Brooke Thames joins Mast Media this year as our Arts and Entertainment editor. Hand-picked by former editor Matthew Salzano, Thames brings heart and passion to the job â we’re excited to bring her on board. We think you’ll love her as much as we do, so we asked her a few questions and learned she’s a music lover and a hoarder! Welcome Brooke Thames to the Mast Media Family.
Mast Media: Get us excited about having you on as A&E EditorâŠ
Brooke Thames: I can confidently say that Iâm bringing a passion for news related to Arts and Entertainment events both on the PLU campus and in the world. Iâm also very excited about brining that information to the Mast in a way thatâs interesting, entertaining and educational.
What type of experience do you have doing this?
Iâm fairly new to the realm of journalism. There wasnât much opportunity to get involved in media at the high schools I went to. The only real experience Iâve had with writing and reporting came last year when I was hired by The Mast. Even so, I can say that Iâm a good writer and that Iâm confident in my ability to tell a story.
Good writers are hard to come by, it seems like nobody writes anymore. Is that what you want to do? Write?
Iâve always known I wanted to be a writer. Narrative and storytelling have fascinated me since I was little. I began writing creatively as a teen because I wanted to exercise those crafts. I was always the kid who was excited to write essays because I found it exciting to explain facts and evidence in a five-page paper. Through journalism, I can effectively tell a story and cite evidence that is true to life. I find that fun and intriguing.
So yes? Whatâs your dream job then?
My dream job would be to work as a writer for at a womenâs magazine. I have a handful of monthly magazines that I diligently read and dissect, and Iâm very attracted to that form of media. I find the way that magazines integrate design, photography and writing together creatively stimulating. Iâd love to have a part in producing such an interesting form of media.
Letâs try something more relatable to every student⊠Whatâs the weirdest thing about you?
There are too many weird things about me⊠If I had to choose just one Iâd say that Iâm a mini-hoarder. I tend to keep things that have little or no value whatsoever because I find them nostalgic. I have a lot of them on display in my room. I even have a really big bag full of trinkets from my childhood that I just canât bring myself to throw away. In reality, itâs all junk.
Haha, thatâs great. How about one more thing⊠Give us one more fun factâŠ
Iâm an avid concert-goer, which other people tend to think is cool. I go to concerts as often as possible. In the past couple of years Iâve gone to see at least one major headliner a year. My dad introduced me to concerts when I was young and I fell in love with the experience. Going to see an artist, for me, is much more than listening to their album but it is an experience that transforms the music and makes it larger than life.
Iâm tracking my favorite artists who are currently on tour waiting to score tickets to a show in Seattle or Tacoma.
