Brian Mastroianni is a multimedia journalist, news junkie, writer, and film buff who is passionate about storytelling. Whether writing articles for print, reporting in front of the camera, or tweeting about the day’s headlines, his love of the news covers the expanse between both old and new media. Brian’s interest in journalism really stems from a curiosity to meet new people and a desire to help tell their stories.
Brian’s written work has been featured on CBSNews.com, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Movies, read on-air by anchors at New England Cable News, and published in the pages of The Berkshire Eagle, The Advocate Weekly, Berkshire Magazine, Edible Berkshires and Brown Medicine Magazine. Brian currently works at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, MA, a newspaper with a circulation on 30,000. Covering everything from hard news to features, Brian has explored all parts of The Eagle’s newsroom, working as a page designer, copy editor and substitute Online Editor. Brian graduated with honors from Brown University in 2011, and earned a A.B. in English and Literary Arts. During his undergrad years in Providence, RI, he worked extensively in student media. He worked as a Features Editor and writer for The Brown Daily Herald, and served as a co-executive producer and on-camera correspondent for “25:36″ –– an online talk show he co-founded on campus. During his time at Brown, Brian interned in the newsrooms of The Berkshire Eagle, New England Cable News, and the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. At CBS, he learned from the best of the best, working as an intern for the Evening News’ Emmy-winning Investigative Unit, conducting research for producers, writing bylined articles, and collecting data for ProPublica, CBS News, and Sarsota Herald-Tribune’s Tainted Drywall project.
Starting in August 2013, Brian will be moving on to a new chapter in his life and career by attending the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he will pursue a M.A. in Arts and Culture Journalism. Brian likes nothing more than to engage people in a great conversation in order to learn more about their passions. He has interviewed celebrities like actress Laura Linney, Emmy-winning “Monk” star Tony Shalhoub and soul and R&B legend Aaron Neville; local politicians and education leaders like Holyoke mayor Alex Morse and Brown president Ruth Simmons; contributed Election 2012 coverage for Yahoo! News and investigative research for CBS News; and along the way, has met with everyone from Canadian fiddle players to four-year-old blue grass musicians, and found some time to take a relaxing hike with some friendly llamas.
Brian also loves telling stories beyond journalism. A lover of all kinds of art, Brian is a movie buff and theatre fan and enjoys creative writing. For his undergraduate honors thesis, he wrote a full-length play, and hopes to continue to pursue his creative interests. He worked as the Press Agent and Assistant to the Artistic Director of Berkshire Actors Theatre for its 2012 Summer Season. Born in Chile, but raised in the Berkshires of Western, MA, Brian is looking forward to more challenges and a chance to tell new stories.
