For this week’s Meet the Media, we’d like you to meet Carolyn Yuen Marino, Seattle-based lifestyle blogger at Hey Pretty Thing.
1. How did you find yourself starting your blog Hey Pretty Thing?
I’ve been “blogging” since I was 13! Back then, my blog was on Geocities, Angelfire, Xanga, Livejournal, etc. and it used to be much more writing and community focused. I still had Livejournal and Tumblr in college, and my friends encouraged me to start blogging more seriously once I graduated. I started Hey Pretty Thing on Tumblr as a mood board of inspirational photos, and after a year, I moved my blog to Blogspot where I began to post more of my own personal style. Since then, Hey Pretty Thing has evolved into a lifestyle blog of my own personal fashion, beauty, and travel stories.
2. Which of your stories are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of my collaboration with Virgin Atlantic, in which I got to travel to London to celebrate their new direct flight from Seattle to London. Here is my post of the trip.
3. What is your favorite thing about your job?
I love being an entrepreneur and pushing myself to grow. Sometimes blogging and the Internet seem limitless and it’s just about how much work you want to put in to achieve your goal. I also love the technical aspects of editing photos and putting a post together to publish.
4. What is your interview style?
I don’t really interview many people, but if I do, it’s for what I’m personally interested in and what I think my audience would like to know.
5. What do you look for in a story?
Similar to my response above, I look for what I’m personally interested in and how well I think the story will relate with my audience. For fashion, I look for upcoming trends that can translate to practical, daily wear. For beauty, I am always searching for the best, most pure products for anti-aging and skin health. For travel, I do a lot of research on the culture, travel logistics, food, and shopping for the trip, and I try to cover the highlights of my trip in addition to tips so readers can learn from my mistakes.
6. What is your day like at your job?
I have a full-time job in addition to blogging, so to balance the two, I have to do a lot of pre-planning for my blog. I schedule social media posts so when the time comes, I can publish a photo with the caption instantly during my lunch break. Once I get home from work, I spend time engaging with my readers on the blog and social media. I’ll also spend a couple hours editing photos and writing posts.
7. What is your favorite news outlet?
NPR, CNN, The New Yorker
8. Fill in the blank:
- If I am not reporting, I am… working as a high school English teacher, hanging out with my husband and friends, and traveling.
- If I could interview anyone, it would be… Oprah, Anderson Cooper, Beyoncé
- My favorite thing about Seattle is… how down to earth and practical people are about their lifestyle choices.
9. What is your guilty pleasure?
Binge watching TV in my PJs all weekend with my husband.
Check out last week’s Meet the Media where we spotlighted Valerie Hansen, Seattle-based lifestyle blogger at the Maple Leopard.
Want to be featured in a Meet the Media? Email ofuller@feareygroup.com