Note: This post is part of an ongoing blog series called #costamesa365 where the author is striving to shop only* in her city of Costa Mesa, for a year.
I’ve decided Bradley Zint is our fairy godfather.
A former Daily Pilot reporter, Zint has been a contributing writer at I Heart Costa Mesa for about a year – but his influence on our publication extends well beyond that! Over the course of these past four years, Zint has a way of showing up at just the right time, with just the right stuff, to make a big difference in our little project.
Like all good characters, in all good stories – wishes, bears, billy goats gruff – his magic has come in threes.
Magic Moment #1:
Let me set the stage: It’s 2015, and I Heart Costa Mesa just launched. (By launched, I mean we pushed the ‘publish’ button in WordPress.)
We’re new. We’re learning. We’re not sure it’s going to work.
I’m doing all the web design – learning via YouTube as I go – and writing copy. Brandy Young is on photography, and scheduling the interviews. We feel hopeful, overworked… slightly insane. What are we even doing? Will anyone read? Does anyone care?
The phone rings. It’s Bradley Zint from The Daily Pilot. He’s heard what we’re up to and want to write an article about us. Us!
OMG… Zint cares.
The day of the interview arrives.
We’re dressed in heart-themed clothes. He’s business casual.
We’re nervous. He’s professional.
We talk too much. He listens thoughtfully and jots down notes.
Towards the end, he’s sort of smiling and shaking his head. Either our enthusiasm has won him over, or he agrees that we’re totally insane. It’s a wobbler.
As he bids farewell, he offers, “I hope this runs in the Friday edition. Lots of people get the paper on Friday. It would be good exposure for you.” We take that little nugget of insight and hold fast.
Friday morning has arrived, barely.
It’s still dark and I’m driving around Costa Mesa, to places I remember seeing Daily Pilot newsstands. After two hours of looking, I find a fresh stack at Irvine Ranch Market and… holy Costa Mesa!
There we are, on the front page of the Friday edition, hearts on our faces, smiling against the “Welcome to Costa Mesa” sign at Vista Park.
Don’t believe me? Check it out: ‘No Hiding Their Love for Costa Mesa.’
Zint wrote the heck out of the story. It couldn’t have come at a better time. He really gave our rag-tag crew a much-needed confidence boost.
Did it help when, the following week, a man at the Save Our Youth Center said, “Hey! I saw you in the newspaper… great article!”
Yes. Yes, it did.
Bradley Zint: The Man, The Myth… The Godfather? At 2018 OC Press Club Awards Gala.
Photo: Ashley McGuire, Orange County Press Club
Magic Moment #2:
Flash forward to 2018.
The I Heart Costa Mesa project is finally starting to gain a little traction. Confidence and experience builds with every interview. As our roster of stories grows, so does our joy. We’re happily covering Costa Mesa. Is this a dream? Because, life is good.
We decide – at the urging of our soon-to-become Producer, Danny Thompson – to add a podcast to I Heart Costa Mesa. We make a guest list. We stumble through the early days of recording and try not to suck. We suck anyway… but figure we’ve got nowhere to go but up! Press on.
Producing the podcast episodes puts strain on our skeleton crew. It’s more work than we thought. What we really need is another writer to help expand our coverage.
But finding contributing writers has proven difficult. We find people who can write. We find people who get Costa Mesa. But finding good writers who get Costa Mesa? Tricky.
Back to the podcast: On a whim – and because I am an avid fangirl of his Daily Pilot articles – I reach out to Bradley Zint. Would he like be a guest on our podcast? Would he dare? Are journalists allowed?
Surpisingly, he says yes!
The day of the podcast interview arrives.
We’re dressed in heart-themed clothes. He’s business casual.
We’re nervous. He’s professional.
We talk too much. He listens to our questions and answers thoughtfully.
The episode goes great! We’re over the moon.
March 2018: Bradley Zint is interviewed on the I Heart Costa Mesa podcast.
As we walk out to say our goodbyes, he drops a bomb: “This is my last week at the Pilot. I’m changing careers.”
I’m heartbroken. No more Zint stories in my local newspaper.
A thought occurs. Suddenly, I’m elated:
Hold the phone… does that mean you’re availble to freelance?
Magic Moment #3:
It’s 2019 and springtime is busy at I Heart Costa Mesa.
With more contributing writers, more coverage – and now 50 podcast episodes under our belts – we’re chugging along at a nice clip.
Zint emails me about a list of story leads and mentions the Orange County Press Club. Had I heard of it? Had I joined? Did I know they gave out awards for Excellence in Journalism?
Um…no, no and no.
Zint says he’s submitting two of his I Heart Costa Mesa articles for consideration – maybe I should submit the podcast in the multimedia category?
I hem. I haw.
I say that we aren’t jounalists.
He says we interview people and tell stories – that’s journalism.
I say I’m not sure we’re a fit for that.
He says the Press Club has created a sub-category for “non-traditional publications” meant for people just like us.
Finally, I relent.
I become a member of the OC Press Club and submit some entries – then promptly forget all about it.
Two months pass, then an email arrives. “Congratulations!” it cheerfully announces: “You are among the finalists for one or more awards in the Orange County Press Club’s annual Excellence In Journalism contest.”
Whaaaaaaa…!?!
The night of the OC Press Club Awards Gala arrives. I pick up Brandy Young and head out to The Clubhouse at Anaheim Hills Golf Course. (Yes, I broke my #costamesa365 pledge for the night… worth it!)
We enter the foyer amid a well-dress crowd of all my favorite journalists, people I only know via their bylines. People I read, every day. Newspaper famous.
We spy Bradley Zint at the far end of the room and walk over to say hello. He suggests we head for the patio and celebrate the occasion with a drink.
We’re dressed in heart-themed clothes. He’s business casual.
We’re nervous. He’s professional.
We talk too much. He thoughtfully introduces us to people he knows from The Pilot, The Register, The Times. Eek!
Flash forward to dinner. We’re in a large, banquet room and they’re announcing the winners for non-traditional publications.
Zint gets an award for his work with Behind The Badge. We cheer wildly.
They’re calling Zint’s name again. Wait, did they just say I Heart Costa Mesa?
Long story short, the evening was a gasping, shrieking, pinch-me-is-this-my-life blur of moments.
I Heart Costa Mesa at the 2018 Orange County Press Club Awards Gala.
All told, I Heart Costa Mesa won a total of six… SIX… awards for Excellence in Journalism at the Orange County Press Club Awards Gala. (A multiple of three, had you noticed?)
Best Food / Restaurant Story, 1st Place
“The Next Chapter for Church’s”
By: Erin Huffstutter
Photos: Brandy Young
Best Feature Story, 1st Place
“Metal Fab & Etch A Sketch”
By: Erin Huffstutter
Photos: Brandy Young
Best Arts / Culture Story, 2nd Place
“Gabrielle’s Gift of Play”
By: Erin Huffstutter
Photos: Brandy Young
Best Feature Story, 3rd Place
“Jumping Sheep”
By: Bradley Zint
Photos: Bradley Zint
Best Food / Restaurant Story, 3rd Place
“Go for the Green”
By: Bradley Zint
Photos: Bradley Zint
Best Use of Multimedia, 3rd Place
The I Heart Costa Mesa Podcast
Hosts: Erin Huffstutter, Brandy Young
Produced By: Danny Thompson
Big thank you to the OC Press Club for including us, the judges for bestowing the honors, and to Bradley Zint for encouraging us to join up.
And hey, Zint… as far as I Heart Costa Mesa is concerned? You’ve more than earned those wings. ♥
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*We will always start by shopping / looking in Costa Mesa, first. But if we really need something and an alternative is nowhere to be found in Costa Mesa, we’ll stray. Also, as parents, we’ve decided that certain kid-related things (mainly educational) will need to remain baked in.
