Brag Book

Hey FishbowlDC, meet Allison Mataya! Allison most recently drove the new business efforts at Arnold DC and helped launch Adcision Networks, an online luxury ad network. Prior to that, she ran the regional advertising efforts for Mercedes-Benz from Virginia to Maine for Merkley + Partners. While at Merkley + Partners in New York, Allison managed the corporate advertising efforts for Mercedes-Benz. Allison also has experience working at agencies such as Young & Rubicam and Grey Advertising on Xerox and Kraft Foods. Allison graduated from Bowdoin College with a B.A. in Art History and Government. We caught up with Mataya for a few questions:

What working journalist do you most admire and why? Stuart Elliott, he tells it like it is and has a real passion for the ad business.

Proudest moment in your career? When my new business efforts resulted in making 2008 the best year on record for the Arnold DC office.

What is something that most people don't know about you? I was an Olympic Development Field Hockey player.

What's your guilty pleasure? Shopping for lipstick, I can't go into a CVS without buying some.

What one person would you most like to interview? I would love to have had the chance to speak with David Ogilvy, I think his wisdom would serve our industry well right now.

Mataya says she's highly competitive and this trait is evidenced in everything she does. Whether rooting out a big idea or finding a way to get a table on short notice at some of the best restaurants...she doesn't take no for an answer!

You can catch up with Allison on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Brag Book alum Brendan Kownacki with America's Most Wanted Managing Editor Chris Brown at mediabistro's November mixer last night.

Let the real bragging begin! About a month ago, FishbowlDC started a feature called "Brag Book," an abbreviated FBDC interview where friends of the "Bowl" can offer up some of their accomplishments and a little personal info to help them a land a new gig.

Last night at mediabistro's mixer, we ran into October 1st "Brag Book" alum Brendan Kownacki who had some good news to share. Apparently Kownacki's post garnered the attention of a company called Spectrum where he was hired as a senior digital strategist.

Congrats to Brendan and a tip of our hat to Spectrum!

If you're interested in being featured in Brag Book, hit us up at fishbowlDC@mediabistro.com.

Kownacki hooked us up with his new card. Sweet!

Meet brag book's latest- Brendan Kownacki. On his last big project, Kownacki worked on Inauguration with the Broadcast Management Group, a subsidiary of Mason Media Group, where he served as the Director of Strategy and Development for two years. Prior to that, he worked with "America's Most Wanted" and www.amw.com, where he created and managed web content.

What working journalist do you most admire and why? I've been a fan of Anderson Cooper since he was hosting "The Mole" on ABC -- I think he's very thorough and takes and intelligent approach to his work. I really appreciate his embrace of new media tools, andreaching out to interact with viewers online, in real time. In a world where citizen journalists are becoming increasingly more important, I think CNN (both A.C. and Rick Sanchez) has recognized that fact and takes it into account every day when they tackle the day's headlines.

Proudest moment in your career? Election season 2008, pushing all the way forward until Inauguration day in January 2009, was the busiest I have ever been at work and is easily my proudest 'moment.'

What is something that most people don't know about you? As a kid I remember that Tom Brokaw was my favorite 'character' on television. Growing up in the Midwest, I felt very removed from the possibility of one day working in TV, and then one day, I was with my Dad at a shopping mall and we ran into Marc Summers (from "Double Dare," and now Food Network), and that was the first time it really hit me that people in television were just like everybody else, and that I too could get there one day.

Check out some recent work here and here, and Kowancki on LinkedIn here. You can reach him by email.

Q&A is continued after the jump...

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Meet brag book's latest Tara Taghizadeh. This entertainment reporter was most recently employed at Gannett News Service as the entertainment reporter. She's also worked for National Geographic, US News Ventures, Post-Newsweek Tech Media and Ryan Publishers in London.

What working journalist do you most admire and why? David Carr of The New York Times, Hendrik Hertzberg of the New Yorker, Jack Shafer at Slate, and Andrew O'Hehir and Heather Havrilesky at Salon.com to name a few. They never disappoint. I always look forward to reading their stories and walk away having learned something.

Proudest moment in your career? I have been fortunate enough to interview various authors and celebrities, but I suppose my interviews with fashion designer Liz Claiborne and the comedian Lewis Black were memorable. Claiborne was quite intimidating, and Black (whom I consider one of the best comedians in the biz) was an absolute pleasure to interview.

Another proud moment: When I was at National Geographic, I was freelancing on the side for a wonderful book publisher called Counterpoint in DC, where I had the opportunity to work on Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's book, "Invisible Allies," which they were publishing. It was a real thrill to be a part of the process of publishing the work of a literary giant like Solzhenitsyn.

What is something that most people don't know about you? I have lived in seven countries and three continents.

Check out some of Tara's recent work here and here, her LinkedIn profile here and you can reach her by email here.

Tara's Q&A is continued after the jump...

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Hey FishbowlDC! Meet our brag book buddy, Stephen Langel! Langel most recently hit the Hill as the health care policy reporter for Roll Call. If you ask us, NOW is a pretty good time to snatch up this reporter. We've even got one of his articles posted after the jump. Check it out.

Wonder how Langel writes such caliente pieces? Well, Stephen hails from Miami, Florida. He graduated from Florida State University with a B.S. in Communications and from University of Florida with a J.D. He's been covering politics and policy on the Hill for a decade, including every step of the health care debate over the past several years.

What working journalist do you most admire and why? Louis Jacobson - a reporter's editor and a great friend. Mary Agnes Carey, who is a great reporter and an even greater person. Ceci Connolly - for her understanding of the nuance of complicated health care issues. Robert Pear for his unparalleled contacts and kind demeanor.

Proudest moment in your career? My ability, throughout my career to match or beat competitors who have more staff, resources and name recognition than I or my publications do.

What is something that most people don't know about you? I love golf, but it doesn't love me.

What's your guilty pleasure? I have an unending loyalty to several teams - the Florida State Seminoles, Miami Dolphins and Florida Marlins - who frustrate me to no end. Also, Reality TV. I know I should hate it, but it's so easy to find villains on these shows, that I get hooked.

What/who is your dream interview? God. No bigger get than that.

Anything else we should know? I am nothing without my wonderful friends on and off the Hill who have been terrific sources for me. I owe them everything.

If you're looking for happenin' health care policy reporter, now is your chance. Hit up our man, Stephen Langel via email at stephenlangel@yahoo.com or by letting us know you'd like the hook up. We'll gladly put you in touch. And don't forget to check out one of Stephen's stories after the jump.

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Good morning FishbowlDC! Meet our friend, Derek Wallbank. Wallbank was most recently a researcher at CQ Daybook and Maine beat writer for CQ Politics. Before CQ, Derek was a K-12 reporter and politics blogger for the Lansing State Journal in Michigan.

Even after a pretty rough day at work, our boy Derek took some time to catch up with FishbowlDC. He responded to his interview before I even opened my computer this morning. Talk about calm during crisis and knowing how to rock a deadline...

What working journalist do you most admire and why? The journalist I still try and live up to is a guy named Thomas P. Morgan who used to work for a small alternative weekly in Lansing Mich. He covered city hall and used to smoke everyone on that beat. Not just win, but leave people in his wake. Now, Tom's a smart guy, but I put his success down to the simple fact that he flat out outworked everyone else. He didn't take kindly to spin and didn't let someone's B.S. get in the way of cold, hard facts. I've always looked up to him for that.

Among active journalists in the D.C. area, I'm a big fan of Dana Priest, Jake Tapper and my friend and former colleague Jon Allen. Priest because she is an investigative reporter without peer, in my estimation. Tapper is probably the most tenacious questioner in the White House Press Corps this side of Helen Thomas. And Allen, to me, is the best reporter covering Congress full stop.

Proudest moment in your career? I find most of my biggest successes in journalism have happened because other folks decided they had better things to do with their time than chase a story any more.

For example, one night in April 2008, I decided to pop over to a giant block party in East Lansing called Cedar Fest that some folks had thought was going to turn ugly. Most TV crews and reporters buggered off after 1 a.m., assuming everything would be OK, but I decided to stay and watch because I got a sense the crowd was going to get unruly. That night turned out to be one of the worst riots in Michigan State University history, and I wound up filing the final version of my story at 7 a.m. while reeking from tear gas. My paper was the only professional media organization to provide a comprehensive play-by-play of what happened that night, mainly because most other reporters just gave up and went home to bed.

What is something that most people don't know about you? My wife and I are big renaissance fair aficionados. She dresses up for it, though I have so far managed to not have to wear the dreaded kilt. Even in plain clothes, what better way could there be to spend a Saturday than drinking mead while watching a joust and cheering on your favorite horseman in a loud, moderately obnoxious faux-British accent?

What's your guilty pleasure? Diet fruity-flavored soda, like diet Sunkist or Fresca. My dad always told me that the orange soda would turn my skin that color, which is just as well I suppose because despite growing up in Miami, Fla., I seem wholly incapable of tanning. Orange glow is the next best thing, right?

If you're looking for a hardworking reporter with experience in newspaper, magazine, online and visual journalism - including video, consider Derek Wallbank. He specialize in campaigns and elections, politics, education, breaking news and soft features. More importantly, FishbowlDC guarantees that he won't wear period garb to work...unless you're into that.

You can check out one of Derek Nigel Wallbank's recent articles here, catch up with him on LinkedIn, Facebook or by contacting FishbowlDC. We'd be more than happy to get you his contact details.

Read Derek's responses to the rest of our questions after the jump.

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We know all too well that layoffs know no boundaries. Plenty of talented folks in the media have already and will lose their jobs in the future. But there is life after a layoff...and FishbowlDC wants to help you move on ASAP. That's why we're offering our job-seeking friends a place in the Fishbowl spotlight with "Brag Book."

Brag Book is an abbreviated FishbowlDC interview where you can offer up some accomplishments and share a little info about yourself with the industry.

Interested in being featured in Brag Book? Drop a line to fishbowldc@mediabistro.com. And check back tomorrow to meet Derek Wallbank in our premier post!