we're almost there but not quite...
Looks like Friday brought out the 12th edition of Missed Pitches.
Apologies if this sounds like a broken record, but I still need your help completing this survey to inform the next steps for this newsletter. I’ve also been crowdsourcing ideas on Twitter on how to make this a better service to freelancers.
Should I pay you a “pitch stipend” for the rejected ideas featured here?
Should I get into the business of advocating for independent contractors/freelancers inside newsrooms via unions?
Should I just keep things the same?
There’s so much we can do with this newsletter together, and I want you to be part of that evolution. Again, if you haven’t filled out the survey yet, please help us get to 100 responses so we can get a more accurate picture of the state of freelance writing.
As always, submit your rejected story ideas using this Google Form. Give us a follow on Twitter at @MissedPitches for updates and shout-outs. Read the previous edition here. // rungomez
Contents:
Why trash TV may not be that bad (by Anmol Irfan)
Social distancing while nude (by Angella d'Avignon)
A brief history of the burger you’ve never had (by Frances J. Folsom)
I’m not the only one in love with Kate (by Jonathan Bender)
Is Taylor Swift’s ‘Betty’ queer canon or not? (by Kira Deshler)
Freelance opportunities
Writing jobs
NOTE: The following rejected story pitches have been lightly edited for space and clarity.
Why trash TV may not be that bad (by Anmol Irfan, anmolirfan01@gmail.com)
I want to pitch a piece on why ‘trash’ TV has a place with viewers and how it provides an escape for viewers in times of mental or emotional stress.
I want to base this piece around the views of young viewers who often look for ways to distract themselves of relieve stress, particularly those who may be suffering from anxiety or long term stress. I’ve resorted to watching shows or movies that are considered ‘trashy’ or ‘fluffy’ as a way of escaping stressful thoughts many times.
I want to talk to people in different phases of life who choose to watch such entertainment for various reasons. I think we’ve reached a point where its become somewhat of a trend to show off just how intellectual you are on social media and I’ve noticed an increasing number of people jumping to look down on consuming media they don’t consider smart enough.
The limitations created by such trends and enforced consumption is slowly creating a very niche category of media and entertainment that can be consumed acceptably. In speaking to people who rely on fluffier forms of entertainment for their own stress relief or other wise, I want to look at why its so important to allow entertainment to remain diverse and not try and limit what may or may not be acceptable.
There’s a certain escapism tied to shows that allow you a break from reality — one that doesn’t fit into this glamorization of being overworked and always on guard and knowing what you’re doing. Connecting with such feel good TV and films allow many viewers to press pause on the harsh realities of everyday life and I want to explore how viewers feel that doing so makes them live better lives.
Social distancing while nude (by Angella d'Avignon, heyangella@gmail.com)
This piece will focus on the snowbird season at a handful of nudist communities across the sunbelt and how they handle and enforce social distancing and COVID protocol. Clothing is optional but masks are required.
I’d include the history of nudist colonies and public outdoor baths which became popular as a natural cure to years of pestilence and plague during the early 20th century. Nudism was first a habit of the rich and eccentric, then later adopted by hippies. It continued into the 1980s and has since become somewhat of an obscure but cultish subculture, primarily dominated by white middle class retirees (with a Floridian exception).
As a character driven feature, I’d interview workers, visitors, and regulars at three different types of clothing optional resorts with distinctive styles and clientele.
A brief history of the burger you’ve never had (by Frances J. Folsom, francesfolsom@comcast.net)
Have you ever heard of or tasted a slugburger? You will if you go to Corinth, Mississippi. I ate my first slugburger at Borroum’s Drug Store. And despite their yucky sounding name, slugburgers are delicious.
The slugburger is so popular that Corinth pays homage to it every July with a Slugburger Festival. The slugburger dates to the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Times were hard; every scrap of food was used. A woman by the name of Mrs. Weeks, needing to make meat stretch for the family’s restaurant started adding an extender, flour or soybean meal and spices to ground beef. She shaped the mixture into patties, deep fried them, and served them on a hamburger bun with mustard, pickles and onions, selling them for five cents each. Back then a nickel was called a slug, hence the name slugburger.
In the article I will include a recipe(s) for the slugburger. I will/can provide the history of Corinth, a strategic town during the Civil War.
I’m not the only one in love with Kate (by Jonathan Bender, jdbender@gmail.com)
I’m not sure I would have noticed if I wasn’t married to a woman named Kate; but now there is no escaping a single truth: All romantic comedies are about Kate.
This essay — a mix of reporting and first person — would try to understand why the the world of romantic comedies is built on the name Kate.
The piece would go back to 1953 for Kiss Me Kate, a madcap song-and-dance romance that set the stage for generations of Kates. After twirling across stage, figure skater Kate finds love on the ice in The Cutting Edge and as a chef in No Reservations. Kate falls in love across time in The Lake House. Kate is even cloned in Repli-Kate. And when Meg Ryan — the matriarch of romantic comedies — played a character burned out on romantic comedies, it was (of course) in Kate and Leopold.
I’d attempt to understand why Kate is the sixth most popular name for female characters in film and why Kate has such a rich history of headlining romantic comedies by talking to screenwriters, actors and critics.
Many of the most well-known actresses in romantic comedies are named Kate in real-life. You’ve got Kate Hudson, Kate Beckinsale, Kate Winslet, Katharine (sometimes Kate) Hepburn and Katherine (never Kate) Heigl. You couldn’t build a stronger Rom Com cast with any other first name. Let me get to the bottom of why everybody, and not just me, wants to love a woman named Kate.
Is Taylor Swift’s ‘Betty’ queer canon or not? (by Kira Deshler, kiradeshler@utexas.edu)
My name is Kira Deshler and I am a scholar and writer interested in queer popular culture. I have a responsive piece I wanted to pitch you about whether or not the Taylor Swift song ‘Betty’ is queer canon or not.
Many months ago, Vulture published a piece declaring that, according to Taylor Swift herself, ‘Betty’ is not queer canon. While Swift did finally confirm her intent with the song, the framing of this article misunderstands the most important element of the queer canon — it is defined by queer people and queer people only.
Put simply, the queer canon is comprised of all the pieces of media that queer people (in this case queer women) regard as queer, regardless of how it was originally intended. Despite the fact that we are often disappointed, and indeed, baited, by popular media, our ability to define aspects of pop culture as queer is something that can never be taken away from us and is an important part of our community. I argue that regardless of whether or not Taylor Swift confirms that any of her songs are actually queer, they are queer to us, and the unexpectedly queer community that has coalesced around her songs is worth celebrating rather than dismissing.
Freelance Opportunities
via @dannypinnyc (Feb 11): We are looking for freelance help at @TheStreet covering breaking financial news. Looking for:
-Breaking news experience
-Portfolio of work + clips
Not looking for:
-personal finance
-enterprise pitches
Please email me resume + clips at danny.peterson@thestreet.com
via @j_m_wood (Feb 11): Are you a freelance writer? Do you write about movies, TV, music, entertainment and pop culture? Do you like tweets that start with a series of short questions? I'm always looking to add talented new writers to @mental_floss's Entertainment roster. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/625670/how-to-pitch-mental-floss
via @capitalandmain (Feb 11): Attention Freelance Journalists: We are seeking pitches that cover inequities related to class, race, immigration, gender, corporate accountability, climate change and energy, education and health both in California and nationally. Pitch to us: https://capitalandmain.com/careers#freelanceopportunities
via @Zenger (Feb 9): Zenger News is accepting freelance pitches from reporters and photojournalists who cover a wide variety of beats, especially #breaking news, #business coverage and stories that will appeal to #Urban and #latino readers. START HERE --> http://zenger.news/pitch
via @hey_jeska (Feb 11): #CallforWriters Fork and knife I'm looking to expand my roster of BIPOC Canadian food writers who are interested in paid sponsor or branded content opportunities - meaning you'd be producing articles with me for @globecontent on behalf of advertising clients. If this is you, reach out! jrobinson@globeandmail.com
Writing Jobs
Skillcrush is hiring a Copy Editor and a Copy Writer - New York or Remote
Elite Daily is hiring a Part-Time Celebrity Writer - Remote
The Atlantic is hiring a Copy Editor - New York or Remote
STAT is hiring a Science Writer - Boston
Minute Media is hiring a Staff Writer - Chicago