Correspondent position with the Press Democrat comes to a close: looking back (and forward)

Yesterday was my final day as a freelance corespondent for the Press Democrat -- the largest newspaper in Sonoma County. I'm happy to state that I didn't renew my contract due to too much work on my plate; I needed to pare it down for the new year. I won't miss the lengthy hours searching for subjects, transcribing interviews and painstakingly cutting and shaping. I will miss my byline:

By NICOLE R. ZIMMERMAN / Cotati and Rohnert Park Correspondent

Starting in June as a backup correspondent writing occasional features, I was offered a position as Cotati/Penngrove correspondent in September. After several weeks pleasing my editor, I accepted the Rohnert Park position as well. For three months I posted short articles several times per week on both Wordpress sites in addition to compiling a weekly calendar plus the centerpiece (800-word human interest feature for the Sunday Towns print section).

The best part of my job was getting away from my desk and into my community to meet all of the wonderful people making this place what it is. I liked looking for the story in an interview, compiling news posts, making contact. Under the mentorship of my editor, Linda Castrone (who early on wrote, "Your reporting and writing skills are spot on!"), I'm sure my skills have improved even more. There's just nothing like practice, and writing to deadline! Here's my photo from the webpage:

WRITER SPOTLIGHT

Nicole Zimmerman is our Rohnert Park, Cotati and Penngrove correspondent.

Following are some of the "centerpiece" features, followed by "briefs," that went to print in the Sunday Towns section and/or online at the Press Democrat. (Forgive the weird formatting):

Host families share more than holiday traditions
Thursday, December 20th, 2012 

Each holiday season, Jeanine and Leo Antone of Rohnert Park share a typical Christmas dinner with their family... But the meal, along with most holiday traditions, is nothing typical for their principal guest. Megumi Tateyama is a Japanese student the Antones have hosted in their home since mid-October.

Read more...

You can see more articles by clicking on the "Girl Reporter" tab at the top of the blog. Thanks!

Chasing the Parade: a story in a slideshow

This week marked my 1st publication as a newly hired freelance correspondent for the Press Democrat. I really enjoyed interviewing three local high school graduates on their success as finalists (and 2 of them, winners!) in the Beach Blanket Babylon "Scholarship for the Arts" competition. The article posted this morning and will be featured in print this Sunday in the Towns section. Not only is it a thrill to see my byline there, but my editor was impressed as well:

Very nice job, Nicole, and quick! I like your writing style, and you’ve done an excellent job with the interview questions and organization. I’m going to enjoy working with you.

I also did my 29th assignment for Petaluma Patch--a slideshow of the local Portuguese-American Holy Ghost Society parade for Pentecost.

Whittling down more than 100 photos to 15 was harder than chasing the procession and trying to get the right light with my point-n-shoot while at the same time writing down names with proper spelling on my notepad. I'm sure I'm comedic with my homemade press pass and puffy vest pockets full with my reporter's "equipment."

Next year, once my grad school loan is paid off, I think I'll invest in an SLR and take some photography classes. Mostly I just trust my gut, aiming for close-up, mid-range and wide-angle shots that add to the story told or combine to create their own narrative. In this case, the procession from a high school to a church, complete with marching bands, crowns and more queens that you can count (to commemorate Queen Isabel of 14th C. Portugal), formed its own movement forward.



Here are a few more that didn't make the cut: