My First Byline: Claire Hogan
My First Byline: Claire Hogan
Video producer, The New York Times
What is your current job?
I'm a video producer for the reporter video team at The New York Times.
What was your first byline?
My first byline was at my student newspaper at William & Mary (shoutout The Flat Hat). I was an incredibly timid 18-year-old, and they sent me to interview a bunch of law school students about the movement for Virginia to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. It was a terrifying experience. But maybe I got addicted to the fame (seeing approximately 35 people read my article) and now here I am!
What was your first real job in journalism?
In the summer of 2021, I landed my first real journalism internship at Science Magazine on their multimedia production team, which at the time consisted of about three people and a cat.
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How did you get it?
I have a slightly odd background for journalism. My university didn't have a journalism or communications program, so I ended up majoring in applied math, figuring I'd probably get a job as a software developer or something. Journalism was just something I did for fun, although I was spending more time on the student newspaper than on my actual classes. But I decided to try, at least for a summer, to get a paying journalism gig. I ended up applying to 54 places, and only Science liked me enough to hire me. I think my math background actually helped me get that gig, because I pitched myself as someone who knows STEM topics but also had a strong background in video production and motion graphics (both of which I taught myself while in college). That summer, when I got paid for my videos for the first time, I finally realized that journalism was a legitimate career option.
What advice do you have for people looking to break into journalism?
The more specialized you can get, the better. That's actually why I pivoted to video — at least at the time, there were more job openings in video with a smaller pool of applicants than you'd get for a daily writing gig. From there I narrowed it down even further: I specialized in social media and graphics-driven explainer pieces, because I did some industry research (read: searched around on LinkedIn) and saw that those types of jobs were in demand. That makes me sound cynical — I'm also in video production because I love it, I promise. But that research and specialization are ultimately what landed me the job at the Times.