Columnist

Practical Effects is based in New York. We have several opportunities for new columnists across our publications The Green Letter and Now Frolic.

About Now Frolic
A new publication from Practical Effects, Now Frolic elevates compelling stories in travel, the outdoors, and civic life infused with personal narrative and global perspective. Now Frolic is advertiser- and sponsor-funded, and backed with funds from Practical Effects during audience development. We will publish online and as a newsletter.

Now Frolic will initially publish four times per month. Publication volume will increase based on audience traction and advertiser commitment, increasing opportunities for original columnists as well as creating space for additional writers.

Available Opportunities at Now Frolic
Four columnist opportunities are available:

–> Skate & Bike: Essays, interviews, and coverage of events, experiences, and lifestyle within the skate and bike community. Subjects may include skateboarding, mountain biking, commuter biking, surfing, snowboarding, bicycle racing, longboarding, roller skating, and more. This vertical aims to cover the outdoors, while bridging the gap between urban and rural.

–> Travel: Coverage of diverse types of travel, from tours, hotels, and cruises, to music festivals, backpacking, unique activities, travel budgeting, holiday travel, family, and more. Topics may include a focus on the travel industry from a business perspective, or experiences from a personal perspective. Inspire and inform, while remaining authentic.

–> Civic Life: In a divisive political environment, our Civic Life coverage aims to bring people together, elevating local stories with global perspective. By re-centering the care, connection, and community that make democracies strong, we aim to elevate empathy and create connection. While we expect there will be a political angle in some pieces, coverage of farmers’ markets, local libraries, schools and education, protests, advocacy forums, religious communities, and local sports should celebrate an inclusive society. This vertical is explicitly and ethically progressive, but should remain mostly apolitical in tone.

–> Nightlife: Essays, interviews, and coverage of events, experiences, and lifestyle around nightlife. Music, DJs, bars, cocktails, drugs, costumes, the dating scene, sober curious trends, late night gossip: this vertical is your playground. We encourage you to get creative, with coverage of personal stories, the business community, lifestyle, and more. Stories elevate the local or the personal to a universal and relatable perspective, ensuring what we say about nightlife in New York, Atlanta, London, or Madrid is relevant and interesting to curious readers everywhere.

Columnist Role
As a columnist, you will shape how Now Frolic covers your vertical. Articles must be at least 500 words in length. You will write one article per month, with the option for higher frequency depending on audience traction and advertiser interest.

Now Frolic does not require a pitch for each piece. Approval is required for any project requiring additional budget, e.g., tickets, product purchases, travel, drinks. Initial budgets will be modest while advertiser interest in our audience develops.

Content may include interviews, reviews, investigations, commentary, essays, personal experiences, or events coverage. Approval required for articles primarily consisting of lists.

Compensation
This is a contract position. Columnists will be compensated $100 per article, plus approved expenses, and a 5% share of profits from Now Frolic.

Per article compensation will increase with publication growth. Profit sharing is immediately available, and expires should the columnist cease writing for Now Frolic. Permanent vesting of columnist profit share is available based on tenure.

How to Apply
Email publisher@practical.nyc, and please include the following:

– Which column you are applying to write
– Why you are passionate about covering the vertical
– Two example topic pitches (one sentence each).
– Link to your portfolio or existing written work you are proud of

Please apply to cover one column only. All applicants will receive a response.

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About The Green Letter
The Green Letter is a business-focused newsletter published by Practical Effects covering the cannabis industry and community. Primary coverage consists of feature interviews with business owners, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs in cannabis. The Green Letter is ad-funded and supported by Practical Effects. Publication and distribution is by private email list.

Political Focus & Format
Regulation, both at the national and state level, is crucially important for the nascent cannabis industry. The Green Letter aims to be a leading source for cannabis industry news, including political developments and regulatory changes at every level of government. To achieve this, we have created a new Political Columnist role, focused on briefing our readers on the political landscape and analyzing how regulatory changes may impact the industry.

The Political Columnist Role
The Political Columnist will be responsible for producing one article per month covering relevant political news and developments in cannabis. Articles must be at least 500 words in length.

An article may take the form of several short briefs, each summarizing a relevant item of news (e.g., state-level packaging and advertising regulations, FDA notices, or statements from the DEA about rescheduling), or take shape as a longer-form analysis of a single important political issue (e.g., a political candidate’s position on cannabis or the rollout of dispensary licensing in a new state market).

Content is subject to approval, review, and editing by the editorial staff of The Green Letter. While the columnist will be largely autonomous, collaboration and communication are crucial to success in this role, and assignments may be given when important news items cross the desk.

The submission deadline is the 25th of each month, and articles will be published on the final day of the month.

Willingness to travel occasionally for political events (e.g., town halls) is desired. In the event of any travel, all logistics and expenses will be arranged and covered by The Green Letter.

Compensation
This is a contract position. Columnists will be compensated $100 per article, plus approved expenses.

How to Apply
Email publisher@practical.nyc and include the following:

– Why you are passionate about covering cannabis political news
– Background information, link to your portfolio, or existing written work you are proud of