This week, we thought we'd switch it up on you a little bit. We have done a lot of talking about the Local program, but you haven't met our fearless leader, Kim Manning, quite yet. So that you can get to know her a little better, I had a little q-and-a session with her. Without further ado, here is the woman behind the curtain that we call Inman Local. KIM'S INMAN BIO Kim graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in magazine journalism. She has since written for numerous local publications as well as for various industries while working in the content marketing field and as a ghost writer. She began working in the real estate industry as a blogger and marketer but enjoys writing about hard-hitting news and industry-shifting trends as a reporter with Inman. | What do you do for Inman, and how long have you been doing it? I am the Local editor for Inman. I started as a rental reporter in May 2015. What made you want to get into journalism or more specifically real estate journalism? In high school, I knew I wanted to be a writer. After taking a few creative writing courses, I learned I was no good at building characters. I started writing for the high school paper and then went to Columbia College Chicago for magazine journalism and originally wrote for online and print music and art publications, including Alarm Magazine and Indie Shuffle. I ended up in real estate by a chance of luck at a content marketing firm and stayed there! What was your favorite article to write and why? I wrote a story not long after I started at Inman about a California legislation helping to protect widowed homeowners. I really enjoy speaking with people who dedicate their lives to helping others and sharing it with everyone else. What do you do in your spare time? I teach yoga and hang out with my friends, boyfriend and two cats. What is your passion? Yoga. There is nothing more powerful than having the ability to take control over your mind and body. It's something we often forget in today's connected society. What advice do you have for aspiring writers? Write as much as you can and about as many things as you can. You may not realize what you really have a passion for until you try it out. Writing about things you may not particularly enjoy will make you a better writer in the long run. What advice do you have for new contributors? Read as much as you can on Inman and other sites. If something is interesting to you, chances are someone else will feel the same way. |