Last week, Los Angeles Daily News reporter Greg Hernandez unexpectedly joined the mounting ranks of the the laid off when he was handed a pink slip and told to clear out his desk.
Hernandez explained in the last post on his Daily News blog, Out in Hollywood:
I lost my job today.
Even as my co-workers were losing their jobs all around me, I remained blissful in writing columns and feature stories and, of course, this blog. Fingers banging on the keyboard, not an employment care in the world. .
I was officially informed Monday afternoon that it was to be my last day on payroll at the paper which has undergone deep cuts in recent months.
That was the day after Hernandez had given in-depth coverage of the Oscars on his News blog.
Gay reporter goes from layoff to web-media mogul in 7 days [contd.]
In the bio `graph on that blog, Hernandez said this of the semi-official blog that covered "all things pop culture through a gay man's eyes":
"News Lite" columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News, gives you a fly-on-the-wall account of the Oscars and other awards show, movie premieres, film festivals and various star-studded events.
His layoff announcement was the last post on his News-hosted blog, but the paper allowed Hernandez to take the archives. In less than a week, Hernandez re-emerged on the web with a new blog, Greg In Hollywood.
He explained that he managed to launch the new blog with the help of a talented group of friends who came together to offer technical and design help. "It will be similar but somehow, I think it will be more provocative and hard-hitting now that I am a free agent," Hernandez said of his new adventure.
And in the two days since the launch, Hernandez has shown that he'll become an even more important voice on the web as he covers Hollywood from a gay perspective, but without the snarkiness that's typical of the genre.
(And yes, as I take three months to launch a new version of this site, I recognize just how outshined I am - REv.)
Last modified: 25 Apr 09 05:05
gay business