Renee Spencer: Becoming the 'Gladys Kravitz' of Brunswick
When I was a little girl, I used to pretend I was a reporter. I would chase the neighborhood boys down as they played war, stick my makeshift microphone (a paper towel roll with some foil on the top) in their face, and bark questions at them.
They usually ignored me. Occasionally, they would tell me to be quiet and try to put bugs in my hair. I realized then that reporting might be a challenge, but still, I wanted to give it a shot.
I got my first newspaper job when I was 19 years old. (That was back when pages were still assembled by physically printing the copy out on a printer, cutting it out, and pasting it onto grid paper.) I worked at a tiny, tabloid-sized paper in Iredell County where I typed news releases, which was as boring as it sounds. My boss would edit the releases, most of which needed quite a bit of rewriting before they could be published, and then hand it to me with his proofreader’s marks and rewrites. I guess his job was boring, too, because one day he dropped them on my desk, and said, “I’m tired of this. You give it a try.”
In hindsight, I think he was joking, but when he returned from lunch, I had rewritten a few. I guess he liked what he read because that afternoon, he asked me to join the staff as a full-time reporter, and I did.
That was in 1999, and apart from three years — from August 2019 to June 2022 when I worked as an English teacher at West Brunswick High School — I’ve been in the newspaper business ever since. Recently, I was promoted to community engagement editor here at the StarNews.
Recently, I told someone I was a journalist, and they said, “Oh, that must be a cool job,” and to tell the truth, it is. Here are some of the questions folks frequently ask me.
Did you major in journalism?
While I did take a few journalism classes, I didn’t major in journalism or communications. I earned a B.A. in English and a B.F.A. in creative writing right here at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (Go Seahawks!). Just a few years ago, I earned a master’s degree in English from Liberty University’s online program. So, while my education definitely prepared me for all the writing I do, pretty much everything else — photography, video editing and social media — I learned from my colleagues, through professional development workshops or by trial and error.
How do you write all those words?
The truth is, it’s easy when you have a good story to tell. Most of us got into this business because we love to tell stories, so sometimes, it’s more difficult to decide what not to include.
If you had to pick a favorite story, what would it be?
This is like asking a parent which of their children they like best. It’s just impossible to choose. It may sound cheesy, but each story is special and unique. I can say that I prefer to write about people. I love doing profile stories and feature stories. Breaking news can be fun, too.
What do you like about your job?
I love that no two days are the same. I might be riding with the Cape Fear River Pilots on their boat out to meet a ship one day and interviewing the state treasurer the next. I love the variety.
While I’m not shoving a makeshift microphone in anyone’s face these days, I also like asking questions. My husband tells me it’s because I am nosy, and he’s given me the nickname Gladys Kravitz (the nosy neighbor on TV show "Bewitched"). There’s probably some truth to that. But I like knowing what’s going on and being able to share that knowledge with others.
Finally, I would like to say that I love that this job allows me to combine my passions for writing and meeting new people, and my love of this area. Originally from Durham, I moved to the Southport-Oak Island area in 2001, and I have called it home ever since. I can honestly say there’s no place I’d rather live and work. I have been fortunate to meet lots of wonderful people while working as a reporter and now call many of them friends.
In my new role as community engagement editor, I look forward to interacting with all of you -- our readers -- and continuing to ask your questions and tell your stories. If there's something you really want to know about, please submit questions to us at myreporter@starnewsonline.com, and my colleagues and I will do our best to find the answer. Also, if you know of an inspiring story in the community, please reach out to me at rspencer@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Get to know Wilmington StarNews reporter and editor Renee Spencer
