Age: Over the Hedge

Location: Chicago

What are you working on now? Acting as Chicago editor for Uptown, a glossy quarterly that highlights the coolest, sexiest bits the Windy City has to offer. The book is published in New York (thus, the Uptown), and they publish regional editions: D.C., Atlanta, Chicago and New York. So, that, nurturing the relationships I have with some really great editors at Chicago and Satisfaction magazines, and a transitional screenplay for TV actress Raven Symone...she can't stay in high school forever!

What's the most helpful thing you've learned about writing? To keep doing it. Everyday, not just when you feel like it. Otherwise, you won't eat, and you won't create -- the two things you need to stay alive.

What's the worst career advice you ever received? To not try and advance myself into an editorial position. There's a special place in my heart for human resources.

Based on your experience, how can a writer new at writing celebrity profiles make them come alive and seem unique? Ask questions that are alive and unique! This wasn't an interview, but one of the best conversations I've ever had was with Jeffrey Katzenberg (Dreamworks Animation) who was in town promoting a movie. I did some research and found an obscure little story about the government of Madagascar trying to convince him to include some educational stuff about lemurs in his movie of the same title. Instead, he gave them a generous donation which they used to hire a PR firm to advance the plight of lemurs in Madagascar. He was truly surprised that I knew anything about it, so he let his guard down, we had a great exchange and it resulted in some very nice feedback from his development people.

If you ask the same questions as every other interviewer, you're going to get the same dead answers.