Born in Ottawa, raised in London, and a graduate of the University of Toronto's political science program and Seneca College's journalism program, Matthew Kang moved to Kitchener-Waterloo in 2010 from Bonn, Germany where he was working as a reporter for the English service of Deutsche Welle, Germany's international broadcaster. Matthew first worked as a TV reporter with CTV Kitchener. He was later recruited in 2013 by the CBC to help establish a brand new radio and digital station for Waterloo Region and the surrounding area.
What do you do?
I work as a journalist with the CBC in Kitchener-Waterloo. My primary role is reporting for radio and the web, but I really do a little bit of everything including producing, editing, photography and shooting video. Our work is mostly for local audiences in Waterloo Region, but some of our bigger stories often get featured across the country.
Aside from the news, my other main thing is b-boying, or breakdancing, if you can believe it! I've been dancing since 1999 and I'm in one of Canada's most well known crews, Ground Illusionz, which is based in Toronto/Mississauga.
How do you stay up to date with trends in your industry/field?
I try to consume all kinds of media and dissect how interesting pieces are put together and executed.
One thing I often do is look at pieces that aren't news related, and see what inspiration I can collect and apply to news stories in terms of presentation. It's the same way a DJ will sample old records for sounds to make new beats. One particular project that I am feeling right now is RedBull's online videos on music.
I also like to check out interviews of other journalists and creative people in other fields to see how they describe their day and workflow process. Whether it's Brian Williams, Karl Lagerfeld or Tokimonsta, I'm interested to know more.
What are your top five applications or programs?
These are the ones I use the most these days for work:
DaletPlus - For audio editing.
Adobe Premiere
Photoshop
Polopoly - A content management program we use at the CBC for all our online stories.
Best way to stay on top of email?
Check often, reply quickly and be pre-emptive about marking all the email that isn't important to you as "read".
What is your best time-saving trick?
Prioritize your tasks, make lists, and work smart. Also, find time to take a break. You get a surge of energy when you come back to whatever you're doing.
One non-tech thing you can’t live without?
Meaningful face to face conversation. It's even more important and special now in the age of text messages and social media.
What does your workspace look like?
I try to keep my desk clean so I actually have space to work and lay things out. I always have a pen and notepad ready to go as well.