An interview with a San Francisco Journalist
An interview with a San Francisco Journalist
By Tara Giddings
Sitting outside under the sparkling lights and warmth radiating from heaters on a chilly November evening Gary Kamiya sips red wine as he discusses the achievements and surprises of his career. The bar Belle Cora is mere blocks away from Kamiya’s apartment in the area of North Beach, a prime spot for his to describe his life journey to success in the world of journalism.
A true Bay Area man, Kamiya was raised in Berkeley, California and attended Berkeley High, going on to study at Cal where he received a masters’s degree in English Literature. After spending years driving a cab he transitioned into writing and editing. Kamiya memorialized his love of the city by the bay with a book, “Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco”. He continues to share his knowledge of his hometown with a series published in the San Francisco Chronicle about many fascinating details in the history of San Francisco.
Kamiya is executive editor of San Francisco magazine, a facet of the company Modern Luxury, and a popular lifestyle magazine for the San Francisco elite. Until 2008 he worked as an excessive editor at Salon, an online magazine that he helped form. Kamiya describes how important the behind the scenes work of being an editor is, compared with the more notable job of being a writer.
Salon was one of the first online publications and Kamiya talks about the experience along side the ambient jazz music of the relaxed setting. Kamiya described the excitement as well as the struggles of starting an online publication, from the difficulties with paying staff to the simple fact that today most magazines, even the prestigious ones, are not making a real profit. Kamiya ended up choosing his passion for writing over money when he chose to step down as executive editor at Salon and write his own column instead. This decision ultimately lead to him losing his job during cutbacks due to the recession of 2008.
Kamiya’s writing has lead him to work on some important projects. According to Kamiya, he feels he stories regarding drug addiction and homelessness are the most impactful. He discusses the techniques used, as he says he tries to project a realistic depiction of homelessness, without judging or romanticizing the struggles these people go through. Despite working as a writing for many years Kamiya says he did not feel like a real reporter until he was assigned to go to the Tenderloin and see what was actually happening. Kamiya is proud of his work and seems motivated to continue his journey of telling the tales of San Francisco.
Upon the issues outside of the city, Kamiya is as worried about the future of the United States as many other Californians. He expresses worry about the current Republican administration lead by Donald Trump. Kamiya describes how he believes that many of the people who voted for and support Trump are not truly nasty or evil people, simply people frustrated with their current situation. The issue that many Americans are struggling to survive, not having jobs or enough money to live on, causes people to turn to anger and eventually leads to Trump. Kamiya continues to say that as a Democrat himself, he feels Democrats are too concerned with the world politics, not paying enough attention to the issues closer to home.
While the future of journalism may still be unknown, Kamiya keeps moving forward onto the next new idea, continuing to address the next real issue. Curiosity and drive seem to compel him to learn about the world around him, leading him to be humbly proud of the life he has built.
By Tara Giddings
Sitting outside under the sparkling lights and warmth radiating from heaters on a chilly November evening Gary Kamiya sips red wine as he discusses the achievements and surprises of his career. The bar Belle Cora is mere blocks away from Kamiya’s apartment in the area of North Beach, a prime spot for his to describe his life journey to success in the world of journalism.
A true Bay Area man, Kamiya was raised in Berkeley, California and attended Berkeley High, going on to study at Cal where he received a masters’s degree in English Literature. After spending years driving a cab he transitioned into writing and editing. Kamiya memorialized his love of the city by the bay with a book, “Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco”. He continues to share his knowledge of his hometown with a series published in the San Francisco Chronicle about many fascinating details in the history of San Francisco.
Kamiya is executive editor of San Francisco magazine, a facet of the company Modern Luxury, and a popular lifestyle magazine for the San Francisco elite. Until 2008 he worked as an excessive editor at Salon, an online magazine that he helped form. Kamiya describes how important the behind the scenes work of being an editor is, compared with the more notable job of being a writer.
Salon was one of the first online publications and Kamiya talks about the experience along side the ambient jazz music of the relaxed setting. Kamiya described the excitement as well as the struggles of starting an online publication, from the difficulties with paying staff to the simple fact that today most magazines, even the prestigious ones, are not making a real profit. Kamiya ended up choosing his passion for writing over money when he chose to step down as executive editor at Salon and write his own column instead. This decision ultimately lead to him losing his job during cutbacks due to the recession of 2008.
Kamiya’s writing has lead him to work on some important projects. According to Kamiya, he feels he stories regarding drug addiction and homelessness are the most impactful. He discusses the techniques used, as he says he tries to project a realistic depiction of homelessness, without judging or romanticizing the struggles these people go through. Despite working as a writing for many years Kamiya says he did not feel like a real reporter until he was assigned to go to the Tenderloin and see what was actually happening. Kamiya is proud of his work and seems motivated to continue his journey of telling the tales of San Francisco.
Upon the issues outside of the city, Kamiya is as worried about the future of the United States as many other Californians. He expresses worry about the current Republican administration lead by Donald Trump. Kamiya describes how he believes that many of the people who voted for and support Trump are not truly nasty or evil people, simply people frustrated with their current situation. The issue that many Americans are struggling to survive, not having jobs or enough money to live on, causes people to turn to anger and eventually leads to Trump. Kamiya continues to say that as a Democrat himself, he feels Democrats are too concerned with the world politics, not paying enough attention to the issues closer to home.
While the future of journalism may still be unknown, Kamiya keeps moving forward onto the next new idea, continuing to address the next real issue. Curiosity and drive seem to compel him to learn about the world around him, leading him to be humbly proud of the life he has built.
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