Abby Tegnelia Starts New Celebrity Gossip Journalism Agency
Former US Weekly reporter and 944 Magazine editor Abby Tegnelia has a new journalistic venture: All Star Reports — a freelance gossip agency she runs with fellow entertainment journalist Dinah Spritzer. From the comfort of a Costa Rican beach town, Tegnelia and her English counterpart Spritzer use their contacts in LA to ship celebrity gossip to publications all over the world.
Tegnelia wrote us to explain:
Our business informally began early in 2009 when my partner, Dinah Spritzer, and I realized that magazines abroad were generally just repeating what was in the U.S. press.
We began testing the waters and working with experienced U.S.-based freelance reporters, many of whom had either lost their jobs or had had their hours drastically cut back. The results were astounding. While magazines shutter in the U.S. and reduce pay, magazines in Britain and France, for instance, continue to pay rates that are twice the level of ordinary freelance news rates in the US. Average stories sell for $400 to $1,000. Bigger exclusives, such as a story on Tiger Woods, can go up to $3000.
What are some of the stories we have sold? We debunked the rumors about the Angelina Jolie Brad Pitt break up for More magazine in the UK, covered Lady Gaga’s penchant for green tea for Grazia Magazine, and explored the deeper meaning of medications Britney Spears might take for bi-polar disorder for Voici in France.
Not bad. And an interesting potential outlet for LA entertainment freelancers with celebrity stories they want to unload.
Previously on FBLA: Abby Tegnelia Exits Item, Joins 944
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