Campus Celebrity – Eric Haftel

 Junior Eric Haftel just transferred to Kean and is way more than just a new reporter for the Tower; with nearly 300 youtube subscribers and 200,000 views for his videos, Eric Live on the Air showcases Eric’s exclusive interviews with bands and celebrities.  He was recently chosen as a featured journalist by the Creative Spotlights Website (check it out here).  
 
Eric combines his love for music and sports with journalism to pursue the career of his dreams. Regardless of your entertainment interests you are bound to have heard of one of the big names our campus celeb has interviewed! Eric’s experience in journalism is pretty impressive for a college student and with such an outgoing personality don’t be surprised if you catch this expert interviewer on your TV sometime soon!  
 
HC Kean: What is your major? Why did you choose to pursue it?
Eric Haftel: I am a Communications major with a focus in Journalism.
 
HCK:How long have you been writing for the student newspaper, the Tower?  What is your favorite part about being involved in it?
EH:I just started with The Tower this semester and I have enjoyed being able to go out and cover the stories that I enjoy such as sports. 
 
HCK:Are you involved in any other groups or organizations on campus?
EH:No I am not. I do a lot outside so I don’t have much time.
 
HCK:Can you tell us about your experience in journalism outside of school?
EH:I have been involved in the industry for about 5 years now working with websites such as Yahoo, The Alternative Press and The Sound Alarm.
 
I have interviewed over 200 celebrities including Ralph Nader during his campaign for president, Abigail Breslin, NFL player Jarvis Green, MLB player Brian Schneider, NHL player Martin Brodeur as well as countless bands including All Time Low, Mayday Parade and Hilton Valentine from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, The Animals.  I also had the opportunity to cover many professional sport teams including, The Philadelphia Phillies, The New Jersey Devils and The Somerset Patriots.  I have journalism experience with radio, online video, and online writing.
 
HCK:What are some of the other bands that you have interviewed? Is there one interview that sticks out as being the most interesting or exciting?
EH:Well as I said previously I have interviewed bands such as All Time Low (below), Mayday Parade and Hilton Valentine from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, The Animals. I have also interviewed bands like We The Kings, Cute Is What We Aim For and The Academy Is…

To be honest, I am proud of absolutely everything I put out there. If I weren’t proud of it, then I wouldn’t put it out there for the world to see. It is important to see the best in yourself because if you don’t believe in your own abilities, then why should anyone else?
 
I guess if I had to a pick a few of my favorites though, I would have to say when I covered the Philadelphia Phillies for a game and interviewed Catcher, Brian Schneider. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and something that I will never forget, especially considering how big of a baseball fan I am. (Read Eric’s coverage of the game here)
 
The other interview that I have to say was one of my favorites was Naked Gun actor, Leslie Nielsen. It was pretty special because I got to speak with him at one of his last college appearances before his recent passing. Leslie Nielson was one of the funniest men that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and I wish I had gotten to know him better.
 
HCK:What is your favorite kind of music?
EH:I honestly love a ton of music genres but if I had to choose I guess it would be Alternative/Pop Rock such as bands like All Time Low, Mayday Parade and Go Radio.
 
HCK:Can you tell us more about the recent opportunity you were given by The Alternative Press?
EH:I was recently given my own column on The Alternative Press(Eric’s Column!) So far I have already interviewed Abigail Breslin (right) on the red carpet for my column.

HCK:Where do you see yourself in ten years?
EH:I hope to ultimately end up with a job on the radio and possibly TV. I honestly would like to be able to work in both music and sports. For the sports part, possibly a play-by-play man for a baseball team. It’s hard to say exactly because I don’t want to be just one thing. That’s why I say possibly a play-by-play during the season and then back to music in the off-season. I just know I love interviewing people from all aspects of the world. I don’t want to limit myself to just one thing.
 
 
You can see more of Eric’s work here:
http://www.thesoundalarm.com/ (search for Eric Haftel)
http://www.wix.com/erichgb/eric
http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/1046182/eric_haftel.html
http://ericliveontheair.blogspot.com/
 
And don’t for get to check out his fan site on Facebook!