Current position: Events editor at In Touch and Life & Style Weekly

Laura Lane is a senior reporter for OK! Magazine and a contributor to ESPN The Magazine. She’s appeared on MSNBC, CNN’s Showbiz Tonight, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, The Insider, Fox 5, KNBC 4 and E!. She won Rolling Stone’s College Journalism Contest for Entertainment Reporting in 2007.

Laura was Ryan Seacrest’s intern during her senior year of college, where she closely followed the one-take-wonder around the E! News set, American Idol rehearsals and KISS fm events. He would later become the subject of her Rolling Stone award-winning article.

She was born and raised in Orange County, CA and has a B.A. degree from the University of Southern California, where she double majored in broadcast journalism and political science.

As a senior reporter for OK! Magazine, Laura interviews celebrities and contributes breaking news stories and exclusive entertainment reporting. Notable reports include covering Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration in Washington D.C. and investigating John Travolta’s son’s death in the Bahamas.

As an ESPN reporter, Laura’s reported at MLB spring training, the Lakers playoffs and the US Open. She’s interviewed anyone from Manny Ramirez to Michael Phelps and is currently a Page 2 contributor for the magazine and writes articles for The Mag Daily on ESPN.com. Laura’s been a guest on ESPN 710 radio’s Dave Dameshek show and Mason and Ireland. Her articles range from behind-the-scenes reporting with Spike Lee while filming his Kobe Bryant documentary to gathering the best MLB clubhouse pranks.

Before moving to New York to work for OK! Magazine, Laura worked as a reporter and editorial assistant at E! Online in L.A. where she covered the Hollywood celebrity scene for entertainment guru Marc Malkin’s daily column. Additionally, she co-hosted the E! Entertainment radio show, Party Girl, which aired on Sirius and XM radio.

Laura’s contributed to MTV News, interviewing Linkin Park, Busta Ryhmes and former Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell. She’s written for SportsIllustrated.com, Men’s Fitness Magazine, 944 Magazine and All In Magazine. She also gained nationwide attention for her blog ridethefastlane.com.

While at USC, Laura traveled around the nation reporting from Arizona to South Bend on the National Champion Trojan football team for radio, print and television. She served as an anchor, news reporter and sports reporter for Annenberg TV News, USC’s award-winning live newscast, where she reported on anything from local news and USC sports to the Los Angeles elections and Iraq war. She also hosted the entertainment news, movie and gossip show, Take 5, on Trojan Vision, USC’s TV station, which reaches more than 1.8 million homes.

She began her career as a writer in college covering college football and track and field for the Daily Trojan sports section. Notable pieces include covering the Rose Bowl and an intimate look at the Trojan offensive line, where Laura spent a week with the team watching tape, sitting in on private team meetings and attending practices. She also wrote for Saturday Night magazine where she covered the Sundance Film Festival and wrote profiles on Lakers player Luke Walton and Giants pitcher Barry Zito. Her sports features led her to receive the prestigious Allan Malamud Sports Writing Scholarship. She also co-hosted the Trojan Sports Power Hour and Rock of The 90s on KSCR 1560am radio and was a sideline reporter at football games.

Additionally, she’s held internships at KNBC 4 in sports, KABC 7 in entertainment, E! Entertainment in E! Studios and Talent and Casting at Comcast. Laura also worked on E!’s Fashion Police, helping behind the scenes at the Academy Awards, Grammy’s and Golden Globes.

Laura played soccer, track and cross-country in high school. Her love of sports started at the age of two watching taped bowling games with her parents and football on the weekends. She loves traveling, politics, art, playing guitar and poker. She has a younger brother, Jonathan, who taught her everything she knows about poker and a younger sister, Molly, who shares her passion for music.

Laura is currently based in New York.

Awards:

Rolling Stone’s College Journalism Competition for Entertainment Reporting 2007
The Allan Malamud Sports Writing Scholarship 2006

Writing, reporting and improvisation ... I’ll try to elaborate. Journalism has become a multi-media industry. You need to be able to do it all. Nowadays, many on-air reporters are asked to turn their stories into articles for online and visa-versa. Writers are now becoming regulars on TV. Don’t limit yourself by sticking to just television. You need to be able to write, do radio and look and sound great on TV. You may be asked to report for radio. Be able to read on the teleprompter but get used to be thrown curve balls and be prepared to improv.

I served as ATVN news anchor for two semesters. I also worked as a sports reporter, news reporter, writer/ shooter/ editor and in good ol’ graphics.

ATVN was the most incredible hands-on experience I could have asked for. We were literally running our own news room, which I think ran better at times than some major markets. The most invaluable experience was getting to try every position in the newsroom. This helps because I can do a better job at my position if I have a better understanding of other positions. I had the most respect for ATVN because it ran like a real newsroom. I really got the feel for the flow of a newsroom and if a breaking story broke, we were going to go live with it - whether that meant making mistakes or not. It was great!  (And made for incredible blooper reels)

Don’t ever get discouraged. It is competitive but most likely it is that adrenaline, drive to succeed and ambition that led to you to this field in the first place. The best advice I can give is don’t burn bridges. Build real relationship with people, because not only will they come in handy, but you will enjoy work more. Always go above and beyond. Not because you want credit but because you want to do the best that you can do. When you have time help out other people in the newsroom. Network, Network, Network. Also, time permitting, interview as many people as you can when you are on a story. You never know what they will say. And EVERYONE is a source. You just don’t know it yet. Everyday you will stumble upon a potential story - so be aware. We all make mistakes. Just learn from them and grow. Find your niche.

God, I am so not the person to ask for this one. I wish I was. If you have any advice, I would love to hear it!