No. 17 Vol. 12
M
www.mypaperonline.com
December 2019
My Life Publications Editor Wins Media Award
By Steve Sears y Life Publications editor Megan Roche, who knows much about editing a writer’s work for publication, also is a fine writer in her own right. In fact, her talent just garnered her an accolade. Roche was named an International Pain Foundation 2019 Hero of Hope Award winner for a January 2019 cover story she wrote about singer and dancer Paula Abdul and her struggles with chronic pain for iPain Living Magazine. Roche, who won in the “Media-Journalist” category, and four other winners received their awards on November 15 at the Comic Pain Relief show in Los Angeles, CA. The award winners were recognized in the event program and received a trophy. “It was such an honor just to be nominated with so many other talented media companies and journalists,” says Roche. “To be honest, when the competition for public votes first began, I wasn’t sure I could actually pull it off. I am also someone who is a fierce competitor, so I wasn’t going to let this award go without a fight. When I got the phone call that I had been successful, I really couldn’t believe it. It meant so much to me to have as much public support as I did. I had so many people reaching out to me to let me know that they voted, had friends constantly sharing my link to vote on social media, I consistently asked people for votes, but I could not have done it without the support of all of those who voted. Whether you cast one vote or voted every single day from every single device you own, I am very humbled and very grateful for all your support.” Roche learned via a received email a few months after article publication that she had been nominated. The months of July and August were open to public voting, the second year in which the public decided the winner. More than 33,500 public votes were cast, and Roche was her category’s winner with 28.1% of the vote. Roche explains the background of the article which won her the honor. “I owe this all to someone who has been a part of my life for so many years. When I was 13, I fell in love with American Idol, just like pretty much every other teen at the time. I spent so much time reading up on contestants, learning songs that were sung each week, and I always imagined what it would be like to meet Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul.” Viewing the program led her to take a keen interest in Abdul’s career. “Like any other 13-year-old, I learned as much as I could about her and knew that I wanted to be just like her. When I first met her in 2007, it was a very emotional moment, one that I will
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never forget.” In 2018, when Roche learned that Abdul would be headlining at Morristown’s Mayo Center for the Arts, she - at that time a writer for the media outfit she now edits for - pitched the editorial team for the opportunity to interview Abdul. She scored the interview, but a few days after she had written and submitted the article, Abdul announced that due to production delays, she would not be able to open in Morristown as originally scheduled. Roche then searched for another viable angle and market for the piece. “Knowing that Paula suffers from chronic pain, I approached a charity that she has worked with for years to see if they would be interested in my article. The team at iPain Living Magazine gave me the okay and I reworked it and sent it in to hopefully be approved.” Although a familiar subject, Roche stressed over the process somewhat. “As any reporter will tell you, the best thing you can do for any interview is be prepared. When I got the approval to do an interview, it was very tough for me to come up with questions. I also knew that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to have any follow up questions. Throw in the fact that I had a time limit of 15 minutes, I knew this interview was going to continued on page 2
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