Curve Ahead

Remember that “Seinfeld” episode where Kramer discovers his phone number is one digit off from Movie Phone’s? The wacky neighbor decides to start providing listings and show times himself using his daily newspaper as a reference. It was a bumbling effort to service his fellow humans.

It’s a kooky, far-reaching analogy, but that’s sort of how I got into business journalism. I was a daily newspaper reporter working up in the high desert area north of Los Angeles spending my days and nights covering exploding crack houses, illegal street racing, gang-related shootings and an occasional double homicide. Then one day the paper’s business editor asked me to cover a Chamber of Commerce meeting.

I knew nothing about business. While the meeting’s subject matter was dry, I stuck around after the meeting and found interesting stories out there in the local business community.

Covering business is mostly what I’ve been doing ever since. I have found business writing enjoyable, and I’ve covered just about every industry in just about every different way: hometown boy makes good (Salesperson Smith Named Vice President of Something-or-other); the trend story (Privatization of Space: Where No Schmo Has Gone Before); the tragedies (Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere: The Internet, Housing); the mundane-but-necessary ($45 Million and Counting: The Intricacies of a Loan Workout on a Troubled Commercial Portfolio).

Most of my business reporting has been for papers including the Long Beach Press-Telegram, where I covered residential and commercial real estate, travel and tourism, the economy, aerospace and the monthly Chamber of Commerce meetings. I got into trade reporting when I left the Press-Telegram to take a job as editor of Real Estate Southern California. I followed that with a stint as managing web editor for two animal-related trade websites.

When the post for West region editor of Insurance Journal opened up, I saw it as an opportunity to reinvigorate my interest in business reporting while learning an industry that is new to me. Every day since I’ve been here, the lesson that keeps getting hammered into me is: I have a lot to learn.

Despite the curve ahead for me, I hope to bring to this post almost unbridled enthusiasm and 14 years’ experience, adding a little fresh perspective to the mix on occasion. Please feel free to call or email me with thoughts, ideas and criticism.

And for you hardcore “Seinfeld” fans who recall that episode: please don’t dial “1” on your keypad. Why don’t you just tell me the name of the movie you want to see?