Read the full interview with Wendell Jamieson on IdeaMensch!
Wendell Jamieson has spent a career delving into New York’s stories. A writer and editor with over three decades of experience in his craft, Jamieson is well-known in the city’s journalism circles as an investigative reporter. He contributed to four of New York’s major newspapers, but is best-known for his work with the New York Times. Wendell worked as the publication’s Metro desk editor for five years, from 2013 until 2018. During his tenure at its head, the department achieved two Polk Awards and stood as a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Today, Wendell has left print journalism to apply his journalistic skills to consulting projects in the private sector.
Where did the idea for your career come from?
The idea to pursue journalism came to me like a bolt from the blue when I was 18 and thumbing through a college catalog. I had always appreciated the writing and the news; growing up, my cousins always teased me for watching Walter Cronkite’s broadcasts. The choice to study writing and reporting was intuitive; from there, I built a 30-year career out of my passion for print journalism. Now, I’m trying to create an entirely new space for myself on that foundation by using the journalistic skillset I developed within the world of communications.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
Because I’m a consultant, no two work days are the same. I’m never stuck on a grind; I run from client to client, assignment to assignment. Experientially, it’s the exact opposite of the stereotypical “daily grind;” as a consultant, I have a chance to touch on a diverse range of interests and work on the “fun” parts of a project — the research and writing — without shouldering its more boring aspects.
Read the full interview with Wendell Jamieson on IdeaMensch!