TGIF: Timely call for experts, and some new story leads.
TGIF friends!
I have a really busy day ahead of me. I am on deadline (as per the usual), and am also scheduled to do a virtual consulting gig mid-day (actually for some long-time subscribers of this group!).
But tonight I get to see one of my oldest and dearest friends for dinner. One I haven't gotten to see in a few months. It's actually work-related - we are going to do a tasting at a new restaurant that recently has opened in the city for an upcoming story. So, all in all, it'll be a busy but delicious and fun day.
Onto today's news though: My neighborhood in Park Slope, Brooklyn has joined together to create a charity auction with 100% of the proceeds going to Razom, non-profit Ukrainian-American organization's, Emergency Response project. All items in the charity auction are donated goods, services, and experiences from local residents and businesses.
Also, since most of us are media or media adjacent, I wanted to share two different funds that are helping to protect journalists in Ukraine: Keep the Kyiv Independent going and Keep Ukraine’s media going.
In other, obviously less crucial news, that virtual paella class went well last night. I didn't blow up the apartment, or ruin dinner!
Newly published
Some people probably don't know that my pups are actually mother and daughter. Lily gave birth to Scarlette in my parents' living room many years ago (they are actually BOTH teenagers now.)
Lily is a Shih Tsu and my dearly-departed Frankie was a yorkie, and they fell in love and made beautiful shorkies. Now, I get that some of you don't actually want your babies to make babies, and in that case, I wrote a story for Pawp.com about what to do if your dog is humping your new puppy. (Spoiler: It's often not a sexual thing!)
LOTS of open story opportunities!
Be sure to read the below list carefully. Many are stories I posted about yesterday, but some of yesterday's stories are no longer listed and a few new ones have been added since yesterday. This (below) is everything that is still a currently open opportunity as of today.
Clean Plates
For Clean Plates, I'm looking for RDs to comment ASAP for three different pending stories. If you have someone who can comment over email today (or this weekend), I'll owe you big time. (Yes, I know this is something of a pattern with me...) - drop me an email and I’ll tell you what I’m working on and what I’m looking for.
Forbes.com
For Forbes.com I'm rounding up Kosher For Passover wines and spirits for an upcoming story. I'm also doing a story on fun finds in Kosher For Passover snacks/treats/new products. These items must exist online and they MUST be shippable. And please please make sure the item is kosher for passover certified (that's a different thing than kosher, so if something is kosher, it's not necessarily KFP) - I'll do a dedicated newsletter soon explaining the difference for anyone who doesn't quite understand. But meanwhile, you can always email me questions. And, please, pitch me!
I'm also working on a roundup of fun St. Patrick's Day-themed cocktails and desserts (and dishes) at restaurants nationwide. This is similar in format to the Mardi Gras story I did last week. To pitch me for this, please use the following format and include ALL components to be considered:
Name of drink/dish
Where sold: name of restaurant/bar, city, state, URL (MUST exist on the menu, or as a special)
Description of drink/dish
Quote from chef/owner/bar manager about drink/dish
LINK to high res image of dish/drink
Today.com
I'm working on a big roundup of restaurants open on Easter. We’re looking for a big list of big and small chains across the country –high and low. It's the Easter version of this story we did for Christmas, if you want an idea of the format I'm looking for.
For Today.com, I'm also rounding up food/restaurant chains doing special deals, discounts, and freebies in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
Finally, I'm looking for restaurant chains nationwide doing special deals/discounts for tax day (i have a few weeks to play with this one...a rare feat!)
HerMoney
For HerMoney, I need personal finance experts to speak on two different topics related to delivery apps/food takeout/and grocery delivery. (And the costs/ways to save therein.) Please email me asap today if you have someone so I can send some questions.
To pitch me for ANY of these stories, please email me at alywalansky@gmail.com (and start a new thread, please!).
have an excellent weekend!
<3
aly
Thanks for the links to support Ukraine media.