Beth Gottfried is one busy girl. Between writing for several sites including Jewlicious and Bostonist while holding down a day job, Beth and her husband launched a new pop culture site called Amaldo.com . And did I mention she co-authored a book about The Apprentice a few years ago? Read on to learn more...
Urban Muse: How did you get started as a professional blogger?
Beth: Saying it was not the plan sounds cliche I realize, but it's the truth. It was never my intention to be a blogger. I started out working an office job a few years back and finding myself bored and with plenty of time on my hands (ed. note: amen!). I was at that point in my professional corporate career (which everyone has) that I realized I didn't constantly need to be stimulated by my office job and could be more creative with how I chose to spend the time I had where I wasn't responding to work needs. I found an ad on Craig's List for an entertainment writer for a great site: www.the-trades.com and started reviewing films and reality TV. I lucked out with the site and its visibility. Great supportive, responsive people there and a wonderful platform to just write whatever I wanted and more importantly be appreciated.
UM: It sounds like you're juggling a lot of different projects, as many writers do. How do you manage your time and prevent burn-out?
B: Who says I'm not burned out ;) Yes, I juggle a lot of projects. I recently started a new site. It's my first major project with full ownership. Having written online for other sites (SuicideGirls (I just read that Daily Show correspondent Rob Cordrry writes for them now), Bostonist, Valleywag (part of Gawker), The-Trades, PopMatters, The Blogging Times, Jewcy, and now Jewlicious) I'm taking my years of experience and applying it to my own baby: www.amaldo.com . Actually it's the brainchild of my very loving and patient husband. I work on it during the off lunch hour and after my day job. The site is a witty take on pop culture (film, tv, music, tech, sports) in video and blog format. It's a definite learning curve, but I've learned so much about site design, style sheets, marketing, and how to find time to write when you're not doing all of the above. Most of all, I've adapted to being more of a "process" person than a "product" person. This has been the major transition.
UM: I'm always interested in how writers collaborate when they're co-writing a book. How did you find Anthony and what did your collaboration look like?
B: I didn't find Anthony. He found me - at least indirectly. This is actually a funny story too. I was contacted by someone at Penguin Books who read my weekly recap for The Apprentice: Season 1 online for www.the-trades.com and she wanted to know if I had taped episodes of the book because they were putting together a book on the show and needed it for the co-author. By the end of the conversation, I was that co-author. I never met Anthony. Penguin compiled the book themselves with my social commentary and Anthony's business insights on the show. You can still find the Amazon link online too.
UM: Where do you do most of your writing? B: I write from home mostly. It's where I concentrate best. I can't do noise when I'm writing though so I'm greatly limited in my options. I love to go to a coffee shop and download music and pretend that I'm writing. For some reason when I lived in Cambridge, I used to get a lot of work done at Toscannini's on Main Street. I could actually concentrate there too which is quite the anomaly.
UM: In your professional opinion, why has The Apprentice endured six seasons while other reality shows fizzle out after only a season or two?
B: I stopped watching and reviewing sometime around the third or fourth season. I have no idea why people still watch. I co-authored a book on the show and can't even watch Donald Trump anymore. But look at people that watch Survivor. That show has been on longer and still has a mad following. I guess there's no accounting for bad taste in reality TV (ed. note: ouch!). Wait, was that an oxymoron?
Thanks, Beth. Be sure to check back next Wednesday for more interviews with the Muse.