KQED: The California Report
I pitched this story to the KQED Central Valley bureau chief I was interning under after we happened upon a California dairy industry “Happy Cows” campaign billboard while driving down the highway together on the way to another story. The idea behind the campaign? The happiest cows come from California, so it should follow that the best dairy does, too. It reminded me of a story I had heard about how the commercials, featuring idyllic California landscapes, were actually filmed in New Zealand, where film production costs are much cheaper. The fact caught the attention of assemblyman Ted Lieu, who introduced a bill requiring film depictions of California to actually be filmed in the state.
For this story, I collaborated with bureau chief and reporter Sasha Khokha on the script and conducted the phone interview with assemblyman Lieu. Piece voiced by Khokha.
KQED: The California Report Magazine
As an intern for KQED public radio, one of my tasks was to create an “audio postcard.” That meant telling a story completely through sound alone—no voice-overs. For my contribution to The Giving State, a KQED series on California volunteers, I profiled an Amtrak station host volunteer. Accompanying photo also taken by me.
Listen to it here
Chestnuts roasting on an open wire
Published in The Maneater
This profile on Columbia, Mo., community radio station KOPN follows three different radio programs and their dedicated hosts. For this story, I logged over 17 hours in the station over the course of two days to interview the volunteers and get a feel for the programming. It won second place in the Missouri College Media Association competition for feature writing in April 2008.
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Culture shock: Getting to know CoMo
Four students tell their stories about adjusting to their new college home
Published in MOVE magazine
It’s safe to say it’s been a while — I’ve taken a hiatus from writing arts reviews, features and humor columns while nursing a budding interest in radio. But I figured it was time to dust off the computer keys, write something new and help incoming MU freshman get a better understanding of what it’s like to come to Missouri from out-of-state. In this piece for MOVE, I write about a big difference between my home state of California and my adopted state of Missouri: the kindness of total strangers.
Rebels for an artistic cause
Published in The Maneater
This is the first article that was ever pitched directly to me and called “a Kristin story.” A look into the jokes, memories and stories behind the tattoos of clients of Hollywood Rebels Tattoo in Columbia, my editor figured the story was tailored for me. In my journalistic career, my priority is the people around me. Sometimes there is no definite “story”—but that doesn’t mean I don’t love to capture with words a moment in someone’s life. I sat in on inking appointments with clients as they winced, at times grunted in pain and recounted the stories behind the tattoos that will remain with them forever from that moment on.
Capturing a moment—that’s what a Kristin story seeks to do.
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Snag a summer internship
Published in College Magazine online
Business majors don’t have to intern with Goldman Sachs. They can take on marketing internships with the people behind Toy Story. Instead of pouring java for the higher-ups, students can see the coffee capital of America. Snagging a cool, out-of-the-box internship just takes some looking beyond the obvious.
With this quick online piece, I introduce would-be interns to some nifty internships that offer experience without being locked in an office all summer long.
From Booches Burgers to Buddha Bowls, exploring Columbia cuisine
Published in MOVE magazine
This was the first in a series of articles that made me a de facto food columnist at MOVE and The Maneater. This article, a guide to Columbia restaurants near campus, was published in a special summer issue of MOVE. The issue served as a guide to Columbia for incoming freshman during MU’s Summer Welcome events. I wanted to achieve two things with this piece: suggest inexpensive, nearby restaurants to students during their visit and to introduce a bit of Columbia lore.
Food—to me at least—isn’t just about the price or the taste, it’s also about the memories you create singing along to “Sweet Caroline” at 1 a.m. in the diner or hitting the late-night Mexican restaurant after the bars close with your closest, stumbling friends. From the best burgers in town to best bets in the dining halls, I wanted to give students a look into what they could expect when grabbing a bite during their four-year stay in town.
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Coldplay’s album rivals Sgt. Pepper’s— in being overrated
Published in MOVE Magazine
In which a life-long Beatles fan blatantly dismisses St. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band with a straight face.
Shamelessly.
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