Posts filed under 'Freelance Work'
My Articles with Metro Edmonton (Sept. 1-5/2009)!
Here are articles written by me for Metro Edmonton this week:
- Sept 1, 2009. Family centre gets facelift. Local. Page 3
- Sept 2, 2009. $2.1M for Métis attending NAIT. Local. Page 2
- Sept 3, 2009. Keeping roads safe for students. Local. Page
- Sept 3, 2009. Vans remind drivers to mind speed. Local. Page
- Sept 4, 2009. Arts Days are coming, Alberta. Local. Page 2
- Sept 4, 2009. Surface routes planned for LRT. Local. Page 1
Yay! I really love the feeling of seeing my byline in the paper and then clipping out the article and adding it to my collection. Heh.
Linda (:
Add comment September 4, 2009
My week with Metro Edmonton.
I did a short, one-week internship with Metro Edmonton this week! It was a great way to get back into the journalism feel of things since my last internship was back in June and I’ve mostly just been vacationing since then (though I consider my SYTYCD blogging/interviews to have that journalism-y feel to them as well).
Anyway, I had a lot of fun, met and spoke with some nice people, got out and about in the city and the community, and got some clippings that I’m happy to showcase in my online writing portfolio! I also got nice reviews from my editor. Yay!
I did at one-two stories a day, along with multiple little briefs, as well as streeters. And I also took my own photos for one of the events, which reminded me how I want to get back into more photography too!
This week, more than ever, I was reminded of how the media industry is a small world. It seems like you see the same people – newspaper or television reporters, camera people and photographers, at all the same events that you go to cover. And once you actually figure out the names of those people you constantly see, you find that they’re not even strangers really because you recognize their name, you recognize their byline, or you’ve seen them on TV. Everyone’s pretty interconnected. One good example is that I met a freelance photographer who had also graduated from the same program as me, and had did his internship at the Journal as well, just like I did. He also told me he does freelance work for a photographer who was my photography teacher last year. And one of my Metro co-workers also graduated the same year as he did, and also from the same journalism program. Small world right? But definitely neat and interesting, and it has it’s advantages.
But at the same time that made me think how that small world and interconnection could really hurt someone who maybe has the wrong attitude at an event, or made a mistake of some kind. Because if you rub shoulders the wrong way with someone, chances are they could very well have graduated from the same program as a guy who could eventually be the editor of some tv station or newspaper that you end up applying for a job at. And maybe you don’t get that job because said editor remembers his friend who mentioned that so and so was unprofessional or what have you.
Anyway I’m not saying any of the above stuff happened to me (because it hasn’t, I’m pretty friendly and nice with everyone I encounter at media events, and in general), but that’s just an alternative scenario that popped into my mind this week as I kept seeing the same people covering the same events as me.
The media industry being as small as it seems, with everyone somehow knowing everyone else, means that as a reporter, or as a journalism student in general, you just shouldn’t be douchey to anyone because word of your douchbaggery could travel fast and to someone important.
Then again, who, no matter what field you are in, wants a bad reputation anyway right?
So be nice. Thank people for their time. Make sure you let people who have helped you in some way, know that you appreciate it. And so on and so forth!
Linda 
Add comment September 4, 2009
My Exclusive SYTYCDISM.COM Interview with SYTYCD’s Season 2 Top 8 Finalist, Allison Holker!
Along with my Q&A with Randi Evans-Strong today, I got a chance to speak with SYTYCD’s Season 2 Top 8 Finalist (and my personal favourite Season 2 girl) Allison Holker!
Allison is on her way to New Jersey today for a dance camp, but had a quick chat with me before getting on her flight!
Watch for Allison in tonight’s special 100th episode Ramalama Bang Bang performance!
In this exclusive Q&A with SYTYCDISM, Allison tells us what she’s been up to since Season 2 ended (including having a baby girl!), how she’s stayed in such tip-top shape, whether or not she would ever participate in a SYTYCD All-Star Season, being back on the SYTYCD stage for Ramalama Bang Bang, Trivallie, Twitter, and more!
Big thanks to pochaccopnai, KayJDance, Dusywingsnhalo, Sytycdismylife, & NatPack for submitting some of the questions asked of Alli!
Listen to the audio interview below:
Here’s the full transcription of the interview:
(Note: I’m going by my ‘Lindork’ alias for this, as you can see, lol)
Lindork: First off, what have you been up to since the show? It’s been 3 years!
It’s been a long time since the show but right after the show I did obviously High School Musical 2 and I did a couple of commercials, so just really random things in Utah, really random stuff. Then I did a production of the off-broadway show Revolution, which was a tap show, which was another weird thing that I did because I’m not really a tapper but you know you learn new things every day. What I mostly do though is I teach with different workshops and conventions, actually that’s what I’m leaving to go to right now I’m on my way to New Jersey [for a dance camp]. Also I recently had a little girl, she’s now a year old and her name is Weslie!
Lindork: How has being a mom affected your dancing or your dance career?
Actually yeah that is a hard topic, it is a little bit difficult I think in the dance world usually people don’t really have children you know but at the same time it’s just like any other working mom. Parents always have to go to jobs every day and do their business and make money and make a living and so that’s what I do and it gets a little hard sometimes to leave her for long periods of time but I had a really supportive family and a really supportive father and everyone is always behind me and actually pushing me to work more. I’m always like ‘Oh I shouldn’t take this, I’m gone for too long,’ but everyone’s like ‘No!’ So it’s just really awesome. I really only took like three months off, like my last month of being pregnant and than I took two months after having her but after that I was working again it’s been awesome and my body is back in shape.
Lindork: How have you kept so in shape after having the baby?
I actually I had a personal trainer and I have a nutritionist that I work with that I mean I always lie to, I hope she doesn’t hear this interview, she makes me write down in a log everything I eat everyday and I’ll eat like a burger but I’ll be like ‘Yo, it’s a turkey burger’ not from Burger King. But you know it’s obviously a good thing right I lost all my weight!
Lindork: You’re going to be on the 100th episode Ramalama performance is that right?
Yes I am. Oh my gosh, it’s a pre-taped thing, I don’t know if I’m not supposed to say that I don’t think it’s really a big deal but we pre-taped it a couple of weeks ago. I’m actually not going to be able to be in L.A. for the taping and the actual 100th show because I’ll be in New Jersey which I’m so sad about because everyone else is going to be there BUT me and it’s like Ah! Reunion! But yeah we pre-taped it and there’s actually, I don’t know if you’ve heard this but there’s a surprise. I’m not going to tell you what the surprise is but it is REALLY cool. I mean it’s the same number that everyone has seen from the past season but there’s a twist to it and it’s really cool oh my gosh it’s like my favorite thing I’ve ever done in my ENTIRE life! It might not be a big deal to everyone else but it is a big deal to us as dancers.
Lindork: What was it like being back on the So You Think You Can Dance stage?
It’s fun. It’s different. It brings back all those memories like everyone cheering in the audience, it’s really overwhelming you know? It was fun to be back up there. And also it brought back all those nerves. I went up to the dancers on this season and I was like ‘Oh good luck to you guys!’ because it brings back all those… there’s always nerves and whatever and I made sure to tell them they are doing a really good job.
Lindork: What do you miss the most from Season 2 and being on the show?
What I miss most is probably the family that we had. I mean a lot of us are still really close but like every single day we were together like we all were so supportive of each other and just helping each other and it was really cool to have that little family you know, it was competitive but not really. Everyone just wanted the best for each other. And then working with all the choreographers.
Lindork: Do you still keep in touch with Trivallie? Travis, Ivan, Natalie?
Yeah, definitely. Me and Travis and Ivan talk all the time. Natalie, we’ve stayed in contact for like a year, a year and a half but then she moved to Greece and obviously it’s a little harder to talk to her if she’s overseas. But like we haven’t stayed quite as much in contact as I’d like but we still check in with each other every once in awhile. I’m so mad I’m not going to see her tonight. The 100th show is tonight right? I’m so sad I’m not going to see her. I actually just saw Musa Cooper in New York the other day which was really random but it was really cool.
Lindork: If there was a SYTYCD All-Star Season and they asked you to compete, do you think you would do it?
If they asked lots of people back? Oh heck yeah! I would be back in a flash. That would be no question. I mean we’ve all been hoping that they do some kind of Vegas show or something to bring all the dancers back together so at one point it was an idea there like oh maybe we should get a show together and we were like ‘We’ll all do it!’ and we’ve never heard back. That was like three years ago. You never know.
Lindork: I know you’ve taught in Canada, do you think you’ll be coming up to teach in Canada again anytime soon?
Oh yeah! I’m actually going to be teaching a convention called Drop Dance Intensive I think, and I go to Canada starting in October I go to… I don’t really know if I’m saying it right but it’s like Sa-skatch-ee-wan or something! (Saskatchewan) I just like that word. I don’t even remember what the other cities are that’s the only one I remember because it was so weird but I’ll be coming to Canada starting in October and I think I come to Canada like three or four times. I’ll definitely have to keep you guys posted on what cities and the dates.
Lindork: Last question, do you have a Twitter account? Do you tweet?
Did you just say Twitter oh my gosh, I mean I’m not knocking anyone that does it but no I don’t have a Twitter. You know what I say I don’t have one now but probably here in a couple months, it’s like a fad so I’ll probably end up having one but as of right now I don’t.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to SYTYCDISM, Alli!
Can’t wait to see you in the Ramalama performance tonight!
Add comment July 23, 2009
My Exclusive SYTYCDISM.COM Interview with SYTYCD’s Season 5 Top 10 Finalist, Randi Evans-Strong!
Today I spoke with this season’s Randi Evans-Strong, one-week post-elimination from the show!
In this exclusive Q&A with SYTYCDISM, Randi tells us what she’s been doing the past week not being on the show, how it feels to have fans, the 2009 SYTYCD Live Tour, what advice she’d give dancers vying for a spot on the show, and more!
Unfortunately I’m not including an audio/video of the interview because of time constraints, but here’s the full transcription of the interview:
(Note: I’m going by my ‘Lindork’ alias for this, as you can see, lol)
Lindork: Today is exactly one week since you were eliminated from the show, can you tell me what the past week has been like? Is it weird not spending every hour practicing a routine?
It definitely is a very nice break for my body! Right after I got eliminated the next day I actually flew to Miami to spend some time with my husband which was awesome and I just finally got back to Utah yesterday so I’ve been relaxing a lot it feels amazing.
Lindork: What are you doing in Utah right now?
I’m just kind of hanging out with my family. I will be at the SYTYCD Season 6 auditions tomorrow at Salt Lake, I’m just going to go out there and kind of see what’s going on.
Lindork: Now I know you’ve actually auditioned for the show more than once, is that right? What made you keep coming back and not getting discouraged?
This is my third time auditioning. I just knew that I had what it took to be on the show. It was just something that I wanted so wanting something like that keeps you going.
Lindork: Are you excited for tour?
Oh my gosh, I cannot wait for tour. We start rehearsal in like a month or so. I cannot wait!
Lindork: Do you know whose going to be your bunkmate on the tour bus?
No I have no idea I really don’t know any details or anything.
Lindork: Which routines do you really want to do on tour?
I’m really hoping I can do the Halo Hip Hop number, that was a lot of fun. And I would like the chance to do Mia’s butt dance again I really liked that one.
Lindork: How did your husband handle you being on the show?
He was just beyond supportive. He was happy for me because he knew how badly I wanted it but as far as dances centered around my butt, he knew that it didn’t mean anything so he was cool with it.
Lindork: What does it feel like to have fans?
Oh my gosh it’s so crazy! It’s really weird like people come up to you and they’re like ‘Are you Randi from So You Think You Can Dance?’ you know. I still feel like myself so it’s really weird when people want to come talk to me or take a picture with me but it’s very cool and I’m very flattered.
Lindork: What advice would you give dancers wanting to make it on the show? What should they be prepared for?
Oh they should be prepared for anything really. During the whole audition process and Vegas Week you think you know what’s coming your way but you really don’t, you never know. Just stay positive and have a good time. If you’re not having a good time than why are you doing it?
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to SYTYCDISM, Randi!!
Goodluck and have fun on tour!!
Add comment July 23, 2009
My Exclusive SYTYCDISM.COM Interview with SYTYCD’s Broadway Choreographer Joey Dowling!
Today I got a chance to interview SYTYCD’s newest Broadway choreographer, Joey Dowling!
Joey is the choreographer behind this season’s Randi & Evan – Top 14 Broadway as well as Kupono & Kayla’s – Top 12 Broadway!
In this exclusive Q&A with SYTYCDISM, Joey tells us her own dance background, what it was like to choreograph for the show, her connection with S2’s Allison Holker and this season’s Randi Evans-Strong, which dancer remaining she thinks is the stand-out star of Season 5, whether or not she’ll be coming back to choreograph for Season 6, if she tweets, and more!
Listen to the audio interview below:
Here’s the full transcription of the interview:
(Note: I’m going by my ‘Lindork’ alias for this, as you can see, lol)
Lindork: Now before you actually choreographed for the show, did you watch it all? Were you a fan of So You Think You Can Dance?
Yeah I actually am a fan of So You Think You Can Dance. I think it’s a great avenue in which kind of reality TV can kind of support and also showcase all of this amazing talent that all these kids across the country have in a television setting. Usually I’m not a big fan of reality TV but when SYTYCD first came on the air I thought Wow what an awesome venue that they can really kind of… you know reality TV is reality TV but in a really variety show type of way, where the reality part of it doesn’t take over the talent part of it and really watching these young dancers grow and learn and showcase what they’re really good at and also showcase what they have to try and get to be good at.
Lindork: So when you were contacted to choreograph, what was your reaction?
I’ve actually wanted to choreograph on the show for a couple of years now. I was still kind of dancing and doing shows here and there, commercials, television, film and dancing and things but I’ve also had a huge love for choreography since I was 15 years old. My mom has a studio and it’s actually in Orem, Utah called The Dance Club and Allison Holker has trained at my mother’s studio. I left to move to New York and then this past year Randi was actually from my mom’s studio like eight years ago so some of those faces I recognize but when I got asked to choreograph the show I was floored! I was floored. It was a great opportunity for me to showcase my choreography and I love choreographing on teenagers because I’ve been doing it my whole life doing it at conventions and going to studios and choreographing on teenage kids. So I was stoked, and I hope I get to do more and they’ve asked me about my availability in the future and it ended up being a fantastic experience the two episodes that I did.
Lindork: Were you nervous (about choreographing for the show)?
Was I nervous?? Oh my gosh, I spent three weeks on a minute and a half duet. I was lucky enough to have a lot of… I had about two and a half week’s notice before I had to go and choreograph on the show and so I really took my time and really wanted to do a song that was really true to my heart and a style that I absolutely love and I’m kind of a jack-of-all-trades. In my career I’ve been lucky enough to have opportunities to tour with Mariah Carey so I got to do a lot of hip hop and do music videos and I was also in broadway shows where I got to really learn true musical theatre style. I got to do company work where I got to do a lot of classical work. I was a Rockette so I learned that kind of style and it helped me and has helped me in doing choreography to really push the box and try and incorporate other styles within musical theatre. Because I think there’s a lot of room for interpretation so I chose the song because I just love the music and I think it’s amazing music and also a lot of inspirations in my life and Bob Fosse was one of them so I decided to choose that song and I was lucky enough to get two dancers that really did it quite well. But yeah I was nervous, I think I’m very intense and I’m very specific and I like working very hard and very focused in a room and I think it was kind of funny because I had a lot of people go ‘Yup that is exactly how you are!’ you didn’t try to be the little ‘Oh nice Joey, don’t scare anybody off! Don’t intimidate anybody!’ It was like ‘Okay let’s get to work!’
Lindork: How long did you have to work with the couple, to show them the routine?
Mary Murphy is right you really honestly only have about five and a half hours. You have about an hour and a half the first day and that’s when the cameras are on and you really only have about five and a half hours. They get on stage for about an hour and they have a dress thru (?) which is about an hour and then they do the show. So when they say really only have five and a half hours they’re not kidding it’s pretty amazing that the numbers end up looking as good as they do after only working with those kids for five and a half hours.
Lindork: Just this past week, Randi and Kupono who you worked with, were eliminated, I’m just wondering what you thought of the elimination and what you think of them as dancers?
A lot of times the show is a little bit like a gambling game and when you get dealt a card when everyone else’s card is stronger than yours, that’s just the way the game goes. I thought they should have gotten kicked off that week I thought they were the weakest couple and America obviously agreed. It kind of sucks that there’s certain things on the show that the kids are not in control of and when they end up getting judged on those variables then that’s kind of difficult, you know a costume or a style of dance or whatever, it’s kind of 50/50. If you end up having to do solos the entire time, then you would put 150% into yourself but it kind of a little bit towards the beginning of the game a duet competition so it’s 50/50 so if your partner’s not strong enough and he kind of gets ripped apart that reflects upon you as well. I thought it was fair, I thought it was fair that Kupono and Randi ended up going.
Lindork: Which dancer would you say is the stand out one right now?
I’d have to say that I really truly think that Melissa has been a little bit of a dark horse. I’m usually very wary of ballerinas, I think they’re usually very stiff and they’re ability to new styles is usually very, very hard. As far as really getting styles, having a really technical base is always going to save everybody. As far as somebody who is a major hip hopper, the minute they have to do something technical it just shows like a sore thumb, there’s no hiding it. But I have to say that Melissa has really kind of blown me away. She did the hip hop group number, she was awesome. I think she’s going to possibly be in the Top 2. I really do. I think Ade is great. I think Brandon is fantastic. I think they have a lot of talented people on the show right now. All of them are technical dancers and all of them have adapted to other styles so well that it’s just kind of a guessing game. It just ends up being what card they get dealt, what style they get dealt, I just think it’s kind of a gambling game a little bit to me which is also really fun because you get to see how the cards are dealt and what they do with those cards.
Lindork: Now you said they were asking you your availability so do you think you will be choreographing again for Season 6?
Probably for Season 6 but I don’t want to guarantee that. They have asked me about my availability like I said, I don’t really know about Season 5 because when there ends up getting to be less dancers they kind of have set schedules and I was lucky enough to jump into the mix this year and very humbly and very excited about that. I hope I end up doing some stuff in Season 6 and that’s kind of all I know right now. So hopefully.
Lindork: Do you have a Twitter account? Do you tweet at all?
My sister and I have a clothing line called JO AND JAX and we have a Twitter account that is called http://twitter.com/joandjax. I also have a Facebook account that I’ve gotten a lot of activity on since [being on the show]. It’s awesome I ended up getting a lot of support, people I don’t even know are like ‘I loved that! That was awesome! I want to have a fight on stage!’ It’s pretty great.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to SYTYCDISM, Joey!
Looking forward to seeing your routines in the coming Season!
Click here to see the post on SYTYCDISM.COM!
Linda (:
Add comment July 22, 2009
Andrew’s pretty unbeatable surprise!
July 21 2009.
This is Andrew & I on iChat several months ago!
Anyway, so I had a lot of errands to do today and I ended up running late, so I told Andrew I’d be home and online by 3:00pm instead of 2:00pm, to which he replied, ‘You’ll regret that!’ (i didn’t really understand why I would regret it). Anyway, when I got home and got on, Andrew says “Hold on let me prepare” so I am getting ready to be blown away by an overly adorable inside-joke-riddled original birthday serenade, when the iChat video screen pops up and it shows Andrew in one window and then an empty room in another window. I say “Um, why is there two screens?” And Andrew says his friend wants to watch as he sings to me. In my head I am thinking that’s the weirdest thing ever. BUT THEN…
LADY GAGA STARTS PLAYING AND MARK JUMPS OUT!!!!!!!!
Surprise!!!!!!
If you don’t know, Mark Kanemura was my favourite dancer on So You Think You Can Dance last season. I also have a fansite of him: MK-O, which has a very active forum filled with awesome people who also loved and still love Mark!
Anyway, Andrew had concocted this entire lie about how he was going to write and sing me a birthday song when actually he had been plotting a big surprise video interview / chat with Mark! He called me a bad journalist for not having questions prepared spontaneously. RUDE. Lol but just kidding, not really rude. Basically Andrew is the best and along with Mark has given me thus far the most thoughtful birthday gift to date. (My birthday is on Sunday, by the way 
) SO SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3
Here's the three-part giggly, fun-filled fest:
Andrew forgot to include his own audio when he was recording so unfortunately you can't hear anything he says!)
I swear I am more professional as an actual journalist than this but come on, I love the guy and the whole thing was hilarious. I’d much rather have this rocking-back laughter video with Mark than a serious one. Well actually I don’t think I could even do a serious on with him, hahaha. Too funny. <3
In terms of looking at this as an actual interview and what information was gathered, I would say a lot that would be of interest to the Mark / So You Think You Can Dance community! We learn about Mark's original audition, his living in L.A. as a dancer, opinion on SYTYCD judges , thoughts about Kupono's departure and which remaining dancers he likes, and more!
Fun times. Great surprise. Awesome day! Thank you Andrew & Mark!
Linda (:
2 comments July 22, 2009
‘My 15 Minutes of Fame’ SEE magazine article.
May 14 2009.
Okay, one last Best Job-related blog post.
This is my first person article about being involved in The Best Job In The World for SEE Magazine’s Thursday, May 14 edition, appropriately titled ‘My 15 Minutes of Fame.’
(NOTE: There is a line that makes no sense because they edited out the end of the sentence, which would have said ‘it would have been legen – wait for it – dary.’)
My 15 Minutes Of Fame
Linda Hoang lost the race for the best Job in the world, but it was a good ride while it lasted. Published May 14, 2009 by Linda Hoang in First Person
So I didn’t get The Best Job in the World.
No, I’m not trying to extend my short-lived 15 minutes of fame. It’s just, even a month later, people are still coming up to me, tilting their heads to the side, slightly pouting their lips, and nodding as they say, “So you didn’t get it, eh?”
To which I respond, in a fairly cheerful tone but with a clear hint of sadness, “No I didn’t get it.”
But I did make it far.
This 19-year-old underdog from Edmonton beat out nearly 35,000 candidates worldwide to make it into the Top 50 list of Tourism Queensland’s finalists to be their official Islands Caretaker.
That’s something to talk about.
I was that close to being flown Down Under, to be given the keys to a beautiful house, a house that actually has its own name — “The Blue Pearl” — and being paid $100,000 CAD to live on the beautiful islands of the Great Barrier Reef and blog about it.
But so what if I didn’t make it to the next round, and ultimately get the dream job? The past four months have been life-changing. I went from being the girl studying to be a journalist to the girl all the journalists wanted to talk to. I appeared in practically every newspaper in the city, on every news show in the city, and even in papers and TV broadcasts across Canada and even in Vietnam.
A family friend who was down in Melbourne, Australia, for a few weeks even saw posters of me (and the other Top 50 candidates) around the city. I’ve never set foot in Australia, but because of this competition and how far I got in it, people Down Under knew who I was.
And that’s not just exclusive to people Down Under. I had support from all over the world — and it blew my mind. Emails, comments, and tweets of support were sent to me daily during my campaign. Customers at my parents’ restaurant, the majority of whom I’ve only ever spoken to in order to get their food order, were congratulating me left and right, pledging to vote for me every day. A Grade 11 class from Brampton, Ont., even chose me as the Canadian candidate they’d put all of their votes and support behind. Strangers. Absolute strangers who were just out-of-this-world kind and thought I should be the Island Caretaker.
Speaking of the Canadian candidates, there were seven of us in the Top 50, the most candidates from any one country involved in the competition. Media called us “The Lucky Seven” and while we all wanted the same job, we also shared another sentiment — that Canadians are awesome.
Yes, I’m disappointed that I didn’t make it further in the competition. I’m disappointed that my efforts to promote Australia, spread the word about the competition, garner votes and more, weren’t enough for the judging panel. And I’m disappointed that I was rejected via e-mail. Ouch.
I personally think I’m an excellent blogger and had I gone onto the next round and be chosen for the job. (* this is where the ‘legendary’ portion of the sentence should have been).
But a lot of good came from my involvement in all of this. I learned how kind complete strangers could be. I saw how supportive my family and friends and the world was and I met so many great people.
But I think the biggest “good” that came out of this was that it made me realize just how much I want to travel. It made me realize I’d love to go to a country I’ve never been to before and blog about it, freelance write and photograph there. It made me really want to get out and live life.
And it made my normally super-strict parents OK with the idea of their youngest child leaving to travel the world.
Oh, by the way, they picked the winner. He’s from England and seems really nice and qualified. Congratulations and good luck to him — but I won’t lie. I still wish it could have been me.
The End!
Linda
Add comment May 14, 2009
