An editor once said, “Just go out there and talk to people, I’m not looking for Watergate.”

I've been following this advice ever since and by now I'm a darn good talker. But I always stop long enough to listen. After all, I want to hear (and hopefully write about) the amazing stories ya'll tell me.

A story can start with a lead, a thought, an idle conversation, or an idea you've been pondering, but they all evolve through communication, i.e. talking to people. Lots of people. Real people. In the real world. I'm a huge fan of primary sources.

It's time for a proper introduction. Hi, I'm Alison Hill, a journalist, writer, producer, author, radio commentator, and content creator with more than 25 years in the media trenches. I write articles, columns, essays, features, blogs, Q&As, books, and sponsored content. I'm a New York Times stringer and I also create instructional videos and marketing materials. I'm originally from Wales (Cymru) in Great Britain, and I'm a fluent speaker of our indigenous language, Cymraeg (Welsh).

A veteran journalist, I've done it all from covering politics and undercover work to writing blogs and commerce roundups.

I bring integrity, diligence, efficiency, honesty, and professionalism to every project I undertake. I'm published in national and regional US publications, and in Wales, UK, including Writer's Digest, WritersDigest.com, NYTimes.com. Ms., Scout Life, Videoscope, YourTango.com, Encyclopedia Britannica Reviews, Walter, Raleigh Magazine, Observer, and Nation.Cymru. I'm an Emmy nominated television producer, director, and a BBC Radio commentator since 2001.

As a seasoned storyteller and a skillful interviewer, I've covered national and international political and social issues, from presidential elections, to human trafficking and prison recidivism. I've also created entertainment shows for television and marketing materials for businesses. From concept development through post production, I've done it all: writing, directing, researching, shooting, audio, producing, interviewing, editing, hosting, and narrating.

I've interviewed hundreds of people from all backgrounds: Hollywood celebrities, government officials, politicians on both sides of the Atlantic, activists, business owners, doctors, unhoused youths, crime victims, community leaders, cryptozoologists ... to name just a few.

My goal is to inform, challenge, and inspire through a variety of mediums.

My assignments have taken me undercover with an alleged cult where I filmed with a hidden camera, on an 8-hour ride-along with the Denver PD, researching alien abduction cases in Wales, and teaching school children how to video and document the frequency of low flying military jets.

My broadcast journalism and producer credits include S4C (Channel 4 Wales), ITV1 Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, Tinopolis, BBC Radio, BBC television news, PBS Channel 12 Colorado, TellUrVision, Town of Chapel Hill, and BBC Cymru Fyw.

I’ve also worked as a weekly newspaper reporter, hosted two PBS shows and was a panelist on a BBC TV show filmed at the Newseum in Washington D.C.

I'm the author of “The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism,” and “Media Ready, Media Savvy, The Media Workbook for Authors."

My article: I'm a Writer Who Hates Pitching – Help! was featured in the Writer's Market 100th Edition, and my work is also included in several anthologies, including Lessons Learned the Hard Way.

I want to share some of the things I've learned on this fascinating journey. If you're an aspiring citizen journalist, a writer who's itching to be published, or just someone interested in the craft of journalism, I hope you'll join me.

Alison Hill