How Jet Plane Crew Subscriber Tory Landed a $5k Fellowship

Hi, crew! I have another success story to share today and this one is near and dear to my heart because it involves the News Creator Corps, a program intended to help train and amplify creator journalists.

I was part of the inaugural class last fall and shared the opportunity to apply when it was open (and again recently for the new cohort!) and I’m thrilled that Jet Plane Crew members were selected. Here is Tory’s success story.

Tell us your name, a little about yourself, and where we can follow your work.

I am a Pittsburgh-based adventurer who loves to introduce my audience to amazing places in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region. Through my focus on outdoor adventures and local exploration, I show that it’s never too late to try new things and that you don’t always have to travel far from home to find great places to explore.

I also use my platforms for advocacy for conservation and sustainability and to cover politics and policies that impact the outdoors. You can find me on all platforms at @torytalkstrails, my website mytrailsaremany.com, or check out my first book “Scenic Natural Wonders of Pennsylvania”.

How did you learn about the NCC Fellowship opportunity?

I learned about it from Jen’s newsletter.

What did the application process consist of?

I had to fill out a form with a lot of questions about my content, my audience, my six month plan, how I want to help my community, and why I thought the fellowship would help my content.

Did you think you would land it?

Not at all, especially when I saw how strong the first cohort was. I also had not been using my platform for activism for a long time so it was a smaller content pillar for me, unlike creators that have activism as their entire content base.

I think what made me stand out to the decision makers was that I showed up to an in person training that they hosted 5 hours away from where I live.

I think what made me stand out to the decision makers was that I showed up to an in person training that they hosted 5 hours away from where I live. That way they had a face to my application and I would bet that plus my application answers is what got me accepted.

What advice do you have to others thinking about applying for fellowships?

First, figure out what you ACTUALLY want for your community out of this fellowship. What good can you put in the world by learning these skills? This is not a course for people who only want to post surface level content. Then, figure out how to make yourself stand out and go the extra mile.

Also - think about your schedule. Can you actually commit the required time to get the most out of the experience? I wanted to do a lot more during this fellowship that I just did not have time for because it overlapped with my book launch (but I now have a Google doc full of ideas and a community to discuss them with!!)

What did the fellowship include?

8 weeks of class (90 min per week) plus one homework assignment per week (2-8 hours depending on how complex it was). It also came with a $5k grant.

How was your experience as part of the cohort?

I loved it. It was a lot of work and hard to keep on top of homework with working full time plus my book coming out during the cohort but all of the late nights were so worth it. The skills I learned were invaluable but so were the connections.

How has the fellowship been beneficial to your career?

Part of the reason I didn’t do more activism sooner is because I was scared to get something wrong and spread misinformation because I am not a traditionally trained journalist. But I learned that anyone with passion and the right skills can change the course of history, as I saw when one of my classmates was the first one to break the news that a prominent politician in her state had been sexually assaulting staff members. He has since stepped down.

It made me feel like I could actually make a difference in this freaking crazy world we’re living in.

Would you recommend the Jet Plane Crew to others?

YES and I do literally all the time 😂😂. NCC was just one of the opportunities I’ve gotten through this newsletter. Thank you Jen!

Have a success story to share? Get a free month of first class membership for every win! DM or email me at jenruiz@jenonajetplane.com.

Other success stories:

How Jet Plane Crew subscriber Shay landed a paid brand campaign and photoshoot in L.A.

How Jet Plane Crew subscriber Morgan landed her first press trip

How Jet Plane Crew subscriber Sandra became a contributor for the LA Times