While the Daily Lobo editors were finishing their issues on print night, former culture editor Daniel Ward would finish early and recite Shakespeare across the hall, manifesting both his reporter and thespian sides to life. With a double major in English and in journalism, Ward is stepping out into the professional world to pursue his love of acting and writing.
Ward is continuing from the Daily Lobo having completed a successful career as a senior reporter and a prominent tenure as editor of the culture desk. Ward originally sought out journalism as a means of infusing his passion for writing and connecting with people. Media journalism was also a way to support his pursuit towards a career in the film industry.
Shortly after graduating from CNM with associate degrees in English and pre-law, Ward found the humble booth of the Daily Lobo at a jobs fair where former Editor-in-Chief Justin Garcia wrote his name down.
“He was one of the most reliable reporters. I could always count on him to turn in his stories on time. And they were always well written,” Garcia said. “Just reading his stories I could tell he was interested in what he was writing about.”
Ward’s initial interest in culture led him to networking with and interviewing artists, performers and international filmmakers to better understand the film industry.
“One of the bigger ones that made me super excited was when UMI came to (UNM) to perform. And I was like, ‘This is going to be super cool, I get to interview an artist, she's kind of famous. And a lot of people kind of know about her,’” Ward said.
But to his discouragement, the interview was only conducted over email. Ward would later turn this experience into a learning moment, however.
“I wanted it to be a Zoom interview and I wanted to meet her. I started to realize that if I want to get into the field, where I'm interviewing people on a red carpet, or whatnot, I have to do this first,” Ward said. “It's a slow climb up the ladder of success to get to where I want to be. And that's where it starts.”
And surely enough, the thespian reporter would cash in on his lesson a few weeks later when he conducted an interview with Spanish film director Jaume Balagueró for a review on his film “The Vault” — a journalism career highlight for Ward.
Before working for the Lobo, Ward was a production assistant for the TV show “Briarpatch” in the summer of 2019. However, joining the Daily Lobo team did not stop Ward’s ability to succeed in multiple facets. He also balanced a freelance tutor job along with work at Twisters.
Ward currently has an internship at the Santa Fe Film Festival as the director of the cinematic journal. He is in charge of interviewing and writing stories on actors, artists and producers.
His interests in film and production were fostered by his parents, who encouraged his early involvement in theater. Ward recalled his first time on set with his father, and said this was the moment he decided he wanted to pursue acting.
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“[The set] had unlimited snacks and food. And I was like, ‘Wow, I can sit around here, wait to get on camera and basically get paid to eat the snacks. This is awesome.’ … And that's where I was like ‘I want to be an actor,’” Ward said.
Ward’s love of theater originated at a young age when his mother introduced him to Shakespeare, which has always stood out in his mind.
“My mom would teach us Shakespeare in a very unique way,” Ward said. “She would print out paper dolls of the characters in the Shakespeare play, and then we put them up on these wooden block stands, and then we would make paper plays, and act out the play as we're reading along and studying.”
Moving forward, Ward wants to spend more time with his family, and even hopes to create a documentary profiling his great-grandfather’s life. Although this is the end of his undergraduate college education, it is definitely not the end of his success.
Gabriel Biadora is a beat reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @gabrielbiadora
Tina Memarian is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo
