How I “Accidentally” Became a Media Personality In 2023
And what learnings did I get from this
2023 was one of the most surprising years for me.
So much so that this was the year when I probably had the most “Aha Moments” in my life.
I mean, reviving my freelance copywriting business, traveling to 13 different countries, and attending international tech conferences as a media representative were things that I didn’t plan at the beginning of the year.
But, well, as they say — I just gave it a shot — and it totally worked out.
I loved going to various events as a journalist and covering different stories of international founders building wonderful solutions.
It was especially interesting to see similarities and differences between startup companies located in different countries but operating in similar fields.
But let’s get back to the point now…
What Do I Mean by “Accidentally” Becoming a Media Personality?
Just to give you some clarity — I have been building my publication, Startup Adventures, for the past 4 years now, interviewing various startup founders and asking them about their solutions.
But I had never really considered myself a journalist before — I was more of a curious individual creator who loved writing about startups.
At the beginning of last year, however, I had this interesting realization about my weekly work for my side project.
Basically, I understood that I‘m doing everything that average journalists and storytellers do — I reach out to interesting people, ask about their stories, cover them on different mediums (Publication, Podcast, Newsletter), and share them with my audience.
I was like — “Huh?!” — Maybe I should use these channels that I have built over the years to find even more interesting stories and connect with even more people in my field.
Okay, okay… how can I do that? Are there any interesting events coming up in the near future? And more importantly, is there a way for me to get to those events?
After spending a good three and a half minutes thinking about it, I made a decision — I can totally apply to different startup events and conferences as a media representative from Startup Adventures.
I can totally connect to international founders there and cover their stories in my publication!
And that’s, my friend, what I mean by “Accidentally” becoming a media personality — just realizing that I’ve been doing it all this time and just going with the flow. It was time to acknowledge it.
So, this realization pushed me to take action and start applying to different events.
To be honest, the process went really well after that — I attended 5 tech conferences throughout the years and gained very good exposure for my media initiative.
Of course, this process was not linear, and it had its own ups and downs with tons of challenges along the way. But that’s the story for another time.
The point is — this realization helped me to think differently, take another approach, experience something new, and, most importantly, learn new skills.
So, now the question goes like this…
What Learnings Did I Get From This Year’s Adventures?
Well, obviously, these moves and actions were full of interesting lessons along the way, but if I could point out 4 of them, my list would probably go like this:
Stay Curious
Generally, being a curious person and questioning everything around you makes you a life-long learner.
And being a life-long learner is all about leveraging as many opportunities as possible around you for growth and personal development.
This helps us to learn about new possibilities and opportunities that we didn’t know existed, and that’s one of the first steps to becoming different from everyone else and starting to live your dream life to its fullest.
In my case, staying curious and looking out for new opportunities has helped me identify and find interesting projects for me.
One very clear example was finding an opportunity at TechChill and applying to become a media representative there.
This alone has presented a whole new set of opportunities that I had no idea existed, which was extremely beneficial for my personal and career growth.
Then another opportunity came — Latitude59, which obviously brought another set of experiences and helped me gain more confidence in this field.
It all felt like a never-ending cycle of curious actions and unexpected “accidental” success stories, which obviously helped my business grow.
Don’t Be Afraid to Try out New Activities
Having the courage to “just go for it” and try new things in life is an underrated skill.
I mean, whatever it is that your mind wants to try out, it is definitely worth doing.
You love singing while you shower? Make sure you go to a karaoke event to show your talent and replace those shampoo bottles with the actual people.
It doesn’t work out? — Who cares? I mean, it’s a karaoke event anyway — nobody has a good performance at those events.
But back to the point now. From my experience, having this kind of attitude gives you a great boost in your self-confidence and empowers you on a different level.
Even if you fail at whatever it is that you’re trying — being bold with your decisions makes you feel special and happy with your decisions.
That’s exactly how I felt after interviewing new, interesting founders and covering their startup stories for my publication as a journalist.
Most importantly, this experience has helped me to learn how to ask better questions and improve my story-telling abilities.
Have a Clear Focus — Take Notes
One of the most practical lessons I’ve learned in 2023 was that it can be extremely beneficial to take notes at times.
I know, super obvious, right? But, well, I had to learn it at some point.
Having a clear focus and taking notes keeps you alert, and it helps you avoid feelings of distraction or drowsiness.
At the same time, it engages your mind on another level. This happens when you are listening carefully and thinking about points to include in your notes.
For me, making note-taking a habit was vital as a journalist trying to cover stories of international startups shaking up the industry.
It helped me become more attentive to details, improved my information organizational skills, and made me understand what data points I had to prioritize as a storyteller.
Seek Inspiration
It is important to always search for new places to get inspired.
By “places,” I mean anything that inspires you — books, articles, YouTube videos, literal places, or whatever — make sure you search for what you enjoy searching and get inspired along the way.
I mean, seeking inspiration is probably the biggest reason I attended 5 startup conferences last year.
I kept telling myself — “Can you imagine articles I can write after attending those?” — and I totally did. At least, I like to think like that.
Those events had it all — interesting people, captivating talks, and engaging activities, not to mention all the traveling I had to do to get to those places.
I like to say that traveling is an unlimited source of inspiration. I always sort of have new ideas and want to experience new kinds of projects after I travel.
But anyway, I believe seeking inspiration goes back to our first point — being curious, which can bring some unbelievable results in personal growth and development.
To Sum up…
Finally, I’d like to say that I’m really proud of all the bold moves and achievements I’ve made in 2023.
Honestly, it was one of the most challenging yet transformative years of my life. Having my ideas, being vocal about them, and actively acquiring skills to “accidentally” become a media personality certainly didn’t come easy.
Thanks to everyone who has been part of my journey so far, and looking forward to tackling the new challenges that 2024 has prepared.
Let’s connect on LinkedIn if you want to collaborate. Cheers!
Ucha Vekua
