Kid Reporter Alumni Spotlight: Brennan LaBrie

Don’t miss your chance to apply for the TFK Kid Reporter program! Applications are due June 15. We’re looking for up to 10 kids to join our team for the coming school year.

Brennan LaBrie, from Washington State, joined the TFK Kid Reporter crew in 2009. Now he works as a freelance journalist in New York City. “TIME for Kids transformed my life,” LaBrie says. “It launched my journalism career before I even entered middle school, and helped instill a passion for the craft.”

LaBrie says that his time as a TFK Kid Reporter was “packed with highlights.” But one memory stands above the others: “Covering the 2010 Winter Olympics, in Vancouver, B.C., as the youngest credentialed journalist at the Games [above].”

Read more from him below.

Think you have what it takes to be a TFK Kid Reporter? Now’s your chance! Visit timeforkids.com/kid-reporter to apply by June 15.

TFK: How is journalism a part of your life now?

Brennan: I’m proud to say that, 16 years after my stint as a TFK Kid Reporter, I’m still a journalist. I write articles for newspapers across New York City as a freelancer. I cover a wide range of topics, but I’m most drawn to stories on education, housing, and the environment. Just like I did for my TFK work, I like to put people and their voices at the center of all my articles.

I also run a club for early-career journalists in NYC with a grant I earned from the Society of Professional Journalists. I host monthly meetups for freelance journalists to meet, share story ideas, and talk about their careers. And I send out monthly newsletters and manage a chat group where we refine pitches and collaborate on stories. My goal is to foster a space where journalists like myself can grow our careers together.

As a TFK Kid Reporter, I realized journalism was my dream career. I’ve taken breaks a few times, but I always find my way back to journalism, and I know it’s what I want to do with my life.

What’s your favorite memory of being a TFK Kid Reporter?

My year as a TFK Kid Reporter was packed with highlights. The clear standout, though, was covering the 2010 Winter Olympics, in Vancouver, B.C., as the youngest credentialed journalist at the Games.

My mom drove us two hours north to Vancouver. For a week, we went from event to event, interviewing athletes, Olympic officials, and other journalists (many of whom interviewed me back). I got to file articles from the media centers alongside journalists writing for outlets from the world, and talk to medalists such as Shaun White, Hannah Teter, and Apolo Ohno. It remains one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, and I still talk about it all the time.

What impact did being a TFK Kid Reporter have on your life and/or career?

TIME for Kids transformed my life. It launched my journalism career before I even entered middle school, and helped instill a passion for the craft.

I didn’t study journalism in college—I majored in global studies and communications—but I got an early crash course in the field during my year with TFK. I learned the fundamentals of reporting, and even got pretty good at video journalism, an increasingly important skill in the trade. Every cover letter I write for journalism jobs includes my year as a TFK Kid Reporter, as it was a foundational step in my life and career.

People often joke that entry level jobs want you to come in with at least five years of experience. Thanks to TFK, I can technically say that, at age 26, I have 16 years of journalism experience!

What advice would you give kids applying for this year’s contest?

As a journalist, our jobs are all about telling stories. This is your chance to tell your story. For my application to TFK, I told the story of who I am through the things that made me feel lucky. I included everything from my family and hometown to my favorite activities, such as chess, tennis, and even scrambling around on rocks.

If telling your story feels hard, I get it; I always find it challenging to write about myself. The fact that you’re interested in becoming a TFK Kid Reporter means you’re a curious, interesting person with a unique story to tell—and TFK wants to hear it. You got this.

Anything else to share?

TFK opens the door to opportunities, people, and adventures you’d unlikely have access to otherwise. I’m so lucky TFK gave me a shot 16 years ago, and I hope my story inspires a few kids to embark on this adventure.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.