Fort Pierce native Laurie K. Blandford started working at TCPpalm a week after graduating from the University of Florida in 2008 with a degree in journalism.
She started her career as a freelancer and was hired full-time in 2010 to cover local government. She joined the breaking news team in 2013 and covered Martin County, St. Lucy County, Indian River County until 2017 when she became a reporter for Treasure Coast Entertainment. I was there.
Fun fact: She actually started at the Fort Pierce Tribune in the late '90s when she was 13 years old, writing about music reviews of entertainment, especially boy bands, for a teen page called “Radar.”
Q:Why did you decide to become an entertainment journalist?
a: I never thought I'd end up covering entertainment, but now I can't imagine doing anything else. As an outgoing local, I'm an entertainment expert as I always know how to have fun and what to do on a 772. We're excited to revamp our previous features and give people what they want: food and fun.
Q: What do you love most about covering entertainment?
a: Most people think that my favorite thing is trying new restaurants and trying new dishes, but I don't get paid to eat like a food critic. I use my experience reporting hard news to tell the story behind the story. My favorite new restaurant stories are when the owners come from another country and bring flavors from another culture, or from here on the Treasure Coast.
Q:What is the most memorable story?
a:Recently, I loved writing about pickleball. Treasure had a keen interest in answering pickleball players' questions about where on the Coast they play, since that's my latest interest. I enjoyed traveling the Treasure Coast observing his pickleball courts and using my expertise to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each. This article was published online in his April 15th and is scheduled to be printed on April 21st.
Q:What do you like to do outside of work?
a: I am very active and love surfing, mountain biking, snowboarding, and skateboarding, so I focus on working out, weight training, and nutrition. But I love eating, eating out and trying new restaurants. My favorite things are going to concerts, playing with my nieces and nephews, and traveling to national parks with my mom.
Laurie K. Blandford is an entertainment reporter and columnist for TCPalm, dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Please email laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her “What To Do in 772” weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.