For this week’s Media Monday, we’d like you to meet Erinn Loucks, managing editor of Kitchen & Bath Business Magazine.
- How did you find yourself at Kitchen & Bath Business?
When I graduated from the University of Georgia’s journalism school, a college friend who worked with our sister magazine, design:retail, offered me an internship. From there I moved on to online editor, and two years ago I accepted the position of managing editor.
2. Which of your stories are you most proud of?
I love writing about design projects that have truly impacted a client’s life or were a favorite of a designer. One of my personal favorites was a kitchen renovation for a newly divorced client with a young child. The renovation gave her a fresh start and made her house feel like a home again.
3. What is your favorite thing about your job?
Probably it would be talking with designers who are obviously passionate about their job. They love the art of it and the stories they can tell through interiors, as well as the impact they can make on someone’s life.
4. What is your interview style?
I usually start by asking about the past – what problems were there before the designer was brought in? What did the client really want? Then we get into the nitty gritty with challenges, technical issues and color choices.
5. What do you look for in a story?
We are all about the photographs. Give me a few stellar photographs and I’ll be grabbed. If there’s a background story with unique challenges, like a historic house upgrade or a difficult client request, then I’ll definitely look into it.
6. What is your day like at your job?
Every day is a little different, but most days I’m going back and forth with designers and firms on new designs, products and ideas. I have a couple of interviews a week, and every couple of months I’m invited to press previews of products or interior design shows – anywhere from Louisville, Ky. to Seoul, South Korea.
7. Who do you most look up to in the journalism industry?
I most look up to the journalists that tell the hard stories: like Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR’s West Africa correspondent, or Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR’s Middle East correspondent. These women go into difficult and dangerous places to find stories that also impact people’s lives, but in much bigger and grander ways than interior design necessarily can.
8. What is your favorite news outlet?
As you can tell from above, I love National Public Radio (NPR). I’m a multitasker, so it’s easy for me to listen to the news while I work.
9. Fill in the blank:
- If I am not reporting, I am…Probably running or cycling- it’s both a stress relief and a fun hobby for me to be a distance athlete. Plus it’s a great way to get outside and enjoy nature.
- If I could interview anyone, it would be…There are so many fabulous and famed designers out there, but it would be fantastic to talk with Martha Stewart. She’s truly created a design empire.
- My favorite thing about the Seattle area is…Definitely Mt. Rainier and the other local mountains. I’m originally from Atlanta, so seeing mountains with snow everyday never looses its splendor for me.
10. What is your guilty pleasure?
Baking bread!