FAQ

New York Times best-selling author Jae-Ha Kim started writing professionally while she was a pre-law student at the University of Chicago. Since earning her M.S. in journalism from Northwestern University, Kim has covered everything from hard news (as a reporter for United Press International) to pop culture (as the Pop Music Critic and film reviewer for the Chicago Sun-Times). She currently is a nationally-syndicated columnist for the Tribune Content Agency and her column runs in print and/or online in publications such as the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. Her profiles, essays and reviews also appear in outlets such as Rolling Stone (U.S.) (Korea), NPR, Victoria & Albert Museum, Mashable, Salon, Teen Vogue, TODAY, Variety, New York Daily News and MTV News.

Kim has won a Peter Lisagor Award for Excellence in Journalism. She also wrote the first book about the hit sitcom Friends and is a co-editor of several travel books. She has appeared as a pop culture expert on NBC’s Today, Entertainment Tonight, A&E’s Biography and E! Entertainment. Kim is also a voting member of the Television Critics Association. Additionally, her work is featured on Rotten Tomatoes — the review-aggregation website for film and television.

Kim is an in-demand voice on Korean entertainment, who has been quoted in media outlets (including the New York Times, Associated Press, MTV, Korea Times, South China Morning Post). She also wrote about Korean cinema for the Hallyu: The Korean Wave exhibit at London's V&A Museum. Additionally, Kim is a popular guest lecturer, discussing the intersection of journalism and pop culture at the University of Southern California, Columbia College Chicago, North Central College and North Park University.

Kim got her first passport when she was four years old and hasn’t stopped traveling. She counts Edinburgh, Seoul and Melbourne as some of her favorite cities. Kim lives in Chicago with her husband and their son.

If you need more information, you may contact me via Facebook or the contact sheet below:

    Due to the volume of messages, I unfortunately can’t respond to all requests for assistance.

    Hello! Some of you may know me from Twitter, where I tweet a lot about K-dramas and Korean pop culture. I once wrote that it was my hope to write solely about Korean content in the upcoming years. Well, the world’s not quite ready for that yet. Ha! But I am. So I’ve started a Substack, where I’ll curate my reviews and views about Koreancentric things happening in the pop culture realm (and beyond) that pique my interest…and I hope yours, too.

    I’ll also be writing about some of my experiences as a Korean immigrant growing up in the United States … and how both nothing and everything has changed over these past decades. So if any of this sounds interesting to you, I hope you’ll consider subscribing. It’s free (with an option to upgrade).

    If you're quoting me, here are some attribution options:

    Jae-Ha Kim, syndicated columnist, Tribune Content Agency.

    Jae-Ha Kim, contributing pop culture writer, Chicago Tribune.

    TCA is a news syndicate owned by Tribune Publishing, and my work appears nationwide in outlets such as the Chicago Tribune and the Baltimore Sun.

    If you need more information, you may leave a private comment here or fill out the contact sheet below:

      Due to the volume of emails, I can't get back to everyone. But I will try.

      I get asked this many times and I generally can not. The exceptions are for people who I know in real life whose work I can vouch for. In the past, I have asked management companies and public relations specialists if they would like me to forward these requests to them; and their replies were almost always, "No." Why? They keep track of what's written on subjects who are similar to their own clients and then pitch specific publications and reporters.

      I give the same advice that an editor gave me when I told him I wanted to be an entertainment reporter many, many years ago. He said, "Read everything that you can and be knowledgeable about a variety of subjects." Writing jobs come up, but not necessarily for the exact one that you want. But once you have the job, there are opportunities to write about subjects you want to at the publication you now work at. And, if not, you can freelance for other outlets on your off time.

      As of today, I don't know of any major U.S. outlet that has a full-time position for a K-pop writer.

      If you only want to write about K-pop, then you may want to consider getting a full-time job doing something else in order to support yourself. That's not necessarily a bad thing either.

      No. That's an art unto itself and you should hire a professional who is skilled at this. That person is not me, I promise you.

      Your answer is more important than what I think. Would I encourage my child to become a journalist? No. Why? Because I'd like him to earn more money and work less hours than I do. Would I be upset if he chose to become a journalist? No, because that would be his choice and I want him to be happy with whatever career he pursues.

      After graduate school, I applied for jobs covering the news on air and in print, but I only received job offers in small markets that were offering very little pay. So instead, I took a corporate job in Chicago where I wrote for the company magazine. It was boring, but the pay was better than the journalism jobs. When I got home from work, I freelanced for music magazines. This led to a full-time job at a major Chicago newspaper, where I was later promoted to Pop Music Critic.

      To be clear, I didn't do any internships and didn't even know they existed. I hadn't intended on pursuing journalism. (I was going to be an attorney.)

      If you are still in school and have the opportunity to take a summer internship at a magazine, newspaper or TV station, I highly recommend it. Many of my colleagues who had interned were hired after they graduated from college, without the usual 5-years (or so of) experience outlets require.

      I write my "Go Away With ..." column for the Tribune Content Agency -- a news syndicate that releases my work to its subscribers. TCA distributes the column to all the outlets that have paid for it. Please note that I am employed by TCA. I do not write for one specific newspaper.

      If you’re a publicist or manager who’d like to have your client featured in “Go Away With …” — my nationally syndicated celebrity travel column — this section is for you! Besides writing about celebrities such as Yo-Yo Ma, Justin Bieber and Idris Elba, I also like to feature well-known entrepreneurs, athletes and authors. The key is, they have to be interesting, well known and enjoy traveling.

      Please verify with your client that they are comfortable talking about their travels. Some people just don’t enjoy talking about that aspect of their life, and I respect that. However, misleading them (and me) into doing an interview won’t help get your client placed. I have conducted some interviews where the subjects said, “I don’t really like to travel…” There’s not a lot I can do with that kind of answer, except to kill the story.

      If your client has a new album, book or DVD to promote, please mail me his or her CD, DVD/Blu-ray or book prior to the interview. Give me a few days to go over the material. If you would like the product back, include a SASE or a prefilled-in airbill for a prompt return. (You may leave a private comment for me here. Or, please use the contact form for more inquiries or my office address.)

      Because the column runs in multiple outlets, I don’t peg articles to certain cities (i.e. a concert in just one location). If your artist has a national tour or a film that is coming out, let me know when. Also, if your client is the star of a TV series, please let me the dates for the season premiere and finale.

      If you have specific conditions, please address them with your pitch. I can tell you beforehand if there will be any problems in meeting your request. For instance, I cannot promise you that the column will run on a specific date, because that is out of my hands. I will generally know when TCA will release the column, but not when it will be picked up by each individual publication. Similarly, I cannot promise you that the photo you submit is the one that will run. Sometimes publications simply don't like them and will opt for their own. Again, that is out of TCA's jurisdiction.

      Please do not pitch me unless you can provide all of the following artwork elements prior to the interview:

      (1) A promotional handout, high resolution jpeg (300 dpi or higher) of your client. No sunglasses, please. Please note that while I am required to submit a photo with my column, the publications may choose to go with a different photo. Regardless of what you send us, please make sure that you have the rights to release the photos to us to publish. I don’t have time to contact photographers for you, so I would appreciate it very much if you didn’t ask.

      (2) Photo credit for the photographer and his/her affiliation (if there is one). Even if the credit is embedded on the image, you need to state what it is when you submit the photo.

      (3) A written statement that the photo(s) you are providing is a promotional handout that may run online and in print with my column. An email from you, your client or the photographer is fine. This request is from our legal department, to make sure that what we are running isn’t infringing on the photographer’s copyright.

      📌 Reminder: It is your responsibility as your client's representation to get the photos to me. Please do not ask me to contact other organizations. If you specifically do not have an appropriate photo of your artist to share, then I will have to take a pass for now. Thank you for understanding.

      📷Unfortunately, yes. I am required to provide my syndicate with a high resolution jpeg (between 1MB to 5 MB) with each column that I file. A promotional head shot is fine. Please note that while I am required to submit a photo with my column, the publications may choose to go with a different photo. e.g. This is the same article on Shay Mitchell. The Los Angeles Times ran one photo online, while the Chicago Tribune went with a different photo in print:

      📷It is your responsibility as your client's representation to get the photos to me. Please do not ask me to contact other organizations. If you specifically do not have an appropriate photo of your artist to share, then I will have to take a pass for now.

      📷Regardless of what you send us, please make sure that you have the rights to release the photos to us to publish. I don’t have time to contact photographers for you, so I would appreciate it very much if you didn’t ask.

      📷We will also need the photographer's name, so that we may give him or her the proper photo credit. If it is a handout, please advise if the credit should be something like: Courtesy of XYZ Entertainment.

      📷Please send a short email stating that the photo you have provided is a photo that we have permission to run with my column online and in print. This is to ensure that we are not violating any copyright laws. Thank you for your consideration.

      I write for the Tribune Content Agency (TCA), one of the world’s largest newspaper syndicates. Some of the current outlets that subscribe include the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel, Hartford Courant etc. Please note that this can change in the future.

      Here's a partial list of previous and current subscribers:

      Albany Democrat Herald
      ArcaMax
      AuburnPub
      Baltimore Sun
      Beatrice Daily Sun
      Billings Gazette
      Bismarck Tribune
      Boston Herald
      Bristol Herald Courier
      Bryan Eagle
      Buffalo News
      Chicago Tribune
      Citizen
      Columbus Telegram
      Corvallis Gazette-Times
      Culpeper Star Exponent
      Daily News
      Daily Press
      Daily Progress
      Danville Register & Bee
      Denver Post
      Dispatch Argus
      Dothan Eagle
      Elko Daily Free Press
      Fremont Tribune
      Grand Island Independent
      Greene County Record
      Greensboro News & Record
      Hartford Courant
      Hickory Daily Record
      Independent Record
      Independent Tribune
      Kearney Hub
      Lebanon Express
      Lincoln Journal Star
      Los Angeles Times
      Madison News
      Magic Valley
      Martinsville Bulletin
      McDowell News
      Missoulian
      Montana Standard
      Mooresville Tribune
      Morganton News Herald
      Morning Call
      Napa Valley Register
      New York Daily News
      News & Advance
      News Virginian
      North Platte Telegraph
      Oklahoman
      Omaha World-Herald
      Opelika-Auburn News
      Orlando Sentinel
      Orange County Review
      Pantagraph
      Post-Star
      Press of Atlantic City
      Press Reader
      Rapid City Journal
      Ravalli Republic
      Richmond Times-Dispatch
      Roanoke Times
      Rural Virginian
      SC NOW
      Scottsbluff Star-Herald
      South Florida Sun Sentinel
      St. Louis Post-Dispatch
      Statesville Record & Landmark
      SWVA Today
      Times and Democrat
      Times-News
      Toronto Star
      Tribune Content Agency
      Tulsa World
      Virginian-Pilot
      Waco Tribune-Herald
      Winona Daily News
      Winston-Salem Journal
      World News Network
      York News-Times

      More outlets are listed here.

      I highly recommend setting notifications for your client on Google Alerts and Talkwalker Alerts. That way, you can see the various outlets that picked up the column.

      The Tribune Content Agency releases my column every Tuesday to our outlets, who then will run it when they prefer. (It's usually that week. Sometimes not.) There is no specific set time for the releases. While it's usually sometime Tuesday morning, sometimes it's later. I am not privy to this information.

      Some, but not all, publications run my column both online and in print. The column usually runs in print within two weeks after TCA has released the article. This print version usually runs in the Lifestyle/Travel section on Fridays or Sundays.

      To see some of the publications that run the column in print, check out the PressReader on Sundays. You can see the text view for free. To see the exact layout, you need to have a paid subscription.

      ETA: As of April 28, 2024, outlets like the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and Orlando Sentinel have (temporarily?) stopped appearing in the PressReader archives. I asked the PressReader about that. According to them, if the individual outlet does not send them digital files to upload, then the newspaper won't appear in their archives, even if the article has run in print. I do know that the Chicago Tribune has continued to run the column weekly in print, but I am not privy to their internal decisions.

      tl;dr I highly recommend setting notifications for your client on Google Alerts and Talkwalker Alerts. That way, you can see the various outlets that picked up the column to run online.

      Unfortunately, I cannot. I do not work for the individual newspapers, but rather the Tribune Content Agency news syndicate. My column runs in numerous outlets nationwide. One publication may run my work solely online, while another will run it only in print. Some may choose to run my column in both formats. But the individual publications do not send me links, hard copies or PDFs.

      There is a workaround. To see .pdf files of my syndicated GO AWAY WITH ... column, you can find my columns archived at the PressReader.com. Click on the three vertical dots and select Page View. To find specific articles, use the search option.  (NOTE: The PressReader has informed me that the Chicago Tribune has not provided them with digital files since May 2024. I do not know if the Trib will rectify this.)

      If you know the article ran in print, you may order them directly from the individual publications. For instance, the Chicago Tribune takes orders here.

      Newspapers do not send me any tearsheets, unfortunately. If you don't have a clipping service, you would have to contact the publication(s) to order them directly. For instance, the Chicago Tribune takes orders here.

      FWIW: Your local library is a great resource to check if your client's article ran in print. My column usually runs in one of three sections: Arts & Entertainment, Travel or Lifestyle.

      Unless I gave you a specific date when we set up the interview, I do not know. Columns sometimes get moved around, depending on what's more timely.

      I highly recommend setting notifications for your client on Google Alerts and Talkwalker Alerts. That way, you can see the various outlets that picked up the column.

      If you have specific conditions, please address them with your pitch. I can tell you beforehand if there will be any problems in meeting your request. For instance, I cannot promise you that the column will run on a specific date in a particular outlet. I will generally know when TCA will release the column, but not when it will be picked up by each individual publication. Similarly, I cannot promise you that the photo you submit is the one that will run. Sometimes, publications will opt for their own. Again, that is out of TCA's jurisdiction.

      I would love to respond to every single pitch I receive, but I simply do not have the time.

      Also, I often have responded to the first pitch saying I'm taking a pass. But if your firm continues to send the same pitch every couple of weeks with no new elements added, those emails are automatically deleted.

      Yes. We can do the interview via phone, Kakao or Zoom. All interviews will be recorded for accuracy and transcription purposes.

      The links are correct on my website, as well as the website for the Tribune Content Agency.

      As for the publications that subscribe to my column, this is what I have been told: If there is an underscore ("_") in the artist's username, it may go up incorrectly on some of the publications' sites. The individual sites then have to manually correct their errors.

      Please use my contact form here.

       

       

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