Kyra Kyles is a high powered Reporter, Columnist, Blogger and Broadcast Correspondent for the Chicago Tribune’s Red Eye. As a mover and shaker with 13 years of experience in the media industry, she primarily focuses on pop culture and entertainment, while drawing attention to the serious issues that pertain to the entertainment industry such as racism, sexism and homophobia. You can catch Kyra blogging daily where she features celebrity interviews and gives you her take on current pop culture news and events. You can also see her live every Thursday on the WGN-Chicago evening news at approximately 5:45pm, talking about the latest pop culture news. She also writes a column each week that runs in Friday’s Red Eye paper and online.

Ms. Kyles holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Prior to her current role at the Red Eye, she worked in television, corporate communications and freelanced for several publications including the Chicago Sun-Times, Rap Sheet and Vibe.com.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Ms. Kyles to discuss her career background and professional philosophies. This interview was one of the most entertaining and hilarious discussions that I’ve had in a while. There’s no wonder why Ms. Kyles continues to flourish in her industry!

Q: Recognizing that there’s probably no such thing as a normal day, what does a normal week look like for you?

Well, reporters really don’t have normal days or weeks. The majority of my time is spent interviewing sources, trying to locate new ideas and new businesses that are opening up, and reading different publications to see if there are any trends that I can capitalize on for the Red Eye. I spend about two hours a day blogging. I do a TV segment on WGN every week. And, on Thursdays, I spend time writing my weekly column that runs in Friday’s paper and online.

Q: I love following your blog! Something very interesting that you’ve featured on your blog is the Shamrock Shake Ringtone Project. Tell me about that.

The Shamrock Shake Ringtone Project is something that I conceived a little while ago. Basically, I wanted to test the theory that anybody can rap. It seems to me that anyone can pick up a microphone, say some Dr. Seuss rhymes and somehow have a music career. So, I wanted to test that. So, what I did was recreate myself as a rapper. I was given the name Niaomi Rambelz in honor of Naomi Campbell. And, I recorded a song that I think is terrible, but unfortunately, quite a few people like (I laughed hysterically!). So, I guess in a way I proved my theory was correct – that almost anybody can rap (The laughter continues!). So, right now we’re producing a music video for the project in which I wear a green wig and green glitter lipstick, so it was very exciting! And, I learned that while I’m not the greatest rapper on earth, I’m probably not the worst either, which is kind of bad (More laughter!). I’m going to be filming the video over the next few weeks. I’ve already shot my parts. Now, we’re shooting some of my readers and the Red Eye staff. And, we may even make another song to go with the Shamrock Shake which we picked because the Shamrock Shake is my favorite beverage and I just wanted it to be as silly as possible and about absolutely nothing. And, I think that’s about as nothing as you can get…a limited time offer on the McDonald’s menu (At this point, I can’t stop laughing!).

Q: Where can people go to see your video?

You should go to my website. That’s where we have all the background on the project and the video will be premiering there because I haven’t heard back from MTV yet, though I’m sure that they’ll be calling once they see this great video that we’re putting together (More laughter!).

Q: That sounds like so much fun! There are lots of people who dream of doing the type of work that you do! How did you land your job?

I started by getting a good education in Journalism. I attended Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and participated in a special program that allowed me to get a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in 4 years. That gave me a lot of great contacts at the undergraduate and graduate level. Northwestern gives you the opportunity to work as a real journalist, so when you graduate, you have great clips that look like anyone else’s clips that have been in the industry for a year. So, I leveraged that experience to get a job in Danville, Illinois as a Bureau Chief working for a Champaign/Springfield station which has allowed me to write my own ticket in terms of getting future TV opportunities. Something else that I did in college was make sure that I was always freelancing for different publications and that helped me get in with the Chicago Sun-Times where I worked as a music critic for 7 years prior to joining the Red Eye.

Q: Besides writing skills, what would you say are the essential skills that one must have to enter your field?

In addition to writing, interpersonal skills are important. You’re going to be talking to a lot of people every day. There’s this stereotype that journalists are cranky, cynical individuals and I think that this is a disservice because you really have to like people to listen and talk to them all day. I think that you also have to be creative and a problem solver. You have to be someone that doesn’t take “no” for an answer very easily because this is an industry where a lot of people will tell you “no” and they won’t want to give you certain information that you need. So, you have to be resourceful. I also think that it’s important to have a background in political science or sociology because it can give you insights into certain situations that you may not have if you don’t have the proper cultural and historical backdrop.

You also have to be able to deal with deadline pressure. There’s literally going to be a hole in the paper if you don’t finish your work on time. So, it’s not just writing well, but writing well on deadline. Specifically, if it’s newspaper or television – with magazines you have a little more lead time. You have to be able to deal with stress and different challenges such as sources not calling you back.

Being flexible is also important for journalists. These days, people are looking for individuals that are proficient online, on paper, on television, and on radio. There are so many different media outlets and we can no longer say, “I just want to be a TV reporter or I just want to be a print reporter.” You really have to be willing to do different things and I think that individuals that are in school would benefit from taking classes that would allow them to experiment with all of those different media outlets as well as doing internships in various TV stations, magazines, and newspapers – anything that you can do to have the widest, most flexible skill set available.

Q: I’m a firm believer that you must have passion for the work that you do. What do you love about your field? And, conversely, what are some of the challenges that professionals should consider before deciding to pursue a career in your field?

I really love meeting new people. I enjoy hearing about new trends and topics that are going on. Often times, when I go shopping, I’m paying attention to new businesses and meeting different individuals that I may be able to use as a source at some time in the future. I also enjoy bringing my experiences to the table. I’ve always been very opinionated, so it’s nice to be able to use that somewhere other than arguing with people at cocktail parties! It’s helpful to have the skill set and be able to have vibrant discussions with the public and hear back. Sometimes they agree, sometimes they don’t. I enjoy it all. I definitely believe that you really are lucky to be in this field, especially with this field being so turbulent.

The media industry seems to be a shrinking field. You have a lot of bloggers and citizen journalists that are getting involved in journalism. You have a lot of competition with a shortage of money going around. There’s currently a challenge with advertising in the traditional newspaper system. You have to know that going in – that because of these challenges, you have fewer opportunities. And, because of this, you really need to be as great as possible to get the few slots that are open. You’re entering an industry that is in great flux.

Q: Staying power is just as important as actually getting the job. So, now that you’ve had the opportunity to get some years of experience under your belt and interface with industry veterans, what would you say are the ingredients for success in your field?

You have to be willing to adapt. There are many changes in the journalism industry. Those that are willing to learn new things and adapt are the ones that will flourish. You have to maintain a positive attitude. There have been layoffs and many papers have closed down, but you have to stay positive. You really have to be looking for the next trend and how you can be in front of that. So, if you see that broadcasting on the web is the next thing, you need to be prepared to do that. If you see that it’s podcasting, you need to do that. You really need to be forward looking to stay afloat.

Q: So, tell me what’s next!

I’ve always loved writing. Books and film are definitely an interest. My sister and I have co-produced a film named Human Resources that will be available to the public soon. I’ve always been interested in having a syndicated column that would be available on a national and international level because not only should the people of Chicago be able to argue with me, the world should be able to argue with me too (We burst into laughter!). So, I look forward to more sparring partners!

You can visit Ms. Kyles’ blog at http://Redeyechicago.com/kylesfiles. It’s quite entertaining!

Previous Mover & Shaker Features:
1. Carolou Goodridge – Image & Fashion Consultant
2. Kanya Bennett – Attorney on Capitol Hill