Today we’d like to introduce you to Brendan O’Connor.
Brendan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I kind of fell into journalism. I was working for the Urban Think Foundation and a local non-profit back in the day when I was kind of recruited to apply for a Calendar Editor position at Orlando Weekly. I had no business working for them at the time, and I know I frustrated a lot of the staff with my slow learning curve. Eventually, I found a voice there, with the help of Jessica Bryce Young, Erin Sullivan, Ashley Belanger, and Billy Manes. Matt Broffman had split off on his own from Orlando Sentinel to launch a hyper-local news blog, and he was heckling my boyfriend to quit his job with Ivanhoe Village Main Street to run the site, and to my man Scottie Campbell’s credit, he told Matt to hire me instead. And I said yes, and just tried not to burn it all down. And it kind of thrived.
Now we have a weekly radio show, and I’ve got a food and travel column with Orlando Magazine to keep things spicy.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think I’m physically able to find a smooth road option in life. There were obviously and continue to be some bumps. I’ll never be a millionaire doing this, hell I’m saving up to buy a car right now. But I know how important it is to do the work we’ve been doing at Bungalower and I’m really lucky to have that platform which gives me lots of other opportunities to try new things and keep my life interesting. I’ve been really lucky to have lovely mentors and friends who always let me pick their brains or support my weird ideas.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Bungalower Media is a hyper-local newsroom that covers headlines in Orlando’s downtown “bungalow neighborhoods” and Winter Park. I’m the editor-in-chief. Which is funny because there are only two employees. I don’t own Bungalower, but I sure do act like I do sometimes. Matt Broffman, the founder, still owns the company but we only really see him when I’m in trouble or the site needs some tech wizardry.
We made a name for ourselves by breaking stories before the larger outlets. I hear all the time from reporters from tv news programs that they get stories from us on a daily basis. Which I love.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love that Orlando is so receptive to new ideas and if you can get their attention, the city and people in power can totally help you make those ideas reality. I’m just impressed by the level of access you can get if you are confident and know your shizz.
The flip of that is, if you don’t know anyone, Orlando can be really tough. I hear all the time from local business owners who meet wall after wall with city permitting. A shop opened in Mills 50 a few years ago and the permitting people told them they needed to put a water fountain in the space. So they bought a fountain and had it installed, even though it seemed weird. Then months later when they called in for reinforcements from higher up (someone they knew through pickleball or something) they were told they didn’t need the fountain ad a number of other things that had been communicated. Things like that happen too much. And if you don’t advocate for yourself or push back, Orlando can chew you up.
