Depressed horse, viral loads and startup hubs.

Jul 31, 2017
2 min read

In order to write this article, I logged onto 2ser.com. I was pretty stoked to find the home page featured three of my blogs.

I did not source the talent or write the script for the first blog, The vulnerable side of Bojack Horseman according to creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg. However, I did write and publish the blog and podcast.

The second story, New research helps reduce the stigma of HIV, is one I'm really proud to have produced. The night before the show, one of the other producers cancelled a segment for 8.45am. The next morning at 6am I went through old scripts to find talent (on any topic). I found someone who had been contacted as an expert on HIV. I looked up "HIV" under the news tab on Google, and found an ABC story on HIV research. I didn't realise that people with HIV can have unprotected sex without infecting their sexual partners. They just need to take anti-viral medication. I texted the HIV expert, Paul Kidd, and scoured old 2SER rundowns to find any other contacts on HIV. I texted 12 people.

Finally, about an hour before 8.45am, I got a text. "Yes, I can do it". It was my first contact, Paul Kidd. Quickly, I researched and scripted an entire story on HIV. I forgot to write a forward (a short sentence introducing the topic) on the script, which got me in trouble by the presenter. Other than that (minor, I think) error, the interview went well.

The third story on the home page was from last week: It is titled, Biggest startup in the Southern Hemisphere proposed for the CBD. I am studying a Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (yes, it's as wanky as it sounds), so looking into the new startup hub in Sydney CBD seemed an appropriate story. I also liked that it was local. I wanted to stop using academics as talent so much (they are really easy to find), so I found a 'startup expert' in Sydney. Unfortunately, this expert was on a board advising the state government on this project. Interviewing him would have been a conflict of interest. He gave me the contact details of another policy expert on startup culture, AlexMcCauley. In hindsight, knowing that the first guy supported the project, I could predict that his contact also did. It didn't matter though, because I tried to challenge the project.

Quick shoutout: I spent too much time researching the startup topic and the draft of my script was overly detailed. Another producer, Jennifer Luu (who is organised, clever and talented !!), helped edit my script.