You know the phrase “Go Big or Go Home”? I guess that’s kind of my origin story with the Independent. But instead of going big and going home, I went big and found a home at the paper.
The first story I ever wrote for the Independent was the behemoth Best of Santa Barbara issue for 2019. Interviewing more than 200 favorites in categories ranging from sports and food, to living, eating, and drinking, plus everything in between, was a beast — to say the least — but it was also a lot of fun.
Reporters don’t generally call with good news. So, as you can imagine, people are overwhelmingly thrilled to hear they’ve been voted “Best of Santa Barbara,” and can’t wait to tell you all about themselves and their business origin stories.
As I said in an interview at the time, “Giving people good news was about as close as a journalist can hope to come to Oprah’s ‘you get a car, and you get a car’ moment!” — and it really is true. I was such a glutton for punishment (it’s fun for sure, but it’s also a boatload of work) that I did the “Best Of” issues again as a freelancer in 2020 and, after finally being hired full-time, in 2022 as well.
While editing the arts and food sections have taken over my time these days, and my primary duties for “Best of” are perhaps doing a little proofreading and going to the party, I still have a certain affection for those years I bested the beast. They ultimately led to a place to call home at the paper.
As the Santa Barbara Independent celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026, our staff is sharing their “Indy Origin” stories and other memories. See more of them at independent.com/40.
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