Rob
09-09-2006, 04:19 PM
Today was the first of two days of interviewing the 13 finalists for our 2006 Critics Team, and dammit if this isn't SO much harder than I thought it would be. We have 13 finalists and only three positions to fill, which means ten of these folks have to be eightysixed. And they were all excellent, which makes it so much more complicated!
Scarica and I had already narrowed it down from 107 applicants to 13 finalists, which I thought would be the tough part. Almost half answered the infamous "don't answer this question" Question 13, so that eliminated the ones who couldn't follow instructions, and we eventually got it down to about 20. Getting from 20 down to 13 was a stretch, because we received so many great applications, and in the end, we had to say, "Which of these applications do we like just a little bit better?"
But it doesn't compare to today, when we met a bunch of these nice folks in person. There are so many things to take into consideration: Which ones have the best writing skills? Which ones can reach our target demographics? Which ones will fit in best with the team we're assembling? Which ones are the most reliable?
I really wish we could take everyone we met today. But sadly, ten of them aren't going to make the final cut.
I will say this, though. This year's team, once fully assembled, should be the best and strongest Critics Team we've ever had at Haunted Denver. The people who will benefit the most from this elimination process are you, our readers, who will get the benefit of reading each of these people's perspectives on all the haunts in town. And I think you'll all be really excited by what's in store.
Scarica and I had already narrowed it down from 107 applicants to 13 finalists, which I thought would be the tough part. Almost half answered the infamous "don't answer this question" Question 13, so that eliminated the ones who couldn't follow instructions, and we eventually got it down to about 20. Getting from 20 down to 13 was a stretch, because we received so many great applications, and in the end, we had to say, "Which of these applications do we like just a little bit better?"
But it doesn't compare to today, when we met a bunch of these nice folks in person. There are so many things to take into consideration: Which ones have the best writing skills? Which ones can reach our target demographics? Which ones will fit in best with the team we're assembling? Which ones are the most reliable?
I really wish we could take everyone we met today. But sadly, ten of them aren't going to make the final cut.
I will say this, though. This year's team, once fully assembled, should be the best and strongest Critics Team we've ever had at Haunted Denver. The people who will benefit the most from this elimination process are you, our readers, who will get the benefit of reading each of these people's perspectives on all the haunts in town. And I think you'll all be really excited by what's in store.