"aggressively pursues stories ... first quality material"

My passion for journalistic writing crystallized in 2005. I was writing a weekly column for a now-defunct football website. Never mind that it was in its first year or that I was 15, I was going to interview a pro athlete. I called and emailed countless NFL agents until I had an interview with Chicago Bears tight end Desmond Clark scheduled. I researched a week for it and had about ten pages of questions prepared. I launched into questions on all topics, regarding the Bears surprise playoff run, the QB situation, and whether it would be rational to think he could catch 80 passes in a season, as he said a few years earlier. (He said yes and he said, "Where ever the top tight end is, I should be there.") The interview can be found on my interviews page along with others.

Three years later, I am 18, enrolled at journalism school at Indiana University at Bloomington, reporting for the Indiana Daily Student and writing weekly as a columnist. I was accepted a year early to their journalism school based on the quality of my portfolio.

I have written for other publications as well, online and offline, including Guitar Digest, where I am currently their music critic, and the Chagrin Valley Times, a local paper where I interned.

As a new media journalist, I am working to be a part of the next generation of media. The next generation of media does not simply mean the internet, which I do have vast experience in with the various sports sites I have written for and the blogs like Juiced Sports Blog and my Media Musings blog, but also a new generation of media content which seeks to expand the analytical and evocative values of traditional media to a new level. This is the challenge of a new generation.

With this goal in mind, I embark on my career as a writer and journalist. I ask that if anyone is interested in writers for music, sports, or other projects and jobs, they consider me. Simply send me an email at mhblatt(at)gmail.com to discuss. I have special expertise in topics regarding punk rock as I am often reviewing punk concerts and writing about punk rock topics (clips here.)