How to Be Interviewed

For Print, Radio, and Television

Camper English
and
Jennifer English
 Agenda

1. Print
2. A Detour
3. More Print
4. Radio/TV
5. Getting Press
Interviewing for Print
Camper English
 Interview Goals
(for the writer)

•Gathering information
•Listening for quotable sentences
•Backing up the thesis
•Getting you to say things we can’t say
 Interviews: Your Goals

• Sound like a genius

• Get it over with quickly and efficiently

 Know Your Format:

Types of News and Feature Stories

Types of Stories:
News Story
Types of Stories:
Feature Story
Types of Stories:
Q&A
Types of Stories:
Profile
Types of Stories:
Review
 Types of Stories:
Trend Story/ Roundup
Types of Stories:
Recipe
 Types of Publications

•Trade
•Audience is inside the industry- bartenders,
retailers, bar owners, etc.
•Many brand stories (liquor, lighting, etc)
•All good news
 Types of Publications

•Consumer
•“Civilian” audience
•Typically have an “action item” – bar addresses,
recipe, brands to buy
 Rear Admiral's Grog 2.0 
by Reza Esmaili

• 1 OZ Smith & Cross

• 1 OZ Pampero Anniversario
• 1 OZ Gran Gala
• 0.25 OZ Averna
• 0.25 OZ Maple Syrup 1:1
• 0.75 OZ Lime Juice
• 0.25 OZ Orange Juice
 Goals for this quote

• Describe the drink (so it’s not just a recipe listing)

• Speak to use of orange liqueur- brandy based versus
neutral spirit based
 8 Minute Interview : Raw Typing
(Product Trend Story, Consumer Pub)
My rear admiral’s grog was with smith and cross, eldo 3, uh, averna, gran gala and maple.
I guess balance is the ultimate key here and you also have eto know your audience. This is a gran gala based cocktail
so if it was for a contest or a story on that liqueur the complexities of it and ifts fflavors really show well. I thinking
contests and demos people try to introdcut too many other compoenents and eit ends up m8uting the
componentthat you swan tot show really well.
Orange liqueur with brandy – because of the the two other spirits used which were definitely kind of… high proof
compeonent of smith and cross I wasnted it to retain its viscosity and richness and its knowing that its going to be
balalcned out by high rpoof rum and other juices and sweetener. This was def inspiritd by the tiki stiyle of more
than one base spirit more than one juice and also a modifier to add com,plexity and dep[th.
Flavor
I think tis really c omplet in that in the nost you get some of that maple spice and smoky oily components of smith and
cross and the pot still shows realloy well. On the palante you get the nutty orange spicd comepenet of the
papaerop.
Plus the high tones of the spice complexity of the averna that also gives it some bitter compioenents.
Is this similar to –
It was definitely inspieed by tiki and I def wanted to have many aromatics and juice dand tliqueur. Its appropriate for my
place of work. It was synergistic with the other rum based cockitails for our audience to compliment the set
cocktail menu at smuigglers cover. I wasnted to keep with the house style and keep withsome of the base spirits
and liqueurs that are utitlized.
Orange liqueurs – neaturalo base vs brandy
I wasnted to make sure there awbalance between adide spirit and richn3ss. Given that the liume was high adid and
thet other spirits were higher proff I wanted to make sure there was still some richness in the mouthfeel. T6exture
is a big compoenent of proper tiki cocktails so I wanted to lengthen and arate ti with some quick blending and also
give it some viscosity. That’s another reason I wanted to use the full ounce. I wanted complexity with the spirits
and also richness and sweetness and mouthfeel.

400 words in 8 minutes

 8 Minute Interview : Useable
This is a Gran Gala based cocktail so if it was for a contest or a story on that
liqueur the complexities of it and its flavors really need to show well. I think
in contests and demos people try to introduce too many other components
and it ends up muting the component that you want to show really well.
I wanted it to retain its viscosity and richness, knowing that it’s going to be
balanced out by high proof rum and other juices and sweetener.
This was definitely inspired by the tiki style of more than one base spirit, more
than one juice, and also a modifier to add complexity and depth.
I think it is really complex in that in the nose you get some of that maple spice
and smoky oily components of the Smith & Cross and the pot still flavor
shows really well. On the palate you get the nutty orange spice component
of the Pampero, plus the high tones and the spice complexity of the Averna
that also gives it some bitter components.
I wanted to make sure there was balance between acid, spirit and richness.
Given that the lime was high acid and the other spirits were higher proof I
wanted to make sure there was still some richness in the mouthfeel. Texture
is a big component of proper tiki cocktails so I wanted to lengthen and
aerate it with some quick blending and also give it some viscosity.

248 words, 5 possible quotes

 8 Minute Interview :
What I Would Use
Bartender Reza Esmaili created the Rear
Admiral’s Grog 2.0, an off-menu drink for the tiki
bar Smuggler’s Cove using the brandy-based
Gran Gala orange liqueur. He says he chose the
brand due more to its texture than flavor. “I
wanted to make sure there was balance
between acid, spirit and richness. Given that
the lime was high acid and the other spirits
were higher proof I wanted to make sure
there was still some richness in the mouth
feel,” he says.
 Quote Challenge
You are serving this cocktail at your bar/event. Describe it.

#TOTCQuote
Or
alcademics@gmail.com
 The Writing Biz

What it’s like from our end

 Deadlines, Theoretically

•National Print = 3-12 months

•Local Print = 2-3 months
•Weeklies = 1 month - 1 week
•Newspapers = 1 month – 1 day
•Web = 1 month – same day
 Story Process
•Writer pitches topic to editor
•Editor gives deadline
•Writer writes
•Editor edits
•Photography/artwork
•Story goes to print
 Terminology

“Background” or “Research”
 Terminology: “Off the Record”

•A verbal contract
•Say it first
•It’s a matter of trust with the writer
 “Don’t make me look stupid!”

“Can I see the quotes before you print

the story?”
•No, because you’ll try to mess it all up
•Editor might change it
•Some publications will fact check the
quotes
 Should I Bother Giving Interviews?

•Career-wise, yes
•Not unless you want to
•Feel free to recommend someone else
 Dealing with Writers

•Everything is a rush. Sorry.

•If you won’t have time, please don’t say

you’re available because then we have to
harass you.

•“I can’t help with this one.”

•“I can give you ten minutes.”
 Interview Formats

•Phone
•Email
•Live
 Interview Formats: Email

•More work for us both

•Some writers want you to write their story
•We can only fix so much.
•Language often sounds marketing/PR; not natural
•Can be good for industry stories; number stories; non-
native English speakers
 Interview Formats: Phone

•Most efficient
•Interviewer can type in (or record) your
quotes
•Kindly give it your full attention
•Speak slowly when typing
•Give writer a time window for interview
(“not before noon”)
 Interview Formats: In Person

•Takes longer- travel time

•Writer may be looking for
color/background. (Look your best even if
not working)
•At a bar, suggest non-busy times
 Bad/Lazy Interviewers
•Don’t know subject matter
•Have made incorrect assumptions
•Waste your time making you cover basics
•Can misquote because they misunderstand
 Dealing with Bad/Lazy Interviewers

•Suggest some reading material and

reschedule after they “get up to speed”
•“I can give you ten minutes on this”
•Offer to check the quotes
 Giving Good Quotes

•Give your full attention

•Use full sentences
•Repeat the question (Avoid “Because…”)
•(Unless it’s a Q&A)
 Giving Good Quotes

•Listen to the question- it may be leading

•“Would you say…?”

•“Do you think…?”
 Giving Good Quotes
•Watch the negatives- complaints about customers,
brands, competitors
•You are your own brand but also represent your
bar/brand
 Giving Good Quotes

"Three years ago it was OK to be rude. It used to be 'I'm

not making a cosmo and you're a horrible person.'
Now we say, 'I'm not making a cosmo, but I'm making you
something better than a cosmo.' And if they like (the
drink) they trust you for the whole night," says Erick
Castro, general manager at Rickhouse in San Francisco's
Financial District.
 Giving Good Quotes
•Humor Almost Always Helps

Ms. Saunders thinks you may be seeing more

props, too. “Maybe I should get a parrot,” she
said.
“I didn’t say that!”
 Mistakes Happen. So Now What?

•The damage is done

•All press is good press. Okay, most press.
•Hard to prove a misquote
•Consequences
•Stories can sometimes be fixed online for posterity
•Personal note to journalist
 End of Part One
Please Flip the Tape
Interviewing for Radio/TV
Jennifer English
 1. Be H.I.P.

Honest
Immediate
Passionate
2. Be Authentic
 3. Be Committed To:
•your Story
•your Recipe
•your Process
•your Drink
•your Self
Part Two: Getting Press
 The Press-Ready Bar
•Photos of the drinks on the menu
•Photos of the bartenders who made the drinks on the
menu
•Photos of the bar
•Bartender quick bios
•A (working) contact email on the website for inquiries
•Searchable menus online- website/blog, facebook
group, etc
 Newsworthiness:
When to Pitch for Press
•Timeliness (bar explodes!)
•Impact (all bars in US closed for New Years)
•Proximity (local bartender wins national award)
•Novelty (salmon flavored vodka)
•Conflict (bars vs. ABC)
•Prominence (Lindsey Lohan drinks cocktail)
•Human Interest (Cocktail fundraiser for Humane
Society)
 Press for the Bar
•Bar News (Timeliness):
•Bar opening
•Seasonal menu/new menu/themed menu
•Drink specials
•Special events- guest bartender, pairing dinner,
early hours for World Cup
 Press for the Bartender
•New job
•New menu/drink
•Event hosting
•Winning a contest
•Blogging/facebook/twitter- keeps people aware of your
experiments
 Reaching Out to Press
•Contact the writer, not the publication
•Stalk on Facebook/LinkedIn, etc.
•Invite writers in for drinks during slow hours
•Pitch the web: Emails (DailyCandy, Thrillist,
Urbandaddy, etc); food gossip blogs of local papers,
Eater, Feast, blog of bloggers

•Use social media in all of its forms. Put your menus

online. Make everything searchable.
THANK YOU

#TOTCQuote
or
alcademics@gmail.com