Robert Rich

Introduction

Robert Rich is a junior multimedia journalism major at the University of Texas at Austin. He was born in Palestine, Texas and graduated from Westwood High School in 2006. While there, he was editor-in-chief for the school’s newspaper, The Panther Press, serving in that capacity for three years. Working on the paper is what sparked his interest in journalism. He also participated in the Academic Decathlon his junior and senior year and was a member of the small school state champion team in both years.

Current Positions

After coming to UT, Rich joined the staff of the university’s award-winning newspaper The Daily Texan as an entertainment writer, reviewing music and movies, as well as profiling bands and reporting on local concerts. He served a temporary position, writing on a per issue basis, for two semesters before being hired permanently as a Senior Entertainment Writer this semester. Some of his notable works include profiles of the popular rock bands Dream Theater and Blue October, as well as a profile of the pop group Hanson.

In addition to his regular schoolwork and duties at The Daily Texan, Rich also writes a weekly column that appears in the Sunday edition of his hometown paper the Palestine Herald-Press. Titled "College 101,” the column deals with various subjects including his experiences while attending UT, as well as his thoughts and observations on popular news events and stories. He has been writing the column since January of 2007, and even stirred up some controversy in October 2007 after a shot he took at the boy band group The Backstreet Boys.

He is also an avid fan of music and books, most notably works by Chuck Palahniuk, author of the popular novel Fight Club. He puts this interest in entertainment into tangible form via Rob 'N Roll, a blog he runs through the popular Wordpress website. The blog includes links to various entertainment stories as well as new videos from popular musicians and bands from all genres.

Career Plans

After graduation, he hopes to become a writer for the online branch of an entertainment news service or possibly serve as a mobile journalist, taking photos and videos of concerts and artists and uploading them on the go.

Other Notable Works

From The Daily Texan:

• Moore's Sound All Grown Up

From the Palestine Herald-Press:

• Only 730 Shopping Days Until Christmas 2009!
• Current Strike Begs the Question: Where's The Love For Writers?