What does it take to succeed in a creative field like journalism? Who gets the biggest interviews, the coolest assignments, the fast track to a huge audience? The answer has a lot less to do with how hard you work than with how you're seen by the people calling the shots.

Bijan Stephen, journalist and writer at Compulsion Games, shares his journey from magazine assistant to TV host and video game writer—and explains how some people end up being pegged as “talent” while others don’t.

(00:00) The Industry Talent Hierarchy
(04:12) The Old-School Magazine
(07:11) Workplace Hierarchy and Performance
(09:27) Navigating Media Culture
(12:16) The Vice “Pirate Ship” Experience
(14:21) Unspoken Talent Systems in Media
(19:03) Transitioning From Media to Game Development
(21:57) What Game Writing Actually Involves
(26:35) Finding Support in the Games Industry
(29:56) Instability as a Feature of Modern Work
(30:57) Advice for Early-Career Journalists

Bijan Steven is a writer at Compulsion Games and a music critic at The Nation. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Esquire, Wired and many other places.

Follow Bijan on Bluesky and Instagram, read his writing for The Nation, and check out his games on Itch.

See also:

Media's unspoken "talent" hierarchy by Jenny G. Zhang
South of Midnight Gameplay Trailer (coming April 8)
Night in the Woods Launch Trailer
Oxenfree Launch Trailer
Afterparty Launch Trailer
Deadlock Gameplay Trailer

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