We were lucky to catch up with Brittany Frederick recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Brittany thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Every project I work on is something I invest in personally, because I want readers to care about the subject as much as I do. But the features I’ve written about A&E’s true crime series The First 48 are my proudest accomplishment. I grew up wanting to be a homicide detective and still have a passion for law enforcement. The show introduced me to the exemplary work of the detectives of the Tulsa Police Department Homicide Unit, and they became people I looked up to for their compassion, professionalism and the similar personal investment they put into their investigations.
I was motivated to put my thoughts about the series down on paper purely because I wanted to share my excitement with other people and draw their attention to these outstanding officers. I was surprised when colleagues read the articles and told me that they were watching The First 48 because of me. And I was genuinely shocked when one of the Tulsa Homicide detectives reached out to compliment my work. A few months later, I was given the incredible opportunity to visit the homicide unit in person.
It was one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve ever had to step into the homicide unit and get a glimpse of the career I could have had—but also to learn from the best detectives in the country, and most importantly, meet all of the people I still very much admire. Tulsa Homicide is populated by wonderful officers who brought me to tears when I heard how much my articles had meant to them. The reason I write is to have a positive impact on people’s lives, and to hear that I’d done that for people I consider heroes was a life-affirming moment.
The detectives saw me as highly as I saw them. They also saw me as a person more than most people do. I continue to write features and regularly hear about how appreciated my stories are, and I was honored to have Detective Jason White as a special guest on my YouTube series, MOTIVATE with Brittany Frederick. I’m incredibly touched to say I’m friendly with people I admire and I got to be a small part of their world—just because I chose to share my passion.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve always wanted to change the world, and I accomplish that as a journalist, an interviewer, a screenwriter and an actor. I’ve had numerous people tell me that the articles I’ve written have boosted their careers or changed their lives, and others say that my interviews have captured them in a way no one else has. One of my favorite compliments is that Emmy Award winner Richard Schiff publicly declared me his favorite interviewer!
I pride myself on a very people-focused and collaborative approach, because I’ve spent most of my life being overlooked. Whether it’s being dismissed because of my disability or being passed over for jobs because people aren’t interested in meaningful storytelling, I’ve constantly struggled to be heard. But that has emboldened me to shed light on people who deserve it, to ask the questions that aren’t being asked, and to use my platform to help others whenever possible. I can vouch firsthand for the fact that entertaiment has the power to educate, inform and inspire; my interest in law enforcement was sparked by watching episodes of Law & Order, and I love getting readers to find something they can likewise be curious or excited about.
I separate myself from the competition with original reporting that actively engages the reader. My stories have actually taught creators and actors more about their own work! That’s because I don’t just say if a TV show or movie is good or bad; I know how to make one, and I educate myself on the real-world subject matter. I’m the one who remembers every movie that a performer has done, who read the book that TV show was based on, and who studied the Johns Hopkins Manual of Cardiothoracic Surgery while covering Chicago Med.
I also love to work with obscure or lesser-known subjects, because no one is unimportant in my eyes. I’ve interviewed thousands of people across a wide range of entertainment and sports topics, and those are opportunities to discover new ideas and make myself better. If you want an article that has meaning, or an interview with questions that haven’t been repeated, then I’m the first person you come to. I approach every piece of work with genuine care and interest, and I always want to find my next adventure.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Everything I do is with an eye toward having a positive impact on the world through the lens of entertainment. I’ve heard the criticism that most entertainment writing is meaningless clickbait now, and I’m actively fighting against that, because there are a lot of great people doing good things in TV, film, music and stage; they just aren’t given the attention they deserve.
That’s something I identify with because it’s something I’ve constantly struggled against. When I declared that I wanted to have a career in television, I was told to find a “real job.” I’ve had editors say to me that SEO is more important than original reporting. I’ve been passed over for interviews by publicists because they wanted a big outlet—the quality of my work didn’t matter. It’s incredibly rough to know what you’re capable of, but not get the chance to show it.
So if there’s any goal for me personally, it’s that I’ve been striving tirelessly for years but haven’t gotten the chance to work at a top-tier media outlet, which in turn would afford me those greater press opportunities. People who have met me and seen my articles know how talented I am, but I’m constantly having to prove myself just to get in front of them. I’m hoping that someday, someone will see the quality of my work and let me reach my full potential.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Resilience has been a theme throughout my career as a working journalist with a disability, and then on top of that, going above and beyond to make the companies I work for better. I put tremendous intellectual and physical effort into my work—and that means I sacrifice a lot to help others.
In 2010, I had major corrective surgery that broke both of my legs. The surgery was performed in May and in July was San Diego Comic-Con—one of the world’s biggest pop culture events that I was slated to report from. My doctor advised me against attending because I couldn’t even stand up at the time! However, I wanted to honor the commitments I’d already given to several publicists, so I went to the convention despite being confined to a motorized scooter and enduring incredible amounts of pain. I worked the entire four-day event and never missed an interview.
That was very difficult to accomplish, and certainly well beyond what most people would have done. But I always keep my word and I also didn’t want to let myself down by allowing my physical circumstances to take me away from something I loved. I’m proud of myself for not only persisting through a nearly impossible situation, but also not letting it affect the quality of my work in any way. I even got to do an interview with Mark Valley—one of my favorite actors—that year, so it worked out personally as well as professionally!
Adversity has always been a part of my life, from the teacher who told me a handicapped kid could never win a bowling trophy to searching for the next writing opportunity. Nothing I’ve ever done has been easy. But I keep moving forward because I care about what I do, and the people I get to write about and write for. When it all comes together—when I’m standing next to now-Lieutenant Justin Ritter in Tulsa or when Adam Levine is complimenting my “real journalism” in front of a crowd—it’s the best feeling I could ever ask for.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.tvbrittanyf.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/tvbrittanyf
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanyfrederick
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tvbrittanyf
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/tvbrittanyf
- Other: https://medium.com/@bfrederick
Image Credits
Photo 1 (Stage Door): Thayne Jasperson
Photo 2 (Brittany with Adam Levine): Courtney Vaudreuil
All Other Photos: Courtesy of Brittany Frederick