Meet Brittany Frederick | Entertainment Journalist, Screenwriter & Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brittany Frederick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brittany, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted to forge my own path because I saw the media industry moving away from authenticity and complexity. In the nearly 24 years I’ve been a working journalist, there’s been a sharp pivot toward aggregation rather than original content, and quantity over quality. That was not a direction I wanted to go. I built my career on professional training, and made my name on interviewing and independent reporting. If I wanted to tell authentic, original stories, then I needed to create my own platform to do so.

On a personal level, I also wanted to create my own brand. I’ve spent the majority of my career in service to others, helping my colleagues, bosses and anyone else who asks for assistance. However, two decades on, I saw how that meant I did not have the respect or recognition that I wanted after so many years in the business. People were looking past me and judging me by a brand name, even when I’d point out that the coverage they were raving about was my work and my idea, and sometimes the company had actively opposed it. I hoped that by starting TVBrittanyF.com, I could stand on my own and people could recognize how much I had to offer as an individual.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been an entertainment and sports journalist for nearly 24 years, with an incredibly diverse portfolio along the way. I’m proud of my bonafides, because I didn’t just jump into the business; I went through professional training, worked my way up the proverbial ranks, and learned the skills that go beyond just putting words onto a page.

Unfortunately, in the face of increased competition and more emphasis on metrics, it hasn’t been easy to sustain my career. I have to regularly re-prove my worth when there are plenty of newer, less experienced people wanting to take my place, and there are less paying opportunities in this industry than ever before. I’ve experienced financial and physical health struggles while trying to make ends meet, and I sometimes feel like I’m not valued as a person. Just before doing this interview, I signed a contract to appear at a major convention, and then was dropped from the lineup in favor of someone else. Moments like those have taken their toll on me.

But that’s what I’d like people to know about me. I have worked very hard to become incredibly good at what I do, and when I can focus on simply interviewing or writing, I still love it as much as I did 24 years ago. In fact, probably moreso, as I’ve gotten to work with people that I never thought I’d even meet, let alone collaborate with. I have crossed paths with all of my heroes and been better for it. I want to keep doing what I’m doing, and I want to uplift other people who may also be struggling for opportunities or recognition. The battles that I fight have made me a champion for others. If I can get more people to recognize me for who I am, I hope that will also be an opportunity to keep telling quality stories and not just reduce this creative business down to statistics. Because as hard as things are for me, this is the path life put me on, and I believe that we can still do great things.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m not local to Los Angeles, but there are a few places that I’ve enjoyed when visiting for work or for social events. One of my favorite concerts was at the Hollywood Bowl when Hootie and the Blowfish toured with Barenaked Ladies; that was like a flashback to my high school years, and the customer service and the ambiance at the venue was first-rate. On a smaller level, I’ve gotten to watch friends like Rebecca Loebe and Jesse Macht play at Hotel Cafe, which I’ve enjoyed my visits to. It’s definitely a more intimate venue, but it attracts some wonderful talent, with good reason.

I used to go to Universal Studios Hollywood quite often when they still had Terminator 2: 3-D and Back to the Future: The Ride. Both of those have been replaced now, but one of my favorite career memories was that I pitched Universal a story about the closing of Terminator, and so I got to go visit the ride one last time and meet with the cast members. I heard how much it meant to them that I wanted to spotlight them, but it was easy to do, because that ride had also been special to me. Universal Studios now has The Simpsons Ride with a whole area themed like Krustyland, which is fun to check out with your whole family, because there are so many Simpsons details scattered throughout.

I’m also very partial to Hyde Sunset Kitchen in Los Angeles, because that was where I had the opportunity to perform karaoke with Adam Levine, who was very much a friend and mentor to me as I was beginning my career. To get to share the stage with him after everything I’d been through and he helped me get through is a memory I will never forget and one of the reasons I can never quit doing this job – because sometimes, once in a lifetime things still happen.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The media industry requires collaboration; journalists can’t get momentum without publicists willing to work with them, and editors wanting to support their work. When I started TVBrittanyF.com, there were a handful of publicists who were willing to continue sending me their clients, even though I was essentially starting from scratch. I’d like to say thank you to Heather Besignano and her team at ICON PR, who have worked with me for over a decade; Krista Mettler at Skye Media, who’s not only been a content partner but also provided valuable advice from a PR perspective; and Jeanne O’Keefe and the folks at The Lippin Group, who have stuck by me through this new phase in my career.

Even though I’m my own editor now, I still rely on other editors who have helped to support and signal-boost my content, giving me important exposure to lift my profile. Those folks include Therese Lacson at Nerdophiles and Lissete Lanuza at Fangirlish. They’ve graciously given my stories column inches so that I can get them in front of more eyes and appeal to more publicists. And just as importantly, they’re friends who have supported me through the emotional and financial ups and downs that have come with trying to break away from the system and do something that’s more true to myself and to the people that I want to represent.

Website: http://www.tvbrittanyf.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/tvbrittanyf

Twitter: http://www.x.com/tvbrittanyf

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TVBrittanyF

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tvbrittanyf

Other: https://medium.com/@bfrederick
https://fangirlish.com/author/brittany/