC/the NY media scene, resumes and cover letters | I don't know much about freelancing or pitching to other outlets (I've only pitched stories to teams I'm already working on) or anything that would require 5+ years of work experience | Yes | I've covered business, international politics, sports and breaking news. I have experience in print, broadcast and podcasts on both local and national levels. |
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Discussion 1
From the heystacks.com archive
Thank you for this initiative!