Education
Vanderbilt University
B.A., English
Cornell University
Master's, Finance
1983American University
MA., Journalism and International Relations
1987Podcasts
43:56257: How to Write Historical Fiction w/ Sid Balman, Seventh Flag author [Main T4C episode]
Sid Balman, author of Seventh Flag, due to be published in October 2019, is a former Pulitzer-nominated national security correspondent and specialist in behavior-change communications. Sid has covered wars in the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo for news outlets like UPI and Time magazine, and travelled extensively with two..
08:26Career Path
Interview Highlights
“A lot of young reporters will make a mistake, just over-reporting stories and looking for the perfect quote or the perfect anecdote. And that’s when a good editor will draw them back and say, just sit down and start writing.”
Best Career Advice
“Write journals, don’t be in a rush and learn how to write well.”
Career Challenge
“There had been a young man who was a football player, had an accident and was paralyzed. And I called up his mom for an interview. She said that through her grief, it might’ve been better if he didn’t live. And I was a very young journalist. To me, that was what we call the money quote, that was my lead. And the next day the mother called me up and was just upset and talked to me about how little I understood about being a parent, how insensitive I was as a reporter.”
Skills
Strategic Communications, Social Media, Nonprofits, Editing, Public Relations, Media Relations, Program Management, International Development, Policy, Government, Email Marketing, Marketing, Digital Media, Management, Fundraising
Professional Interests
Alan Murray, Cornell University, Vanderbilt University, American University, St. Mark’s School of Texas, CVE Community, Dallas Times Herald Alumni
