Meet Michael Barnes, Liz Carpenter Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Written by Katie McKee.

For more than 20 years, Michael Barnes has been a staple of Austin journalism.

While earning his PhD from the University of Texas, he began writing theater reviews for the Austin American-Statesman, and hasn’t stopped writing since. In 1993, he joined the Statesman as a full-time arts reporter, beginning a career that would lead him to titles such as entertainment editor and features editor.

It’s a career that led him to write about what intrigues him most—the people, places, culture and history of Austin. In 2015, Waterloo Press released “Indelible Austin: Selected Histories,” a collection of his columns, now in its second printing. He has won numerous journalistic awards, served on the Pulitzer Prize jury for criticism twice, and taught entertainment journalism and theater history at many Austin-area universities.

Barnes will be honored as the 2016 Liz Carpenter Award winner at the 43rd Annual Banner Brunch on April 16. Ahead of time, we spoke with him to learn where he began his career and what he’s learned along the way.

Q: What led you to pursue a career in communications?

A: My formal training is in theater and in history. My accidental entry into journalism was completely serendipitous. The Statesman entertainment editor cold-called me to ask if I would write some theater reviews. That led to a full-time job as an arts reporter, then entertainment editor. Now I write about Austin’s people, places, culture and history.

Q: Tell us about your communications experience and your current position.

A: My parallel career path was teaching, which I’ve done at the junior high, high school and college levels. I love helping people develop their talents and skills. These days, I do a lot of workshops and private mentoring. All this takes communications. The writing and editing that I’ve done for the past 25+ years has evolved to include all kinds of news, trends, profiles, histories, columns and whole lot of social media.

Q: What are you most passionate about professionally?

 A: Right now, the histories grab me most. (See my book: “Indelible Austin: Selected Histories.”) But I also jump at any chance to profile a fascinating character or to follow a trend to find fresh conclusions.

Q: How important is it for communicators to take risks and make changes within their careers?

A: Crucial. I’ve significantly changed the direction of my career every five years or so. Keeps you fresh. As long as you are building on what you already can do.

Q: How have you seen entertainment journalism evolve during your career, and what predictions do you have for its future?

A: For one thing, as a profession, we’ve moved away from traditional criticism and more in the direction of features. Used to be, a review was an essential part of the entertainment experience. Not so much these days. People want us to dig deeper and to allow readers to make their own judgments. Also, of course, the digital revolution has drastically changed the way we communicate. We now engage readers directly and constantly. It’s quite liberating, less impersonal. Each new development — from email and blogs to social media and video — stretches our people skills.

Q: What are some of your favorite things to do outside of work?

A: Oh, the usual: Read, travel, cook, dine, garden, chat, hike, or just walk — lots of walking — dipping back into the arts every now and then. And yes, nap. At age 61, I nap twice a day. More often on vacation.

Q: What advice would you give to a new professional communicator who is building his or her career?

A: Build your own brand. All the tools are in your hands. Find someone in the biz that you admire and work with them. Mentoring is crucial. Don’t be afraid to ask “stupid” questions. That was a big hurdle for me. Early on, I wanted to be the “smart guy.”

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: There’s always some irony in accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award. This is my third or fourth. You wonder: What do they know about my health or career that I don’t know? Is this all about to end? If all goes well, I plan to achieve a lot more. Sixty-one is no longer that old!

Katie McKee is an account executive at Elizabeth Christian Public Relations.