Almost exactly a year ago (June 1, to be exact), mediabistro.com published my first article on the site. My tagline read, "Noah Davis is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn. In his spare time, he's also a damn good busboy, if he does say so himself."

Emphasis on the busboy.

At the time, I was struggling to launch a writing career, happy to score any assignment whether it paid or not and make my money waiting tables and clearing glasses. Over the next few months, I continued to write for mb and serve as a guinea pig. In October, I started doing freelance editorial work, first one, then two, then three days a week. Now, a mere 12 months after Penthouse, I'm happily employed as an assistant editor. It's not the meteoric rise of some, but I'll take it. I'd like to think that hard work has a place in the "who you know" New York media world.

I miss the nights I'd get off at 4am and wander through the relative quiet of Times Square, but a normal sleep-cycle has its perks as well. The moral: I'm still damn good at carrying plates (if I do say so myself), but I'm glad I no longer have to. And to think, it all started with a silly little "How To Pitch."