A note from Arin ~
a teen with a view
In the spring of 2007, I was a bit of what you might call a Jonas Brothers fan. I had a membership to their fan club, posters on my wall, and their music on repeat. Just like any other 7th grader, I wanted to meet those three boys who were taking over the world. I set my sights on getting an interview with them after seeing Karleigh and Katie, a pair of sisters on YouTube who got to interview them numerous times. I figured if they could do it, why couldn’t I?
It’s weird to think that something as crazy as a 7th grade dream could turn into what I did for the better part of high school and now the beginning of college. In the summer of 2009, I was granted my first interview with the Jonas Brothers’s opening act, Honor Society, and the pure excitement and joy that I felt during that 15 minute phone call fueled a passion in me that I didn’t realize I had. I have always loved music, but I thought I would end up getting more involved in something related to science and technology. Three years, a few hundred interviews, and around a hundred concerts later, I’m in college as an Entertainment and Arts Management major and couldn’t be more excited.
Rejection can be a difficult part of life, but had I not pushed through and kept trying, I may have never discovered something that I really loved. Remember that you can do whatever you set your mind to and the world is at your fingertips. If you have a passion for it, chase it and be the person you want to be!
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Scottsdale Teen follows her Journalistic Dream
Wednesday, Nov. 10
By Jason Pacini
Arin Segal had always been a math and science kind of kid, but that all changed when she discovered the Jonas Brothers. From then on, she had one thought on her mind: how to meet them.
“I spent all of 8th grade…calling and emailing and researching every single magazine and newspaper and anything that would really be a way for me to interview them,” she said.
After months of rejection by over 30 magazines and publicists, she finally got her first break. The Jonas Brothers’ publicist granted Segal an interview with the opening act, Honor Society. Segal said that after that interview, she knew this is what she loved to do.
Her journalism career took off from there and for the next year, the Scottsdale teen did something her peers could only dream of doing: hang out with celebrities on a regular basis. She now writes for azTeen Magazine, Broken Records in Stanton Island and Zooey Magazine in Los Angeles, among others.
In 2009, she single-handedly began a website dedicated to interviewing television celebrities, famous musicians and everyone in between. The site, ateenview.com, has grown popular enough recently to earn the 16-year-old backstage passes to most big-name concerts and events throughout Arizona and parts of California, but it has not been an easy process.
“I can get into a decent amount now, but six months ago I couldn’t get into almost anything,” she said. With persistence, her credentials slowly grew. Sending over 50 emails per day and contacting every news organization is now a regular routine for Segal in an effort to do what she loves.
Her motivation for all her journalistic efforts comes not from the perks of rubbing elbows with celebrities or potentially profiting from her growing website, but rather from showing the world the side of celebrities the media usually ignores.
“To actually talk to the person and see what they are like, I think that’s what motivates me to do what I am doing,” she said, adding that news should focus on what an artist contributes to the music industry instead of trivial relationship issues.
Lisa Stuart, publicist at Levosia Entertainment, has worked with Segal for number of months. As Stuart explains, Segal is “wise to establish relationships with other ‘up and comers’ who are pursuing their career of choice.” This, in turn, “allows her to gain valuable experience to grow as a journalist as well as grow with the artists she follows and covers.”
These valuable experiences, like hearing “no” an uncountable number of times before finally hearing one “maybe,” has helped Segal gain a sense of the real world. “I’ve learned so many communication skills and I’ve learned how to present myself as a mature adult and how to interact with adults in the work world,” she said. “And that’s something that I think is going to help me all throughout life.”
Other experiences, like learning to stay calm and collected when taking to celebrities, will set Segal apart from other journalists, according to Michelle Burgess, editor-in-chief at azTeen Magazine.
“You have to be able to talk to all kinds of people without getting flustered or tongue-tied and Arin is adept at that,” she said. “The biggest problem with teens and interviewing is that their questions are forced and they are afraid of ‘white space’ in a conversation.”
Burgess said Segal is able to get interviews with so many celebrities because she is “willing to pursue a subject until they agree.” And that has been a large part of Segal’s journalistic success, especially after hearing “no” from so many magazines and publicists.
“Perseverance is the key to everything,” Segal said. “Having the drive to get something done is what will get it done, no matter who you are or where you live or what your connections are to start with.”