Rob Williams (Creative Communications, 1997)
Entertainment reporter Rob Williams, a self-professed “music nerd”, has more than just enthusiastic expertise and humble attitude to recommend him. He also juggles an insanely busy work schedule, and even manages to have fun while doing so.
Keeping one step ahead of the game (or even two or three, if possible) is Williams’ winning strategy. Strict deadlines at the Winnipeg Free Press keep the Red River College grad in a constant state of writing and researching. His copy must be filed at least three days ahead of when it’s due to appear in print, meaning each week is a balancing act of scheduling and conducting interviews, composing feature stories and concert reviews, and compiling daily entertainment briefs.
A music critic and reporter, Williams, 38, also interviews non-music-minded celebs such as William Shatner, noting he “likes talking with people who are my heroes and figuring out what makes them tick.” Oh, and for the last 11 and a half years, he’s hosted a radio show every Friday morning for campus station UMFM.
Williams, a 1997 grad of RRC’s industry-renowned Creative Communications program, says technology has made things a lot easier since he landed his first job at the Selkirk Journal in the 1990s.
“Three of us had to literally cut and paste stories onto a wax table,” he explains. “A 48-page paper took us 12 hours to complete. Now, that just sounds ridiculous.”
The biggest change arrived with the transition from modem-based internet hook-ups to high-speed and WiFi. In the past, hard-copy concert reviews had to be delivered personally to the Freep’s offices by 11 p.m., for the next morning’s paper.
“Now, sometimes I haven’t finished the final version before it appears online and the concert is still going on,” Williams says. Read More →