We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristen Maldonado. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristen below.
Kristen, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Growing up in a Puerto Rican and Dominican American household, my parents always taught in me that in order to be successful I had to work harder than anyone else. To me, being Latina has always meant being a hustler. It makes me really proud to look at everything I’d been able to accomplish on my own due to my drive and ambition. Now I’m at a place where I can share my experience and connections to help usher in the next generation of entertainment journalists, especially women and people of color. I want to help them have an easier time getting into this industry than I had.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
At Pop Culture Planet, we cover the world of entertainment while also shining a light on representation and inclusion. The road to launching an entertainment outlet has been unexpected, but full of joy and learning experiences. I went the unconventional route of starting in the social media space to eventually get to where we are today. There have been so many rewarding parts of my work — from doing a set visit of a Hallmark Christmas movie to interviewing stars at red carpet events! I also love mentoring so it’s been incredible to see how the website has expanded with contributors and interns and getting a chance to help them get a foot in the door when it comes to the entertainment space.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I consider myself a jack of all trades and what’s unique about my experience building Pop Culture Planet is that I’ve needed all of those skills to take this outlet to the next level. I’m constantly brainstorming ideas, pitching them to press, analyzing film and television, recording myself on camera, writing pieces, editing them, and socializing our posts. It’s really the job of several teams at a big corporation, whereas I’ve been doing all of this on my own. I learn best from doing, so I think it’s important to get your work out there even if its not perfect. You will learn and improve over time. Take a class or look at what other people you admire are doing to help get ideas of what works and doesn’t. After that, just stay consistent. You can’t fail if you never give up.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
When I was a kid, I was really shy and quiet. My mom would hear me singing in the shower and decided to sign me up for musical theater classes. I was terrified, but I did it. It broke me out of my shell and was a defining moment that changed my life. That led to me studying theater in college until I joined the radio station at my school. That ultimately helped me make the decision to combine my love of performance and talking and entertainment with journalism. I switched my major and went all in on entertainment journalism as a career path. I’m so thankful for that, especially for how supportive my entire family is of my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.popcultureplanet.net
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kaymaldo1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/popcultureplanet
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenmaldonado/
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kaymaldo
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/kaymaldo
- Other: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critics/kristen-maldonado/movies
Image Credits
Dave Kotinsky, Theo Wargo
