The Spectator

Chapter 3: A Guide to Repeating Outfits and Befriending Your Editor

     Ella chuckled, remembering when she first saw the photos. "Yeah, that was a fun one. I hate that guy."

     "Everyone does," Dan agreed. He opened the door for her when they got to the boardroom. Ella made a beeline for the complimentary bagel spread, greeting the other editors with a smile. She scanned the room as she sat down, offering Dan an everything bagel with cream cheese.

      "Ah, have I told you you're my favorite, minion mine?" He joked, taking a big bite.

     "I better be," She muttered playfully. Nate, previously missing, now entered the room. He smiled— did Ella imagine it or did he smile directly at her? No, it was just a magnanimous smile for all his employees, she was certain of it.

     "All of you might be wondering why I gathered you here today," Nate began, taking a dramatic tone that made Ella giggle to herself. Evil genius Nate was a side of him she'd grown to love during her time at the Spectator— and all his crazy plans always started with a meeting just like this. At least this time she would get to be a part of it. Nate heard the ruffle of laughter and it boosted his confidence. "Well, I know I've been dropping hints about something big I had in the works for a long time now. You've all been patient with me and I want you to know I appreciate it. But now it's time to let you guys in on the secret—and to hear your inevitable feedback, of course."

     There was another ripple of laughter. Nate smiled before he continued:

     "The Spectator is making some changes. We'll be unveiling a new app in a month and it's going to be all hands on deck to get it running."

      Ella's eyes grew large and round. An app? Nate clicked off the lights and started his presentation with the tiny remote in his hand.

     "I'll be creating a new department and staffing it within the next few weeks, but all of my editors are going to have some training so you can help run the app. Basically, the way the app will be organized is going to mirror our newsmagazine, a tab for politics, business, sports, lifestyle, etc," Images of a beautifully designed website and app flashed by, "You will hold the same responsibilities you do for your column except now there will be a new type of post you're responsible for beyond your usual column. With the help of whomever we staff the web department, it will be your responsibility to provide headlines for the feed on a daily basis.

     "This is going to be a massive undertaking, despite how short these posts will be, simply because of the sheer quantity of product we're going to have to churn out to stay relevant. However, I don't want to get stodgy on quality. We've worked hard to pull this newspaper out of its upscale tabloid era... and we want it to stay that way. We've already done some rearranging earlier this year, moving people from Lifestyle to our other columns and hiring new writers to fill in the gaps. We will be hiring again in the next few weeks to get some new blood for our web department, but I'll be willing to take transfers so long as you can easily manage two positions or have someone who can take over your original post. As per usual, this information is for your ears only. Let our ad campaign do the talking before we launch the app. Beyond that... any questions?"

     The board room erupted with hands in the air and questions shouted from every corner. Dan, meanwhile, sat stiffly with his arms crossed and Ella was frozen in her chair. He must have been planning this since before he'd hired her, but she still felt a rush of pride to have shared her ideas about this with him all those months ago. Glancing at Dan, she noted the crease between his brows and the grim set of his mouth. Somebody wasn't happy...

     Nate fielded the editors' many questions and had Karen take down the names of everyone who wanted a hand in the web app pie. Ella wanted to, but didn't raise her hand. This was her first board meeting, after all, surely he wouldn't want someone as inexperienced as her for this new project.