Three friends eager to explore their dreams bring a different type of celebrity news to the Internet. Combining their journalistic powers and bringing their dreams to life they created Hollyscoop.com.
Although competitors such as TMZ and Perez Hilton remain the most popular web publications Hollyscoop’s ability to present the matter as news instead of gossip gives them a professional edge.
“TMZ attracts more of a male audience and Perez Hilton focuses on the humiliation of certain celebrities said Diana Madison with a friendly smile. As part owner of Hollyscoop.com, she recognizes the differences in their target audiences. She is well aware of the obvious competition, however. Hollyscoop is more girl oriented she says, and so they do not feel the pressures of other outlets.
Hollyscoop.com is an online publication that does not ridicule celebrities. It is concentrated on reporting the pleasant truth to its fun and hip demographic.
The website features various sections that lead to movie-relevant news, or TV-relevant news. The home page is also an area for general celebrity information, should a website browser choose to search for it.
Madison and buddies Nora Gasparian and Ani Esmailian started Hollyscoop.com in 2006. Madison began writing blogs and building her personal reel for TV hosting, which was ultimately her dream job. Having worked for networks such as Entertainment Today and VH1, Madison’s jumpstart into the entertainment business catapulted the website into existence.
The team’s goal was clear from the beginning.
Our mission is to create a brand said Madison. A high energy interesting and informative website.”
The ladies wish to portray the truth and to cover all aspects of television film entertainment and fashion.
“There is too much reality on MTV stated Madison, who is very clear on her role as writer, editor and news presenter for the team. Their biggest fear is focusing too much on useless information and becoming another gossip website. In order to drift far away from this nightmare, Madison and the Hollyscoop team maintains its dignified position as accomplished writers and speakers, and vows to display the truth.
In addition to the online publication, the ladies produce and present their own Hollyscoop News Show. Similar to E! News, Madison hosts the show, interviewing celebrities and also giving a quick run down of local celebrity news.
One year ago, the ladies were hit up” about doing a news show on TV. Having made a pilot for the show the best friends never heard back from broadcasters and temporarily set that dream aside. In August the CW Network gave them two weeks to quickly create something (their first episode) and thus the Hollyscoop News Show was born.
The show airs every Sunday at midnight on KTLA channel 5. Currently only airing in Southern California the show hopes to eventually go national and maybe one day even international.
The number of lawsuits locally and worldwide for the falsifying of information has increased rapidly. Hollyscoop.com makes sure they do not get caught up in this whirlwind of litigation by gaining information themselves straight from a celebrity.
For example when Hollyscoop.com did an exclusive interview in Stephanie Pratt’s residence the Pratt sister told the online publication “I’m leaving The Hills…” Hollyscoop.com reported this news straight from her mouth. Embarrassed they couldn’t control their own network talents MTV tried to hassle Hollyscoop. But Hollyscoop knowing it was the truth and legitimate news posted this informative article online.
As a favorite part of their job the Hollyscoop team loves to report at red carpet events. Interviewing celebrities and receiving honest information is a treat for this publication that tries hard to move away from the regular gossipy tabloids. In addition to abstaining from gossip-type news when the publication obtains information from various sources they are sure to put their own spin on the newsworthy facts.
Despite all the Hollywood interaction maintaining a publication like this takes its toll. A typical day for Esmailian begins at 4:30 a.m. Gasparian also rises early to get through all the editorial chores that need to be handled for the day. Hollyscoop comes with many pros and cons but with the input of long work hours the ladies reap the benefits.
Having struggled to find jobs after graduating from college the three best friends voiced their happiness at being their own bosses. They have provided themselves positions they were previously denied at other publications that they preferred to not disclose.
“It’s a great feeling being your own boss said Madison.
Working long hours, writing scripts for their own show, doing editorial work in the office all day, the Hollyscoop team have their hands full. Although the workload appears overbearing sometimes, the ladies are thrilled to have the opportunity they created, and enjoy the Hollywood interaction.
The best thing about working at Hollyscoop is that they get to work with their best friends. At 27, all three women act like a family, which speeds up the work process. In addition to working with their friends, the team gets to pursue their dreams, and is regularly involved in the Hollywood scene.
Having worked her way from the bottom, Madison is clear on what she wishes to tell aspiring journalists.
Defining the bottom Madison says, I’m not saying go fetch coffee but I am saying focus on perfecting your skill as a journalist first.”
Emphasizing the importance of doing internships the Hollyscoop team explained their struggles in the journalism industry and the long road they took to get to their current position.
Partaking in random fieldwork to get a sense of your journalism identity and essentially “becoming comfortable in your skin” are two things Madison says are key to becoming a confident and good journalist. Constantly being alert and building up your own personal character are other traits the Hollyscoop team encourage young journalists to focus on in addition to perfecting writing and interviewing skills.
From unknown college graduates to owners of a successful publication the Hollyscoop ladies demonstrate the final product of a persevering team. The young women are now successful celebrity journalists with their own news show. Hollyscoop will soon expand coverage to include international news and outlets and providing celebrity news to three radio shows in Australia.
The soon-to-be major league player in the celebrity news game is on a fast track to fulfilling their ultimate dreams.