Episode #13 Brad Japhe, Bloomberg, WSJ, CNN, Forbes

 Michael (01:10) Hi, Brad. Welcome to the show. 

Hanna (01:13) Great to see you here. 

Brad (01:14) Hey, thanks so much for having me. Thank you, Michael. Thank you, Hannah. Great to be here. 

Michael (01:17) So Brad, you've traveled to so many amazing places and done so many things around the world. You wrote in Bloomberg that your first destination will be Islay when it starts to feel safe again. So why is Scotland capturing your imagination these days?

Brad (01:30) Well, um, if you know me, what you do, you know, I'm quite a big fan of drinking scotch, and I've always said that even if it wasn't for the fact that this country makes the, uh, my preferred whiskey on the planet, I still would put Scotland right near the top of my list in terms of travel destinations, because it is just such an exquisitely beautiful landscape, just rugged and pastoral. And just everything that I love in a travel destination is just entirely packaged in this one destination so it's always on my mind. I've been there about 10 times, I think at this point. And so being able to travel over the world, normally as a travel writer, I still would keep going back to Scotland rather than any other place that necessarily I hadn't been to before.

Hanna (02:18) I love Scotland, but now let's talk about my favorite destination, Hawaii. 

Brad (02:24) Ok.

Hanna (02:25) We know that you were unexpectedly stuck in Hawaii because of the pandemic and you decide to stay for almost six months. I mean not a bad place to be stranded. Right? So, um, as a big city guy, did it change your perspective on things?

Brad (02:41) I mean, I just think that 2020 is really the great, uh, perspective shifter more than, you know, being in a less populated area. What was very different for me, I've never lived directly on water before. And so I find that to be very calming and soothing and just the sounds of the ocean waves grounded me at a time when there was just unprecedented uncertainty. And so to me, that was very, very important and I was able to stay productive. Thankfully, you know, I'm in a line of work where I can, I can work remotely. So, you know, it was just a matter of staying focused and continuing to be in a proper mindset where you can produce work that you're happy with and that you're proud of. And that was a great environment for me to do that. 

Hanna (03:32) So speaking of productive work, you freelance for various publications. So can you tell us your top three publications that you're writing for these days and how your stories are different for each of them? 

Brad (03:47) I mean, I cover so many different things within the lifestyle space under that greater umbrella. Um, certainly with a specialty being in spirits, cocktails and beer and wine. I also am a travel writer, so that's had to be different clearly during these times. And, um, even the publications that I write for when it comes to spirits. And even if it was just about whiskey, you have to have a different tone and be very cognizant of your audience with each publication that you're writing with as a full-time freelancer like myself. 

So, for example, if I was writing for a piece that was for one of my more business oriented publications, whether it be Bloomberg or say Forbes, you want to be very aware of the fact that the audience kind of wants to see some numbers and some stats and some data. Um, and then if you're writing for more of the industry type stuff, if you were writing for a Punch say, or for Liquor.com that you could maybe get a little bit geekier for lack of a better term, and really dive deep into these categories. And you kind of can take for granted that your audience is going to understand, uh, you know, the difference between a single malt and a single grain for example, if you're talking about scotch.

Hanna (05:04) That makes sense. 

Brad (05:05) Yeah. 

Michael (05:07) You recently wrote a very good piece for The Washington Post on the loopholes celebrities are finding in order to still travel overseas during the pandemic. It really just comes down to having a lot of money to spend on private jets and yachts. But do you see this happening more with non-celebrities?

Brad (05:23) Yeah. So I think that, you know, it's not even just having money. That is certainly the prerequisite. You have to start from there. Um, if you have some more influence and sway, then you probably have a team of handlers that are know well-equipped to, uh, let's just say kind of, uh, loosen, you know, lubricate the wheels, and get things in motion, which is what we saw with some of the high-profile celebrities and influencers that were talked about in that particular piece. Um, I think that, yes, you will see throughout the rest of 2020 and into the next year, I would anticipate that a lot of the travel that will be seen across social media will be people that have the means to travel on a private jet or, you know, get into their destination they get on a private yacht and these places that are kind of separated from other people. 

Obviously that is quite a privileged life to lead. One thing that was mentioned to me by somebody that I interviewed for this piece was just that it's not only just the privilege and the access to money, but people that are of that highest status level tend to be more, uh, daring and intrepid travelers according to the travel agent I spoke to. But basically her point was that after 9/11 and after the global financial crisis and after these big, um, calamitous events that happened, it was kind of the high end that led the way back into, uh, it's safe to travel again. 

Hanna (06:57) Interesting. 

Brad (06:58) Yeah. 

Hanna (06:59) Well, speaking of celebrities, um, so many celebrities are launching their own wines and spirits and you've covered Snoop Dogg and, uh, Post Malone and others. So why do you think consumers are drawn to these type of stories? 

Brad (07:17) Um, I think that, always, celebrity sells. They are the original influencers before that even became the dirty word that it is today. And they are just aspirational, the lives that they lead. And there's just this vicarious thrill of seeing how the other half or the 0.0001% are doing things. So we like to see how they eat and drink. And then maybe we can kind of, uh, touch that somehow hold a piece of that intimately because we're emulating these things that they do. 

Hanna (07:52) Yeah. It's almost like a fantasy. It comes to reality 

Michael (07:56) And people need escapism now more than ever. 

Brad (07:58) Absolutely. I would also say that the interesting thing about celebrities in the spirit space is that now you're seeing, uh, them doing some of the behind the scenes lifting. Um, and so rather than just putting my face on the brand, I actually, you know, Post Malone who I spoke to at length about the launching of his rose, you know, he went to the South of France and he tasted through a bunch of these different blends with the blender and with the winemaker. And he wanted to be a part of it.

Um, so there's going to be some cynical people out there that say, yeah, there's just so, and you, you know what you want to hear, but I felt, and it sounded authentic coming from him that like he wanted to have a part of this process.

And so that's what I'm seeing a lot more when it comes to these celebrities that are super talented, at whether it be acting or, uh, directing or, you know, singers, athletes, they all have their wheelhouse that they're tremendously gifted at. Yet, they want to kind of challenge themselves to see if they could, uh, bring some of that talent to another spectrum, to the world of spirits and find success there too. So I think they see it as a challenge and as a point of personal pride where it's like, my name is attached to something. Uh, I gotta make sure this is good. 

Hanna (09:16) Yeah. I think you’re 100% right. And I think The Rock and Ryan Reynolds, I think those two are great examples. You know, they are putting a lot of efforts to make their brand work. 

Brad (09:29) For sure. And I like having these conversations with the celebrities. Within a minute or two you can kind of get the sense immediately of how into it, these people really are versus, you know, are they just a paid spokesperson? And there's nothing wrong with that, but I just want to be able to present to my audience that I'm writing these stories about is it the former or the latter because that's important.

Michael (09:51) Absolutely. 

Hanna (09:52) Exactly. Exactly. 

Michael (09:53) So let's circle back to, uh, geekiness for a second. 

Brad (09:56) Ok.

Michael (09:57) And you did a great piece on CNN Travel on Jamaica. Really an in-depth look at the whole production methods with hogo and funkiness, but obviously you're not traveling these days much. So how are you managing distillery coverage without being able to hop on planes easily and get to, you know, fun and exotic places?

Brad (10:20) Uh, just drink Michael, just drink a lot of good spirits, basically.

Hanna (10:24) That’s a good start.

Brad (10:25) No, but that particular piece, what was an interesting thing to write, because as I was talking about before, in terms of knowing your audience, you know, that the CNN Travel audience is not necessarily the type of audience that is going to be at all familiar with Hogo or familiar with this idea of funk when it comes to rum. 

So that was a really exciting piece for me to write, because I felt like I was really amplifying and broadening this aspect of Jamaican rum, particularly that a lot of general consumers don't understand, you know. There's just this stubborn, persistent connotation stereotype that rum is just this cloyingly sweet thing that I'm going to drink in, you know, on the beach with a parasol in the cocktail.

And so to show people that this is a sipping spirit, um, and that it has every bit, the sophistication of your whiskeys and your cognacs and these other categories of spirits that have been somehow held to a higher esteem. I love to be at all, uh, working and, and a part of that movement to show people the seriousness of rum.

Michael (11:30) Yeah. I mean, that story could have held its own and, you know, in a serious trade publication. 

Brad (11:35) Yeah.

Michael (11:36) So I was very impressed to see it in a much broader media.

Brad (11:39) Yeah. I was very happy that the editor that I was working with there, who's great, was accepting of the story idea and willing to go with me down a little bit of a rabbit hole. And so  those types of pieces are pretty challenging because you have to walk that very, very thin  line between, uh, writing to a broad audience. And then also, you  know, you want to convey information to them, but you don't want it to be, uh, overly, uh,  geeky so that they just stopped reading after the second or third graph.

Hanna (12:078) That's absolutely right. So, um, speaking of stories, can you explain to our listeners how you  pitch a story to your editors? 

Brad (12:17) Yeah, so I am a full-time freelancer. So I've never worked, uh, on staff for a publication. And so, you know, a big part of my life is pitching  to editors and you could have a number of great  pieces run with great publications in closest session succession. And  then you're only as good as your last piece. And still, uh, you could just get this week  where you just hit a brick wall and like nothing is landing. 

So the most important aspect I think of being a full-time freelancer is just having a persistence and to not be afraid to…Hearing no is sometimes the greatest thing because you’ve gotten an answer, you know, at least like, I know you don't want this. A lot of times, a lot of people are deterred because you don't even get that. And there can be a little bit, uh dejecting at times to just get a series of nos in a  row, it's really, it can, it can really wear away your self esteem. So you just be able to roll with the punches and not take things too personally.

Hanna (13:22) I guess that's the same as a PR professional’s life. Nothing different, you know, you just have to be persistent and also be creative. And if there's no answer, go back to them again with other ideas.  

Brad (13:35) Yeah. 

Hanna (13:36) So yeah, I can definitely feel your pain, but at the same time, the  reward, when you get the results and you know, you feel so good about it. 

Brad (13:45) Absolutely. I mean, to me, getting a new byline with a new publication is like one of the most exciting feelings there is, certainly for me, like professionally, and just, I, I love to have my work featured in as many different publications as possible because  each new publication is a potentially new audience that I'm being exposed to. Um, and they were being exposed to me. And so that's awesome. And that's what I love doing.  

Michael (14:11) Well, and you know, the results really show, and you've been very, very busy writing  this year as you have in the past. So looking ahead to the coming months, what kinds of  stories will you be working on? 

Brad (14:22) Well, I do have a semi-regular column in The Hollywood Reporter that is very much about celebrities in the spirit  space. So we have a couple of interesting storylines to talk about there. I just had  a beautiful chat with Peyton Manning, the former Super Bowl winning quarterback and future Hall of Famer, about him delving into the world of Tennessee whiskey that'll appear soon in, uh, in The Wall Street Journal. And then, you know, it's holiday season so there's going to be a remarkable amount of, of new  products that are going to drop in time for you, they're coming out already for you to  stuff your stockings with, um, with these products. 

And so that's going to take up a lot of time of course. To me personally, one of  the most boring types of stories that I can write is like the listicle. The roundup piece, because I personally, I like to do written-through narrative a lot more. It's just, I think you can tell a more complete story that way. 

So unfortunately, you know, a part of any job is doing some things, not because you want  to, but because you have to. And so this type of season coming up there will be  listicles and roundups of, okay, these are the best new whiskeys this year.

Hanna (15:39) Totally makes sense.  As you know, we are a huge fan of all things digital, all things social  media. So we want to ask you which social media platform do you find most useful for identifying or researching or writing your stories?

Brad (15:56) In terms of research, Facebook would probably be the best resource there because there's, uh, you know,  inside groups and industry groups of like-minded people and, and groups that  connect people in the bartending world and people in spirits, production world with  journalists so that they're all kind of in the same group together, and you can ask people things that need to  be asked at the times that you're writing stories related to that. 

But it seems like probably for a promotional standpoint that Twitter and Instagram are probably better than Facebook. So when it comes to  Instagram, there is not a lot of click over because the whole  design of Instagram is to keep people like native in that platform.

So probably the  best thing to link to your stories would probably be Twitter, but I have not spent a lot of time and energy to build out, uh, what the kids refer to as a  brand these days. Uh, because to me, my focus is on writing and  so I don't have a huge social media following, but I, you know, write for  publications that have millions of Instagram followers and so plenty of people  are going to see that story when they post it to their site. 

Michael (17:14) So if someone wants to get your attention, let's  say one of our listeners wants to pitch a story to you. What would you  say are your top three do's and don'ts for getting your attention. 

Brad (17:24) Um, I would say the do is option 1, definitely make it feel personalized. So do a little bit of research, be like, you know, I just read such and such  that you posted somewhere and I liked this about it. Something that really makes it feel like, “Oh, wow. Like this person actually cares about me,” so that's a good way to start. And then, you know, if it has like a personalized  kind of note to it so that it's not just, you don't feel like you're getting a template sent to you. That goes a long way because I'm going to be a lot more, uh, you know, compelled  to read through what was sent. It looks like this was an actual letter that somebody took time to send to me. It really goes a long way. 

And then in the opposite end of that is that sometimes people send out, jeez, template forms where obviously it’s just a mass email and they're just supposed to put in your name  into it and then it'll personalize it to whoever it's being sent to. And then every now and then you get something that says  in brackets, like your name, like literally your name, instead of saying Brad. And you're like, It's embarrassing for the publicist. I'm sure when that type of stuff happens and I do feel bad for them when that happens, but it's just like, okay, you've been busted like this was something that obviously you, thousands of people. 

And then, um, you know, figure out if you encourage a conversation where, you know, sometimes people are asking me like, “Hey, so what are some things that you're working on right now? I'd love to talk to you about, you know…” to kind of start a conversation is always going to go a long way I would say with a lot of journalists so that they don't just feel like they're just a cog in a wheel or something. 

Hanna (19:07) Um, is email subject, make it or break it? And I know you get a lot of emails every single day so how important is it? And if so, what needs to be in the subject line to get your attention?

Brad (19:21) I don't know if it's make or break. Except for, I will say that there are times when I feel that they're trying to dupe me a little bit, like put like re, like regarding like, make it seem like you already have had an interaction and that this is just a response to an already ongoing conversation. So that would actually be an example of a break, because if somebody was trying to trick me into opening up an email, maybe I'll open it, but I'll reset the fact that you just tried to trick me. So I don't like that. 

But I would say that if it's like a new product or something like that, if there's something that has like a sense of urgency there, then clearly I want to say, I want to see, you know, I want to see that new product. I want to be writing about things before everybody else is writing about it. One of the great joys professionally along with getting those new by-lines and new publications is when I write a story that I see other publications then pick up and copy. And sometimes they’re nice and they actually link back to your source material.

Other times they don't, but even when they don't and I do resent that at the end of the day, I'm like, cool. So I brought something to the collective unconscious or to the space that is now being reported on by others. 

Michael (20:36) It is a compliment. 

Brad (20:39) Yeah, exactly. It’s a very strange form of flattery, but flattering nonetheless. 

Michael (20:44) All right now for the listener questions segment of our episode, we have a question from Maura Foley who’s the chef owner of the Shelburne Lodge in Kenmare, Ireland. 

Brad (20:53) Oh! 

Michael (20:55) She wants to know if Ireland is on your travel agenda. And if so, what interests you the most about the Emerald Isle? 

Brad (21:02) Okay. Well, I love, love, love Ireland, and it's always high on my list. Just because, you know, they make great whiskey there. And as many of your listeners probably know Irish whiskey is, has been the fastest growing category of spirit in the United States for, for a little while, for at least a couple years. So there's so many  interesting things happening with distilleries opening in Ireland and new styles and them kind of finding their footing in the premium and luxury space. So from a professional standpoint, I always want to go to Ireland to see what's new. And next is there's always going to be at least a couple of new distilleries to go visit. And then, you know, in terms of food, drink, culture, it’s just a sensational place. 

Michael (221:48) Couldn’t agree more. 

Hanna (21:50) Yeah, I love Ireland. So we call our podcast Hospitality Forward because we see a promising future for our industry. So in your opinion, Brad, what innovations have you seen that are moving our industry forward? 

Brad (22:07) Um, well I think that, um, from every crisis there is a potential opportunity. It sounds like a very crass thing to say, but the opportunity during these very challenging times is the opportunity to show the strength of this community. And you really saw, um, the best in people. That they wanted to help out how they could, whether it was like, you know, donating time and an entire kitchen to feed people that have been laid off and been put out of work or whether it's, uh, you know, finding ways to help pivot, to create new job opportunities for bartenders that have been laid off. 

You know, that to me is really, what's going to drive things forward is just the strength of this community. And I think that. Obviously, there's just this turbulence that we don't know when, when it'll all be over. But when we come out on the other side, you will see the real strength and the beauty of that community like never before.

Hanna (23:10) I agree. That's how we see that as well. I think that togetherness and also collaborations are the key and there's a lot of things like that are happening in our industry. That's so beautiful to see. 

Brad (23:20) And I think we've seen some of the changes in format. So, you know, we've been talking about canned cocktails and how they've become a little bit less, um, stigmatized. I would say that now people realize like, “Oh, you know, I can have a beautiful drink in a can.” 

So that's just an example there of how, because people had to change their habits so radically during these times, they've realized that certain things that they maybe thought were not so great, they realize it's not really that big of a deal if that makes any sense. Another example would be just ordering liquor and ordering booze off of the internet. And so it's actually legal and it's obviously not legal everywhere, but it's legal in a lot of states. 

And a lot of people didn't realize that how easy it could be to have like a premium bottle of scotch sent to your door because they just assume like, “Oh, well that's just something that's not legal and it’s never going to be legal, but actually was and then they realized that you could do it because they had to during the pandemic and now that’s going to kind of change the way that people approach their food and beverage. 

Michael (24:30) No question. It's, uh, It's made us all cope in different ways. And a lot of these things are going to, you know, persist well into the future.

Brad (24:35) I think so. 

Michael (24:38) So it's really been fun having you on the show, Brad, where can our listeners find you? 

Brad (24:42) I have a lot of work with a lot of different outlets so I would say, you know, look for my work in The Wall Street Journal, uh, CNN, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Businessweek, um, I write a lot for Forbes, I have a column for The Hollywood Reporter and, you know, tons of different magazines and newspapers across the country, Washington post. So just, you know, be mindful of the spelling of my last name, which is pretty unique. And so if you just Google Brad Japhe, I haven't found another Brad Japhe that spells it that way so you're probably going to come across some of my writing. 

Michael (25:18) And what about in terms of reaching out to you? Can people DM you on social? 

Brad (25:23) Absolutely. 

Hanna (25:32) It's been a beautiful journey with Brad for the last 20 minutes. So thank you so much, Brad. And again, we appreciate your time and your insights, and hopefully we will see you very soon. 

Michael (25:42) Hopefully face to face.

Brad (25:44) That would be fantastic. I very, very much treasure that moment. 

Hanna and Michael (25:48) Thanks, Brad. 

Brad (25:50) Thank you, guys.

Hanna (25:55) I always find Brad so thoughtful and deep. 

Michael (26:00) Now that you know what Brad covers, please feel free to reach out to him. Just to remember his do's and don'ts. And, of course, mentioned that you heard him on our podcast.