#MediaMonday – Brandon Brown
He’s ba-ack!
We are so happy to welcome Brandon Brown back to Arizona and back to the Phoenix Business Journal after a few years away. He is not only back at his old stomping grounds, but at his former beat, focused on all things restaurant and retail.
So Brandon, tell us a little about yourself!
First off – where did you go, and what made you come back?
In the summer of 2015 my wife Haley and I moved to Spokane, Washington so she could go to law school at Gonzaga University. This fall she was offered an opportunity at the Maricopa County Public Defenders Office and a reporter position opened at the Phoenix Business Journal. We both got our dream jobs, so we came back.
Before the Business Journal (the first time around) what other jobs did you have in media?
I started working professionally in journalism at the Deseret News in Salt Lake City. I was a web editor and I helped with the publication’s coverage of the Utah Jazz. I then got a fellowship from the Arizona Republic, that helped pay for graduate school at ASU, so I worked as a business reporter at the Republic while getting a master’s degree. After I graduated I wrote a little bit for some smaller publications around the Valley and I did an internship at the Seattle Times. Then I started at the Phoenix Business Journal.
Where did you grow up?
Salt Lake City, Utah
What’s changed – in the Valley or at the paper – since you’ve been gone?
Downtown Phoenix continues to get cooler, with more exciting restaurants and things to do.
Favorite type of music?
I like all sorts of music, but I’m also kind of a snob about it at the same time. It’s hard to explain. This is probably the toughest question in the survey for me.
Favorite color?
Red
Favorite local haunts?
Spinato’s. I think it is the best pizza in town and it’s where I proposed to my wife.
Favorite place to visit?
The woods. I’m a big camper and hiker and like being around trees.
Favorite food?
Pizza
Least favorite food?
Sour cream
Three things readers would be surprised to know about you?
- I produced a morning TV news show for a year, and during that time it was the top-rated show in the market.
- Nearly half of the things I say are just quotes or references from the Simpsons.
- My wife and I go to the movies a lot, but I go see a lot of movies just by myself too.
What should people be pitching you?
Something interesting and something that could spark an idea for a business person. The goal of our publication is to offer market intelligence to our audience, so I try to write news that people could read and hopefully do something with that could make them more money. This can happen through specific news or trend pieces or even abstractly, but that is our goal.
What is the lead time you need for online, print?
For web it kind of depends on the story and how much I have going on. For print, we publish on Fridays but everything has to be done on Wednesday, so really I have to have your story at least by the Friday before or early on Monday.
Contact email: bbrown@bizjournals.com
