#MediaMonday – Alex Gallagher
Today’s Media Monday comes from Alex Gallagher, a reporter with Times Media Group, specifically the Scottsdale Progress newspaper and The Entertainer! Magazine.
So, Alex, time to share!
Tell us about the outlet and types of story pitches you want?
For the Scottsdale Progress, my beats are neighbors — which is our features section about anyone interesting that calls Scottsdale home or is from there, business, arts and entertainment and, if we have the room, food and drink. For the Entertainer! I mainly write about music and concert previews, but I’m always open to hearing about local bands.
How did you get your start in writing, and how did you end up with this outlet?
Good question. It’s a bit of a funny story, at least I like to think it is. Writing has always been a passion of mine and even an outlet, oddly enough, but it really wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I began to seriously think about journalism. At the time I was attending Glendale Community College and as I began to talk to advisors about my future one told me about the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. After looking into that, I decided to apply and transferred after receiving my associate’s degree from GCC. After getting through my first semester as a Cronkite student I had to take the daunting JMC 301 course in the spring of 2020 and one of the prerequisites for the class was to have four articles published to pass the class.
As scary as that sounded initially, it caused me to branch out and begin writing for the Downtown Devil where I wrote articles about local musicians and how they were handling all of the chaotic events that happened during the first six months of 2020. Then during the summer of 2020, I was furloughed from my part-time retail job and was looking for a way to stay busy so I saw on Twitter that a colleague of mine had a story of hers published by The Entertainer! Magazine. Inspired by this, I decided to fill out a contact form and pitch a story about a local musician who had an interesting concept for an upcoming EP. Not long after sending that pitch, I got a call from the amazing Christina Fuoco-Krasinski who liked my pitch and also assigned me to another story.
From there I began freelancing for Christina at the magazine before beginning an internship for her and Times Media Group in January of 2021. I was extremely fortunate that a position opened up after my internship ended and the internship blossomed into a career. I started as a general assignment reporter mainly writing for both zones of the Foothills Focus for a few months and then I was offered a position to lateral over to the Scottsdale Progress where I would be responsible for the back half of the paper. I just celebrated my first full year with Times Media Group in May.
Where did you grow up?
So, I’m a Tucson native but when I was 8 my family moved to Summerville, South Carolina where we lived for about six years before coming back to the Grand Canyon State and settling in Phoenix.
Favorite color?
It’s honestly a toss-up between red and black. Maybe maroon since it’s a darker shade of red and it’s also one of ASU’s colors?
Favorite TV shows or movies?
I often joke that I’m the worst nerd ever since I don’t read comic books or play video games but I honestly love anything within the Star Wars universe or any DC movie that has The Joker in it. Other than that, I’m a total sucker for cheesy comedies like Wayne’s World, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Goon or a good music biopic like Straight Outta Compton.
Favorite local restaurants or other haunts?
Probably Monroe’s Hot Chicken, Taco Boys and Peter Piper Pizza.
Least favorite food?
I’ve never been a fan of pickles, so I’d have to say that’s it.
Three things readers would be surprised to know about you?
I was the goalie for my high school’s ice hockey team.
In my spare time I occasionally play the drums.
I make it a goal to attend at least one rock or metal concert a month
Contact Email: agallagher@timeslocalmedia.com
