Member Spotlight: Jeremy Gantz
For this edition of our “Member Spotlight” blog series, we sat down with Jeremy Gantz, a content director at Imagination Publishing and a contributing editor at In These Times. Fun Fact: He’s also a rabid fan of bike commuting and New England.
What made you choose journalism?
“I got into journalism starting in college. I came to it from a social justice perspective, being really passionate about current affairs and public policy. But I didn’t want to be working in a government office my whole life. I wanted to feel connected to the challenges facing communities and countries around the world. And to get out in the world and meet people. So, I really wanted to combine my love of meeting people, people who are struggling, people who are doing interesting things with kind of, making change. Journalism is at this mid-point now where you can tell stories that matter, write, and also meet people.”
How has travel and living abroad shaped your perspective as a writer?
“I lived in Sri Lanka for about a year after I graduated from college because I didn’t know what the hell I was gonna do. Thankfully, I was able to get some taxpayer dollars and do a research project in Sri Lanka. That was all about the educational system there and how it was related to the ethnic conflict and the long-running civil war in Sri Lanka. Over the course of that year actually is really when I started to figure out why journalism is the thing I really want to do. I got to meet and interview a ton of people that year who were involved with the education system in various ways and a little bit of writing on the side for newspapers there. When I came back, my mind had hugely expanded and started to see U.S. policy building connects and has impacts in ways that most Americans don’t even see because we are not living abroad.”
What was your next career step upon returning to the United States?
“I decided I’ve got to start somewhere in journalism. So I ended up at this regional newspaper company in Massachusetts pretty close to where I grew up. So I suddenly was at this very community level in the United States, which was interesting. From there, I worked to try to do more national level stuff. Sri Lanka was an incredible experience and it only clarified my interest in journalism.”
You also traveled to Cambodia?
“So, before I started my Masters program at Northwestern University, I saved up a bunch of money, well not a bunch of money but money, as a newspaper reporter with the intention of going to India to backpack around for six weeks, just traveling on my own. When I was doing that, I was also thinking about how to apply for this scholarship for the Overseas Press Club Foundation. I ended up applying to that using reporting I did in India about children and the lack of access to decent schools and the illiteracy rate. So I ended up getting that and they paid for me to go to Cambodia and worked at an English language newspaper. I was technically an intern but they treated me like a reporter for about nine weeks. I lived there for about three or four months.”
What has been your biggest success as a writer to date?
“Hmm, it’s been such a rough go in terms of the industry with the recession. I was lucky to be able to work at In These Times, which is this progressive, political monthly magazine based in Chicago but it’s national. I started as a web editor and grew into an associate editor role where I was overseeing production of the magazine and working with writers around the country. The fact that we kept that magazine alive during the depths of the recession in 2009 when it was just brutal. The magazine is a non-profit so it’s really reliant on donations of readers beyond the cost of their subscription. People just didn’t have the money. People weren’t reaching into their pocket. We kept it going. We never missed an issue and putting out quality. That’s something I’m pretty proud of. And that magazine now has come back to its feet. I’ve left the staff but I still write for it occasionally. It’s great to see that it is still moving on.”
Are there any projects on the horizon?
“I am working with In These Times. We’ve submitted a book proposal to publishers. It’s a 40th anniversary project for the magazine and it looks at inequality in the United States and the different causes that have grown over the last forty years through the archives of the magazine. So it’s a book that draws from the last forty years, but thematically shows the different ways that inequality has manifested itself. I’m really excited about that.
I am also working with the Nature Conservancy to show how technology can solve certain ecological and environmental problems, especially in California. We are basically trying to show venture capitalists and rich tech people that they can support technological solutions that natural conservancy is going after. The Nature Conservancy will be unveiling that campaign in April and we’re gonna be working with them to fill up their website and other platforms with good stories and content that will grab people and interest people in supporting the organization.”
What attracted you to reSET?
“I felt like I got really lucky. I moved here with my wife in July and I was like, ‘I can’t work outta my house. I’m gonna go crazy.’ I just did some online searching and as soon as I stopped in here, I liked it. I wanted to feel connected to what’s happening in Hartford. I didn’t want to feel like a satellite of my Chicago company because it’s important for me to actually be part of the community. There’s obviously a lot of really great energy happening in the city that is kind of centered here so I just wanted the opportunity to meet people by being here on a regular basis. I think it’s a really great vibe. It’s a great window into creatively minded, interesting people.”
Do you have any advice for young writers who want to pursue a career in journalism?
“There are no clear ladders up anymore. It used to be you just paid your dues at a newspaper or magazine and you could get hired in. But the whole industry has blown up and newspapers are collapsing. I think in general now, to make it, you have to be a lot more….and I’m not using this word just because we are here at reSET, you have to be a lot more entrepreneurial. You have to think of yourself as someone who is able to promote their skills and storytelling abilities. Ideally, versatility is crucial so that you can make connections. You can’t just assume you can apply for a bunch of jobs.
You have to really stand out because it’s so much more competitive. I think it’s really hard to make a good living as a journalist just doing what I consider to be public-minded, socially oriented work. And that’s really sad but it’s just the trend. So I think that you have to be able to really show why these stories matter and be able to really prove its value so people are interested. But passion is the starting point. Passion, curiosity, and the willingness to get out there and make connections to get your work noticed.”
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