Here are some of the journey’s that our talented team went on to work at Authority Media.
I had been freelance writing for a few years before joining Android Authority. Being a freelancer involves a constant search for gigs and repetitively filling out applications ad nauseum. I came across an Android Authority job posting one day and figured I should give it a shot. I had always loved reading AA so it was the perfect opportunity for me.
In the job post, they asked for a self-made video submission to accompany the resume. I think they were asking for it just to separate the wheat from the chaff. Since I had basically become numb to gig applications by that point, I took the video as a fun opportunity. I made a very silly self-deprecating video on my phone in about 10 minutes. Honestly, I thought I had taken things too far into unprofessionalism, as I didn’t get a response back for months.
Eventually, I did get a callback and was told my video was a big hit on the staff’s Slack channels. After a brief freelancing stint with the site I was offered a full-time position. Honestly, I probably have that silly video to thank for where I am right now! It just goes to show that a little fun and creativity can go a long way.
When I first started at Android Authority, I was exclusively on the news beat. Writing news is fun because your posts are all very short and you need to write a lot of them, and you need to get them done quickly. It’s a terrific opportunity to grow as a writer because you are just outputting so much content and getting a constant stream of editorial feedback.
Nowadays, I am writing less news and more editorial and longform content. I feel as if my work on the news desk was akin to a writer’s bootcamp that allowed me to become good enough and confident enough to expand my horizons, as it were. Even though I had been freelancing for years before joining AA, my writing quality ascended dramatically after a straight year of writing six 300-word posts every single day.
Working here has not just been about professional development, though. The Android Authority team is truly wonderful. Management is always open to new ideas and there’s a real camaraderie among the entire staff. When I first started, I was blown away by how accessible everyone is. At most publications, you only directly contact the higher-ups if you’ve got a really good reason. Here, it’s not out of the ordinary to get a simple, “Hey, how are things with you today?” message from the owner or the executive editor. That kind of work environment makes me want to stay here for as long as I can.
It’s a complete cliche, but technology and gadgets have always appealed to me. From wasting my childhood with GameBoys and PlayStations to building my first PC as a teenager, I was always taking apart various gadgets in often ill-conceived attempts to repair them. Post the tedium that is school, I ended up with a first-class BSc (Hons) in Sound Engineering, which marries my twin passions for music and technology. Soldering valve amplifiers is endless fun after all. Although I was never too sure what I would end up doing even with a degree in my hand.
I honestly don’t remember how I came across the job listing at AA, but recall searching for something more stimulating than the dreary data-entry jobs I fell into. AA was a very small team when I applied back in late 2012, which seemed like a great opportunity to grow alongside. The fledgling company took a chance on a graduate with no journalism experience but with plenty of drive to learn and explain how things work. All these years later, I guess I’m a gamble that paid off.
I turn my hand at a bit of everything here at AA. From reviews and product testing, to camera shootouts and general features. Over the years, I’ve hit most of the big the trade-shows and a host of other events from the big tech players too. Which is great, as I’m never short of something new to try out.
Although keeping up with the changing pace of the annual tech schedule requires an unhealthy love/hate relationship with press-room coffee machines. One week you’re writing a leisurely camera shootout feature, the next you’re fighting jet lag long past midnight, trying to roundup everything you played with on the show floor that day. Although that’s all part of the fun.
Mostly though, I’m here to dive deeper into the latest tech innovations and explain what they mean for your next purchase. If you’ve read any of our explainers on 5G, Bluetooth audio, or smartphone chipsets, there’s a good chance I wrote it.
On December 24th of 2015 I was sitting at home, up late at my desk. I’d just finished playing some DotA with my friends, but inspiration struck and I decided to go on a tear of job applications. I was a huge fan of technology and gadget blogs like Engadget, Gizmodo, and Android Authority. I’d been working at a small tech blog called OneTechStop.net for about 2 years at this point, so I figured I might as well apply. I didn’t have much to lose.
In early March I landed one of the jobs I applied for – a systems engineer position at Intel. On the first day driving to work, I got an email from Andrew Grush at Android Authority, mentioning that while they didn’t have any open positions at Android Authority itself, the company was intrigued by my existing writing chops, and wanted to see if I could help build a virtual reality-focused website.
I helped the AA team build VRSource.com for about seven months, but I was constantly nagging Andrew to let me write on Android Authority. Android was my real passion at the time, and I’d been flashing ROMs and contributing to forums effectively since the first smartphone hit the market. It was also the majority of what I wrote about at OneTechStop, so I had a decent amount of experience there.
Eventually the team started pulling me in to pick up slack, and I worked my way into doing more and more news. I did my first review, my first opinion post, and from there, things kind of just snowballed. Pretty soon I was spending almost all of my time writing on AA, while juggling a full time job at Intel and full-time university work. It.. wasn’t exactly easy.
Over time I picked up more responsibilities, and AA asked me if I wanted to come on full time. I’d been at Intel for a while at this point, and while I enjoyed it to some extent, I enjoyed writing and reviewing things much more. This was the kind of content I’d watch and read on my breaks anyway, so I figured it was the right move.
I do a lot of things here at Android Authority. I handle most of the flagship reviews in both a written format for the website and video format for the YouTube channel, and also contribute features and opinion pieces. Beyond that, I create many of the photos you see on the website.
YouTube is a mostly solo operation, but over the last few years I’ve adapted to doing multiple video roles in one. I shoot the B-Roll, host the A-Roll, write my scripts, and edit my videos. It’s a bit of a marathon for each project, especially on top of the longform written content. But it’s nice to be able to creatively switch my brain around on any given day. If the weather is nice, I might be out capturing images and video for the next big review. But if it’s gloomy or rainy, I can sit inside and write.
In normal circumstances, there is also a lot of travel involved with my job. I probably attend over 100 press briefings and press conferences every year, seeing the newest technology before anyone else, some of which has blown my mind, and some of which feels purely iterative. These events might be in New York, London, Shanghai, or even Finland. The travel has allowed me to better understand the markets in which this technology is sold, and it’s also helped me open my mind to a lot of different cultures. I also love people, so being able to meet new people constantly for my job is a big plus.
It’s not always easy being a tech journalist in Cape Town, at the tip of Africa. After all, getting to Europe is usually a ten hour flight (if you’re lucky enough to be flying direct!), while the country often misses out on popular tech brands.
Another downside is that many big-name tech companies are based in Johannesburg instead, over 1,300kms away. That definitely puts you on the back foot when it comes to tech journalism in South Africa.
So color me surprised when I received a phone call from Android Authority founder Darcy LaCouvee, asking me if I’d like to join the team back in late 2017. “How does he know I exist?” was my first thought at the time.
Nevertheless, it took some convincing that this was a real offer, but it felt very real and exciting after meeting the team at Mobile World Congress a month before I was due to start.
Aside from contributing awful puns, I generally write news and features as part of the European team/timezone. I really enjoy writing about the technical side of things, such as chipsets and technology in general. I also love covering smartphone camera technology, as that intersection of computational power and hardware can produce some crazy results.
Working at Android Authority can be extremely rewarding due to the fact that we’ve got such a big team of enthusiastic, knowledgeable people. So if wearables float your boat or you love talking 5G technology, there’ll always be someone around who shares that interest.
I’ve definitely found myself improving my knowledge and expertise as well, owing to these aforementioned colleagues and regular team AA workshops on various matters. Self-improvement is a big theme over here.
For years, I spent my 9-5s making coffee for patrons of Starbucks and selling phones at Verizon, wishing I’d be able to spend my days doing what I loved most: writing about mobile technology. I had already been spending much of my spare time in various tech forums around the internet, so the obvious next step for me was to use my nerdiness to earn a paycheck. And earn a paycheck I did… eventually.
After spending a few months getting my bearings in the greater Android blogosphere, I saw a job opening at one of my favorite websites. I didn’t think I’d even be considered for a news writer role at Android Authority, but I had to try, right?
Android Authority has always been a special website to me. The early commitment to high-quality video, the in-depth reviews, and the on-the-pulse reporting were all things I admired. And before I knew it, I was on the phone with one of the website’s co-founders, Darcy LaCouvee.
I think I talked Darcy into giving me a shot. I didn’t have much experience and my resume surely wasn’t anything to write home about. All I could tell him was that I was as passionate as they come. I think that was enough for him. I started writing news articles at Android Authority shortly after our phone conversation. News articles grew into feature stories, which grew into reviews and more.
Although my job title is Managing Editor of News, I actually wear many hats at Android Authority. Sometimes it can feel like too many, but that keeps the job interesting.
First and foremost, I manage the news team. Well, they don’t require much management, which makes this part of my job quite easy. I help track down breaking news, follow up with industry contacts on potential news stories, edit and pitch titles to the team, and much more. It’s a fun, rewarding part of the job that I get to do every day.
It’s not just news coverage. I help edit just about all types of content at Android Authority, including features, reviews, opinionated hot takes, and buyer’s guides. This company really takes the “editing” part of the job seriously!
The other half of my job is heading up Android Authority’s wearable coverage. Fitness and health technology is my #1 passion, and I’m incredibly grateful I have a job that allows me to learn and write about it on a daily basis.
I’ve been at Android Authority for over six years. The team dynamic, the flexible scheduling, the travel opportunities, and the willingness to try new things all make for an overall fantastic work environment. And I’m proud to say I work with some of the most passionate and intelligent people I’ve ever met.
Android Authority has grown so much over the years and will continue to move onwards and upwards. I can’t recommend working here enough, and I’m so happy to be part of it.