Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCFYk1GlxIQ&list=PLOQvdw7d0cd9RZZkd2lZy2hmrnJv-cfLI&index=36
Evan Snow: And we are back here on the Choose954 podcast, episode 62, with fellow Broward native, local writer, and multimedia expert, Niall Fortner, who we're very grateful to have as a contributor to Choose954. If you didn't know about Choose954, we started a social movement to cultivate culture and community here in Broward County, where we're both very proud to be from, in an effort to make this a better place to live and not just a better place to vacation. The point of the podcast is to connect you with talented creatives in the community, like Niall, who are doing very important things. We're very grateful for the contributions Niall has already provided and hope he will continue to provide to get the word out about a lot of great things. So without much further ado, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself, Niall, at a high level?
Niall Fortner: Yeah, well, I started in multimedia when I was in high school. From there, I went to college and worked with FAU South Florida Journal. I did a lot of freelance writing for various publications and online platforms. I've helped with some videos and websites, including the Sun Sentinel, New Pelican newspaper, and others. I enjoy doing it, and I'm glad I get to meet people like you in the local area and be part of Choose954. I like the Choose954 model.
Evan Snow: There you go! We got one for you—we got some swag for you. So tell them, and we're glad to have a fellow Broward native here. How did you get started in your multimedia journey?
Niall Fortner: Oh boy, well, it started when I was probably just starting high school. I was with the TV production program at Piper High School. We worked with videos and editing—we would do music videos and talk about a whole bunch of stuff. Shout out to Mr. Conde! From high school, I wanted to be a writer, but you know, you can't just be a writer nowadays. So it was around high school where I really got into the multimedia aspect, and from there, I became more than just a writer. I became a podcaster, videographer, and I help with videos. I’ve even done some video hosting, just trying to grow the resume and contribute to the community as well.
Evan Snow: Phenomenal! And for those that can’t tell how old or young you are, when did you graduate?
Niall Fortner: I graduated in 2012—class of 2012.
Evan Snow: Shout out to Piper High School and Broward County Public Schools producing more talent. Are there some other things you have coming up that these folks might be able to look forward to?
Niall Fortner: Well, I’m doing some podcasting episodes that are coming out soon for Cinefellas, including a movie called Dating Amber, which is an Irish film. I’ll be speaking to the actress from that movie. We’re still doing some stuff with the podcast On Boca First. On top of that, I’m working on an article for the Sun Sentinel about an author in Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, who is trying to keep people updated on his book and life experiences. I’m also covering a Fort Lauderdale filmmaker for the Sun Sentinel, who I featured before on the Cinefellas podcast. This new article goes more in-depth with his story. And shout out to Brett Diaz of My South Florida Today and Hook 360—he’s a great friend, and he’s been super supportive.
Evan Snow: We’ll reach out. There’s a lot of synergy there. You mentioned Gumbo Limbo and Hook 360. If you didn’t know about this mermaid here on my face, we’re very excited to share with you guys that we’ve been making great strides and progress in getting our coral restoration artificial reef initiatives, including the Ocean Rescue Alliance’s Thousand Mermaids Project, into Broward County. We’re very, very close to finalizing our first artificial reef construction and deployment with the great city of Dania Beach, followed shortly thereafter by the great city of Hollywood, Florida. Very exciting times for our reefs, our oceans, and our beaches. You can find out more by following along with the Thousand Mermaids Artificial Reef Project and the Ocean Rescue Alliance. I’d love to have Niall contribute about some of the eco-art, eco-tourism, and public art coral restoration things that we’re doing here. Exciting times for Broward County. If people want to find out more about you and follow you, where can they find you on social media?
Niall Fortner: You can find me on Facebook at Niall Fortner, on Twitter at Niall Fortner—it's all just my name. The best way to contact me is through Instagram because I like Instagram a lot. It's the best app out there to connect with people and show your work and who you are. So yeah, that's where you can find me. And at Choose954.com as well.
Evan Snow: We’re very excited and very grateful for Niall’s contributions. We’re glad to inspire more incoming multimedia professionals—writers, podcasters, journalists, and everyone else in between. If you have any questions or want to find out more, you can reach out at evan@choose954.com or @evansnow13 on Instagram. We’d love to find out why you choose 954. We’ve got a bunch of cool things coming up. The second Friday morning of every month, we’re still doing AAF Creative Zen virtually online for free. This month’s speaker is a very talented artist and creative director, Mark Karnad, who’s actually working for Broward-based Redline Media Group, the creative agency behind the Hollywood Hard Rock. He’s been doing a lot of interesting things with their guitar opening, and he’s at a very high level in the creative agency and advertising agency world. We’re very excited to have Mark share next Friday, the second Friday morning of every month.
I’ll also say we’re very excited to have Fort Lauderdale Art & Design Week coming back for our third annual installment. It’s a PRSA award-winning art and design week—thank you very much to the Sunshine District, where they’ve recognized our media tactics and some of the things we’ve done with film and video from a public relations perspective.
You might notice that I’m still wearing my mask, allowing Niall to speak more freely without the mask. We are here still in COVID times, and we were having some conversation about the importance of the arts in general, but specifically the importance of writing and journalism from a historical standpoint and a storytelling perspective. Why do you feel that journalism is important—not just to Niall Fortner but in the broader scheme of things for our lives?
Niall Fortner: Journalism to me is very important. It keeps us informed, it keeps us updated, and it gives us the news—sometimes news we may not want to hear, but it’s informative and it’s history. Nowadays, people can just look up something on their phones, and they take it for granted. But they don’t realize that years from now, all these COVID articles we’re reading will be history. It’s almost like how the Egyptians wrote hieroglyphics, and we learn about their community and culture that way. I see that with journalism too—it’s a way of letting people know that we were here, we stayed updated, we stayed informed, and we cared about people enough to let them know what’s going on. That’s the honest truth about how I feel about journalism.
Evan Snow: And it’s important to tell these stories. Some stories make it onto the Sun Sentinel, some make it onto NPR, but there are a lot of important local stories that, unfortunately, especially here in Broward County, don’t always have a platform to be highlighted and broadcasted. Can you tell them a little bit about some of the stories you’ve already contributed for Choose954 editorial-wise and what you wanted to convey?
Niall Fortner: With Choose954, much like the readers who read other publications, I want people in Broward County and Fort Lauderdale to know about these things. So, with Choose954, Halloween was just a couple of weeks ago, and we attended a haunted drive-thru. There were people who were like, "Oh, there’s nothing to do for Halloween," and I’m like, "Yeah, there is, and it’s right here in your backyard. You can still keep up with traditions and the scares and all of that." For the other one, the very first one, it was "Girl Dads." The reason I contacted you, Evan, was because Kobe Bryant was a big basketball player—even if you don’t know basketball, you know Kobe Bryant, the Black Mamba. It was the anniversary of his book that he wrote maybe three or four years ago, and I noticed everyone was using this hashtag, "Girl Dad," especially since he passed away. So I wanted to highlight the importance of dads in the Broward County area and why these dads sometimes don’t get the attention or recognition they deserve.
Evan Snow: Amazing! We appreciate the contributions. Can you tell us a little bit about the process—either pitching a story editorial-wise or receiving editorial requests from an editor? What is your process generally like?
Niall Fortner: Well, it all depends on the editor. Sometimes with Sun Sentinel, I’ll pitch them an idea, and they’ll get back to me within 10 minutes and give me the yay or the nay. But with Fort Lauderdale Magazine, for instance, I may pitch them something, and it may take a month for them to get it going. Usually, between the New Pelican newspaper, Sun Sentinel, or the Parklander, I’ll pitch something, and with the steps of getting it done—the pitch, the writing—that will probably take three weeks.
Evan Snow: Do you do a lot of research on what you can see in the editorials?
Niall Fortner: Yes, research is very important for editorial integrity in journalism, and I take a lot of pride in my work.
Evan Snow: Tell us a little bit about the transition from your multimedia beginnings at Piper High School to FAU.
Niall Fortner: From Piper, I took what I learned and went to FAU with the mindset of becoming a writer and journalist. I wanted to grow my craft. While at FAU, the freelance really took off. I freelanced for the Sun Sentinel, New Pelican, and the Parklander. I wasn’t just building my resume as a student but building my resume overall. I realized there are a lot of great opportunities for students out there, especially local students, to get their work out there. There’s a mindset that in order for good things to happen, you have to leave the local area, but I didn’t want to have that mindset. I wanted to be the best I could be right here.
Evan Snow: Amazing! And you’re right—there are tons of great opportunities. One of the opportunities you got to discover, be a part of, and be recognized for, do you care to share about your local NPR affiliate experience during school?
Niall Fortner: That kind of goes back to how I started with podcasting. I did a podcast with a website called Cinefellas—shout out to Cinefellas and Logan Myers, Henry Hill. I took that experience in audio editing from Piper and Cinefellas and took it to FAU. I took a class, met some other students, and we worked with NPR’s South Florida Journal. From there, I learned a whole bunch of audio editing. At first, I’ll be honest, I was terrible at it, but I wanted to grow my craft. From there, I won two awards from FAU South Florida Journal for Spot Reporter of the Week and Two-Way Reporter of the Week. Then I got recognized by a website called Boca First, where I still do a podcast. It’s not just good enough to be a writer nowadays—you’ve got to build that resume and show you can do more and be a local that does more.
Evan Snow: And you were freelancing in high school, so you’ve already been working and earning from your craft at an early age. We give you a lot of credit for that. From this whole process, what were some of the things that you found important about journalism and multimedia? What’s the why behind Niall and why you want to get the word out about things you care about?
Niall Fortner: Truthfully, I care about the community. I want to see the community that I’m in do as well as possible. I care about opportunities and how people feel. I remember one time, there was this young girl in my class who said, "Oh, we’re not changing lives." But in a way, we are because a local person may read this news or information, and they may be inspired—they may have a change of thought. So, it really is just a care of community. To care about the community is to care about yourself. Who wants to live in a community where nothing is prospering? It’s also educational and informative because you’re learning about your community. From learning about your community, you learn about yourself. I’ve learned so much just from talking to people and meeting artists and entrepreneurs in Broward County and Fort Lauderdale.
Evan Snow: And you’re helping other people learn about those people through your craft and through the platforms you’ve already earned your way onto, like Sun Sentinel, which is not an easy one to get onto for any writer in the least, and all the other local publications, including Choose954. Kudos to you for putting in the work on your craft to have the opportunity to pursue your creative outlets. We’re so glad to have you on board.
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