Conversations with Taiyler Mitchell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taiyler Mitchell

Hi Taiyler, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a California native currently based in Los Angeles, but I was raised primarily in Riverside County by a single mother.

Growing up, I dabbled in theatre, choir, and dance, but writing was my one constant hobby. I’d always been drawn to words.

I had such an affinity for spelling tests in elementary school and one of my earliest memories involves me waking up with my grandmother at the crack of dawn because I wanted to “study” the dictionary. (If this sounds a bit “type A” to you, that tracks, especially given that I am the eldest daughter.)

Outside of school, I remember diving into virtually every type of writing — including songwriting, essays, scripts, poetry, prose, etc. Eventually, I attended my dream school, the illustrious Howard University, an HBCU in Washington, D.C. Finally, journalism stuck. I began writing for the famed student newspaper “The Hilltop” and participated in Howard’s radio station, WHBC.

From there, I transferred to another HBCU, Dillard University in New Orleans, due to financial reasons outside my and my family’s control. The move was devastating to me at the time, but I fell in love with the school and the city. At Dillard, I continued studying journalism and eventually became the editor-in-chief of our student-run newspaper “The Courtboullion.” I also started a radio show with four of my fellow classmates called “NOLA FM” for our campus radio station, WDUB.

Throughout my college career, I’d been fortunate enough to land five different internships — at the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), Black Entertainment Television (BET), Creative Artists Agency (CAA), ID Public Relations, and Sodexo. Immediately after graduating with my Bachelor’s degree, I landed a full-time job writing for Business Insider on the West Coast News Team. I was primarily a generalist, but I developed beats in death row and incarceration, court reporting, and houselessness.

Nowadays, I work at HuffPost as a reporter on the Breaking News Desk where I cover a range of topics depending on the day and the news cycle. However, I am particularly passionate about writing about social issues, criminal justice, entertainment, and culture.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh, not at all. It’s been a rocky road — so much so that I can’t recount it all in just one article. But here’s what I can say:

I was raised by a kind, resilient, and determined single mother, who made sure I had everything I needed growing up — even when we experienced some extreme financial hardships.

Thankfully, my grandparents were also a great support system for my mom, my siblings, and me growing up. And, as might be expected, I also had to (and continue to) step up fairly regularly to help take care of my younger siblings since I’m the eldest daughter. For context, my two youngest siblings are about 9 and 12 years younger than me.

One of my other significant challenges was getting through college. I started at Howard University, but two years in, around the time of a very public financial aid scandal later, I had to leave. I spent that time after leaving my dream school interning and applying for scholarships before I finally transferred to Dillard University. Like many college students, each semester presented another battle in which my family and I had to figure out how to get the money to stay in school.

I currently work in a notably unstable and not-super-lucrative industry where I, a Black woman, don’t see too many people who look like me. But I am beyond blessed to do the work I do and to have endured the things I have.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a reporter on HuffPost’s Breaking News Team, I write about an array of subjects — from politics to crime to rap beefs to reality TV and more. However, I’m generally at the mercy of the news cycle (and whatever pitches I can get greenlit by the editors).

In my role, I have to identify what’s newsworthy and write about it quickly, accurately, and fairly. I’m required to juggle multiple stories and to know quite a bit about numerous topics. For each story, I have to figure out where to find the relevant information and who to reach out to for quotes — frequently on tight deadlines. Every so often there’s a breaking news event that requires me to turn in a first draft of a story in just minutes — which can be both exhilarating and stressful.

No two days are the same, but as one might expect, the recent election and Donald Trump’s first days in office have kept my team and me exceptionally busy.

When time allows, I enjoy writing stories where social issues, criminal justice, culture, and/or entertainment collide. For example, I have been covering the ongoing string of cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs for over a year now. Before that, I also covered Tory Lanez’ trial when the Los Angeles District Attorney successfully accused him of shooting Megan Thee Stallion.

Whether I’m writing a hard news article or a feature, I work hard to tell nuanced and rich stories from unique angles. I always go above and beyond to shed light on underreported topics and marginalized groups.

I’ve written countless articles over the years, but I’m particularly proud of these stories with the following headlines:
1. Oklahoma Begins 2024 Executions With Death Of Michael Dewayne Smith
2. Atlanta Wants To Build An 85-Acre ‘Cop City.’ These Groups Are Trying To Stop It.
3. To sex workers, navigating the world without medical access to abortions or reproductive care is nothing new. But the overturning of Roe V. Wade puts their livelihoods further at risk.

There are a ton of other stories I’d love to note, but these three hold a special place in my heart because of the sources I interviewed and the contents of those interviews.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
When I was young, I was pretty timid. But by the time I got into high school, I began to break out of my shell. I became involved in a slew of extracurriculars throughout high school, including the yearbook club and the associated student body. However, my “big three” in high school were dance, choir, and theatre.

I’ve always been interested in being creative, exploring new things, and diving into different hobbies — all of which follow me to this day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.taiylersimone.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiylersimone/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taiylermitchell/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/taiylersimone
• Other: https://bsky.app/profile/taiylersimone.bsky.social

Image Credits
1. Malcolm J Studios (Personal Photo)
2. Malcolm J Studios
3. Jamil Brown
4. Jamil Brown
5. Solomon Cazer
6. Solomon Cazer