U&U Staff Interview:: Laura Benitez
What’s your name and what do you do at U&U? My name is Laura and I write things (reviews, news pieces, etc) when I can and on occasion take pictures at U&U. I haven't been posting here as often as I'd like to because of work and school.
When you aren’t working for the site, what do you do (work, hobbies, etc.)? I go to school, I study German and Literature, and I have two tutoring jobs. My hobbies include sitting in front of a computer like a zombie, reading, going out to concerts, and hanging out with friends.
What made you want to pursue music journalism? Do you do anything else in the music industry? I really love music and have taken a few journalism classes and just thought it'd be cool to write about the music I like. I don't do much else in the music industry.
Do you work for any other sites? I don't anymore but I wrote for So Gutsy a while back. I wish I had more time to work on other sites.
What piece are you most proud of having published through the site? What makes that your favorite? I guess the piece I'm most proud of is my first interview for the site. It was with Fine Fine Titans and while it was an email interview with no in-person contact, it was still one of the first interviews I did as a "music journalist" so I'm really proud of that. I'm also pretty proud of the few photos I've been fortunate enough to share on here, I don't consider myself as talented as some of our photographers but I'm proud of some of the photos I've shared. I never had a platform like this to share anything so just being able to post my own photos meant a lot.
What’s your favorite piece by someone else at U&U? I love all of the work of the writers here and I think our photographers amazing. Everyone here is great and I can't really single one piece out. I do always enjoy reading pieces like "top albums of the year" or other somewhat personal posts like that because they give more background to our writers and I like to read about what music everyone else listens to.
What band would you like to shoot, interview, or review? Oh man, this is an excellent question. If My Chemical Romance decides to get back together & tour sometime between now and the end of the site I'd love to shoot them, interview them, and review any new music they may have. I don't think that will happen though. Honestly though, I'd love to just sit down and have a long chat with Conor Oberst. Bright Eyes has been my favorite band since high school and I' would love to shoot them live and sit down with Conor and just meet him. That would be amazing.
What have you learned from your time on the site? What will you take away when U&U is done? Before I started working with the site I was a lot more shy and very introverted and I think after everything it has helped me open up a bit more. I used to be so nervous about even emailing people and I've learned to be less nervous about that. I've also become more confident in myself and my writing. I have the site to thank for that.
Do you have any words of wisdom for people who are trying to break into journalism? I'm not exactly an expert on journalism but if it's something you're really interested in I suggest taking a journalism class somewhere. That was one of my first introductions to journalism. Sign up for a journalism internship somewhere, at a newspaper, website, or magazine. If you want start your own site and just keep writing about what you're passionate about. The reason I got into journalism is because I love writing and if you love it too then just keep doing it.
Finally, tell us your favorite memory of U&U. I've had some pretty great experiences because of U&U and have met some cool people, maybe not in person but maybe one day that will change. I think the thing I'll miss the most about U&U is being able to share new music with people, getting to post things about some of my favorite musicians, and getting to interview talented people.
