How Many of You Are Auto Journalists?

"Tim (Fractal Footwork)" (fractalfootwork)
11/15/2015 at 19:07 • Filed to: None

I’ve read some posts around here where users state they work in the auto journalism industry. Some of you probably get paid, but some I assume don’t (like myself) and are just self-starters waiting for something.

I cover Formula 1 on a blog I started with some other Opponauts, but am reaching some roadblocks as I strive for better content, like gaining media passes to races since we’re not full-time and have no advertising to support us being full-time.

What are your stories of industry escapades or hurdles you wish to jump?

DISCUSSION (18)

pjhusa > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 19:13

Not me, but, hey, free press cars and early access to events.

Achtung > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 19:17

I wish I was. I’ve got some bloody good writing skills, but I’ve got no audience.

Justin Young > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 19:22

Since 2012, I’ve established a magazine , but content has been stale since launch due to school life. I’ll be coming back to it this coming summer (March 2016).

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 19:41

I fancy myself an Auto journalist. I write about F1, events here in Austin, and a few reviews. That and just a few opinion pieces. I am trying to get more work, and you might have even seen me on the Front Page with a review of a racing game.

PS9 > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 19:49

If I say ‘yes’, does that mean you’ll let me test drive Ferraris on YouTube for a living?

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > PS9
11/15/2015 at 19:51

Only if you’ll let me test drive Astons on YouTube for a living...

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 19:53

I’m trying to break into automotive journalism. I’ve been keeping a portfolio of my writing, as well as publishing it on my blog, thomashundal.wordpress.com Currently, I’m just building my portfolio and evolving my writing style. Then I’ll start crafting resumes to send out once I’m done high school.

Flavien Vidal > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 19:59

Certainly not a journalist here, I just enjoy taking pictures and seing them shared to the world :)

The Oppo Reviews are just excuses so that I can get my ass behind the wheels of cars that are not always mine. I’d like to start reviewing racetracks though, but that would require at least SOME financial support for me to do it. I don’t mind paying part of it out of my own pocket, but if I do a track day somewhere, I just don’t want to spend my time taking proper pictures of the track and losing time. I want to drive and not set up a camera. Unless of course part of my day is paid for, which is why I’d only do it if I were to be helped financially.

I know I could do something really nice on that subject though!

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 20:10

Not me, but I do build some of the booths for the auto shows and get to see cars before the show opens.

roflcopter > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 20:27

A friend and I have started to cover local events and builds, started out as us just wanting to take pictures but we quickly realized that was pointless without a place to put them so now we are running a website with decent-ish(in my opinion) traffic with articles and pictures and videos that we do.

We honestly have no clue what to do from here, getting the website self-sufficient would be cool, but this is just a hobby for us so dealing with the headache of proper advertising doesn’t seem appealing... we’ve toyed with the idea of trying to get local shops onboard with super cheap advertisements on the site. That would possibly allow us to travel to more events and such but we really don’t want to end up doing ‘paid gigs’ where people expect a product from us, which makes it even more difficult. I guess we lack direction, but at the same time that’s kind of the fun of it. I’ll never be a professional, this is just a hobby.

Check us out at FeaturedGarage.com though if you want, any and all opinions and suggestions are VERY welcome.

C62030 > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 21:09

I’d love to break into the journalism space, but for now I am relegated to griping about how stupid Porsche’s mirrors are and my unreasonable infatuation with the Citroen SM here on the Internets and the Oppos. I’m sure someone in a foreign land wants to give me a job.

Spasoje > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 21:27

A small army of friends from separate circles were always interested in how my classic car’s restoration was going – so I started a blog where I posted all the updates in one place.

A little over a year into it, somebody scratched up my DD with theirs in a parking lot. A week of body shop repairs brought me a just-introduced 2010 Mazda3 rental for the interim. Why not give writing car reviews a shot – how hard could it be?

I discovered I could blend my interest in writing with my interest in cars, and produce something actual people would want to read...so I kept going. I jumped at every opportunity to try out a new car for longer than a test drive, and gave each a critical, objective look. My humble classic car restoration progress blog expanded to become a home for my car reviews and feature articles.

I don’t get paid for it, nor do I have access to press vehicles, so I’d say I’m not an automotive journalist...but I enjoy it enough that I do it anyway!

Check out my writing...or don’t: wailing-engine.com

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > roflcopter
11/15/2015 at 21:43

Oh yeah. I have you guys bookmarked

roflcopter > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/15/2015 at 22:16

Awesome! Well, do you have any thoughts on the site, direction, or content?

RWS Motorsport > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/16/2015 at 08:11

Photographer here. 2015 has seen me start getting paid for a very small number of events. Mostly I just go to them for fun and enjoyment, but I have been pretty lucky to get press access to a small number basically thanks to posting my work here on Oppo, gradually improving and also by meeting some people who could get me in.

At the moment its no where near a self sustaining hobby but hopefully 2016 will move it more towards that and then 17 or 18 heading towards doing it full time. I know I want to do it as a career, its just not going to happen over night.

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > roflcopter
11/17/2015 at 21:09

You guys remind me a bit of petrolicious. YouTube videos would be cool, but that may be too big an investment; though I can see it being done well on a low budget.

roflcopter > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/17/2015 at 21:53

We’re trying to make that a reality, we’d love to do videos and my partner in all of this is super interested in video and has slowly been investing in more equipment to make it happen.

Yay! ‘Petrolicious for poor people’ was the quote thrown around with how we wanted to make the content feel. Basically interesting/well presented articles but about things people can actually afford/build.

Here’s a little promo-video we did just to test things out and get a feel for putting together some video:

And here’s a video I shot of my buddy while he was swapping oil pumps on his CRX while I dicked around in the garage:

We also might be doing a video this Friday/Saturday on a very well built track weapon of a Porsche 964... can’t wait to do that.

Matthew Phillips > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/18/2015 at 20:01

I must be one to thank all of you who are currently breaking into the field, I’m currently a Journalism student, but right now I could find ways to be active. I already have the tools.