Local journalist and author Robert Digitale will kick off Santa Rosa Junior College’s Art’s and Lectures presentations Sept 10th to share what he’s learned during his professional career.
“What I want to talk to young people about is: can you look for opportunities, because they may be out there. They just may be different than the opportunities available for me when I started in my business 30 years ago,” Digitale said.
Digitale has reported for the Press Democrat for more than 30 years, covering topics ranging from agriculture and real estate to education. He considers himself an anomaly in an industry that’s been cut in half in less than a decade.
“I’m unusual in having my whole career not just in one industry, but in one newspaper,” Digitale said. “If you’re a working journalist today, you’re a survivor.”
Part of what has helped Digitale to not only survive, but thrive in the industry is his ability to branch off from doing more than just traditional journalism. This last year, he conceived “Sonoma Square Murder Mystery,” a serial novella written by himself and 15 other writers who he recruited personally.
“It’s another example of doing something a little different,” Digitale said. “It’s a different vehicle than most of my colleagues have participated in.”
The stories ran in the Press Democrat, and are featured online on “Digitale Stories,” an online story-telling blog that Digitale hosts on www.pressdemocrat.com.
Digitale also hit the presses in another fashion this year, publishing his first novel, “Horse Stalker,” a fantasy that North Bay Bohemian described as, “A magical adventure.” The work is another example of Digitale’s passion for storytelling and ability to work outside the confines of traditional newspaper writing.
“You do this because you love it. What comes of it in terms of financial success or acclaim, that’s a separate matter,” Digitale said. “The people I work with and the people in journalism are storytellers. We do this because it’s what we really love to do.”
Digitale’s spiritedness in an industry with such an unforeseeable future can offer much insight to students waiting to enter the professional world. His presentation will begin at noon at the Newman Auditorium on the Santa Rosa Campus.