Recently I had the privilege of interviewing one of my inspirations, Eliot Shorr-Parks. He is one of the men who inspired me to finally get into writing. He is one who has his opinions and sticks to them, which I believe is something every good writer should do. For example, he was getting a lot of stick during the season for his remarks about quarterback Sam Bradford. He’ s a Philadelphia Eagles reporter for NJ.com. What you are about to read is what I have learned when I got to know Eliot Shorr-Parks.
Growing up Eliot always knew he wanted to become a writer, because both of his parents are writers, and he wanted to follow in their footsteps. However, in order for him to become a writer he needed to further educate himself. Because of that, he decided to attend Temple University.
“I got a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Temple University, which taught me not only how to write, but to shoot and edit video, which proved to be huge, since nearly every news organization wants you to be a one-man team these days.”
Now that he has graduated from Temple, the next step was to get a job close to home. For him it was a perfect scenario. He grew up in Philadelphia and has always loved the Eagles.
“I grew up watching the Eagles since I lived in Philadelphia. I wanted to stay in the area so I could be close to my family.”
Writing for his favorite team he grew up loving; there’s nothing that can get better than that. Eliot had it made; it was a dream matched up for him. Having his dream job comes with some very special perks as well. However, there is one perk better than the others:
“The best perk of my job is that it involves something people love. No matter where I go, when I tell people what I do, they always have a ton of questions. It’s awesome to be able to talk about what I love all day, every day.”
I was once told this, “If you do what you love, you never work a day in your life.” Eliot is a living example of that quote. He has transformed his love for the Eagles into his career. He now covers the Eagles and gets to talk about them 24/7 for NJ.com. He is a big figure on twitter as well. On twitter he interacts with fans everyday. However, he did not become a lead reporter for the Eagles overnight. He worked hard for his spot in the media.
“I had an awesome internship with Gcobb.com, which helped me get my foot in the door with the Eagles. From there, I bounced around from with few websites, including Bleeding Green Nation, but always made sure I wrote multiple times per day.”
He worked his way up the ladder. He started off at a great internship position. This internship got his name out there for other opportunities. After the internship, he began bouncing around websites. But one thing is for sure, he did not stop writing. He realized in order for him to make it, he needed to always write. He was writing everyday and for everyone to see. However, sometimes doing that draws some setbacks. You see, as you begin to put your work out there for the masses, people will have negative feedback. Negative feedback can be too much for some people, but Eliot has a special way of dealing with it.
“The negative feedback doesn’t get to me. Everybody is going to have an opinion on me, but none of those people actually know me as a person. I also think that as long as people have an opinion on you, you are doing something right.”
His outlook on negative feedback is definitely one to take in if you’re an up-and-coming writer. If people have an opinion on you, you are doing something right (usually). They do not like him, but they will keep checking his page religiously. That just means that Eliot has established himself as a leader when it comes to Philadelphia Eagles media. Everything he says is his own and sometimes there will be some negativity. But he knows how to deal with it, and he doesn’t let it affect him.
Also, during the interview I got to ask him some Eagles questions. For example, I asked him what was his favorite moment while covering the Eagles. His favorite moment so far has been the “Snow Bowl”:
“Covering the ‘Snow Bowl.’ It is a game fans will always talk about, and I will get to say I was there.”
I can even personally say the “Snow Bowl” was my favorite Eagles game I have watched. I also asked him what were his current thoughts on the Eagles were. At the time of the interview he stated this:
“Not very good. They have major question marks at quarterback and head coach, the two biggest jobs in an NFL organization. It could be a long season.”
If you have not learned by now, the Eagles have traded up to the second overall pick. The major question at quarterback may have been answered. It is likely the Eagles will take Carson Wentz or Jared Goff. This season might not be the best, but I think we are setting ourselves up for a great future.
I want to thank Eliot Shorr-Parks for giving me his time. It was a pleasure to interview him and write this article. Below is the interview in it’s entirety.
Interview
Q. What do you think has contributed to your success?
Three things — great internships, Twitter and realizing I had to work 24/7, 265. I had an awesome internship with Gcobb.com, which helped me get my foot in the door with the Eagles. From there, I bounced around from with few websites, including Bleeding Green Nation, but always made sure I wrote multiple times per day. Finally, Twitter had played a huge role in getting where I am today.
Q. When did you first know you wanted to become a writer?
My parents are both writers, and it made me want to pursue something that allowed me to write for a living — that and the fact I wasn’t good at match.
Q. How did you pursue your writing career?
I got a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Temple University, which taught me not only how to write, but to shoot and edit video, which proved to be huge, since nearly every news organization want you to be a one-man team these days.
Q. Have you been an Eagles fan your whole life? If not, how did you choose the Eagles to follow and write about?
I grew up watching the Eagles since I lived in Philadelphia. I wanted to stay in the area so I could be close to my family.
Q. What is the best perk of your job?
The best perk of my job is that it involves something people love. No matter where I go, when I tell people what I do, they always have a ton of questions. It’s awesome to be able to talk about what I love all day, every day.
Q. If you were not writing, what do you think you would be doing?
I studied psychology for two years, and I would probably be a therapist if I wasn’t covering the Eagles.
Q. How do you block out the negative feedback you sometimes get? (I think it is something all writers need to master)
The negative feedback doesn’t get to me. Everybody is going to have an opinion on me, but none of those people actually know me as a person. I also think that as long as people have an opinion on you, you are doing something right.
Q. What is your opinion on the Eagles in their current state?
Not very good. They have major question marks at quarterback and head coach, the two biggest jobs in an NFL organization. It could be a long season.
Q. What has been your favorite moment while covering the Eagles?
Covering the “Snow Bowl.” It is a game fans will always talk about, and I will get to say I was there.
Q. Do you have a favorite player that you have interviewed or worked with?
I got a chance to interview Allen Iverson, who was my favorite athlete growing up. That was a pretty cool moment for me.
10 Quick Fire Questions
Q. Favorite player of all time?
Allen Iverson
Q. Favorite genre of music?
Rap
Q. Favorite Meal?
Chicken Salad Sandwich
Q. Biggest Pet Peeve?
People who ride bikes in the road
Q. Chip or Doug?
Chip, no question
Q. Money or Fame?
Money
Q. Bradford or Wentz/Goff/Lynch?
The latter
Q. Favorite Movie?
Creed
Q. If you could have any superpower what would it be?
Fly
Q If you could sit down and have dinner with three people past and present, who would they be?
Kanye, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Obama
Thanks for checking out my interview with Eliot Shorr-Parks. We will be working hard in the coming weeks to get exclusive interview with Philly sports figures from all the major teams.
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