Gary Wollenhaupt is a freelance content marketing writer and contributes to trade and business magazines. He focuses most of his time on freelance writing and enjoys working with people who need engaging and informative writing in order to accomplish their goals. He is Editor in Chief of Hobby Merchandiser magazine and works freelance writing for many different clients specializing in supply chain & logistics and related technologies.
How did starting out as a reporter help you prepare for your current jobs in public relations and editing?
Wollenhaupt discusses that on a basic level writing is the job. So this was a good starting point for these carriers. The more you write the better you are at it and writing and being a reporter helps to learn how to talk to sources and do research.
After doing some work in government public relations, what did you like or dislike about working in the government?
When working in the government it is important to stay on message, but it helps when there is a strong message, especially one you believe in, to support. There is a difference working in government public relations in comparison to private public relations mostly because of the bureaucracy involved in government. When working in the government you are a part of something much bigger so that has to be kept in mind, but really the day to day stuff is pretty similar.
After working for Sea Land Service, an international company, were there any challenges that arose because of the international aspect?
There is a bigger worry because of language differences and working with lots of multilingual people helped with this difficulty. You have to be sensitive to others whose first language is not english. You also have to be more conscious about different time zones and working with people who are not in the same country as you are. You also have to be up to date on current events happening in the different countries you are working in and make sure to be sensitive to these issues.
As an editor for Hobby Merchandiser, what does a typical day look like for you?
When working with regular contributors we talk to them about their stories or work on editing their stories. We work with the publisher to create covers for the magazine that reflect the audience we are trying to reach. We all just work on making sure we have the right products and the right people. He also writes so sometimes a day is spent conducting interviews and doing his own research, mentions Wollenhaupt. He says “Editing is really like learning. There are always new things that I encounter and have to get up to speed on.”
Sarah Lucas is a senior at Anderson University, majoring in public relations and political science. Lucas is an associate with Fifth Street Communications®, a student-run public relations agency at Anderson University.