Birthday of the Day: Daniel Lippman, co-author of POLITICO Playbook!
How did you get your start in Washington, D.C., and journalism?
I came to Washington as a student at George Washington University when I was 18, but I spent my first summer in D.C. in high school as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives — back when there were pages on the House side and even a “Page Dorm” on Capitol Hill. When I was in college, since I read so much news, I had the unusual hobby of emailing reporters to point out typos or errors in their stories when I’d notice them; that got me profiled by Daniel Libit in his last article for POLITICO. I also probably hold the all-time internship record: I did NINE journalism internships or temp jobs at places like The Wall Street Journal and McClatchy before Mike Allen hired me to work on POLITICO Playbook.
What is a trend going on in the U.S. or abroad that doesn’t get enough attention?
The innovative use of virtual reality for social awareness. When I was at South by Southwest recently, I took part in a VR exhibit on animal welfare and was able to look at life as a factory-farmed chicken sees it. (Now I’m one of those annoying restaurant patrons who always ask servers to assure me that the meat I order was humanely raised.) And on Friday, I experienced the Emerson Collective’s “Carne y Arena” installation in D.C. It was created by Alejandro Iñárritu, the Academy Award-winning director, and uses Oculus VR technology to recreate the true stories of migrants who crossed the border. It’s unforgettable.
What is a goal of yours for the next year?
I know this is a millennial cliché but I want to cook more and eat out less.
What is the most interesting place you’ve visited in the past year?
Last December, I went zip-lining with my sisters from one island to another over Lake Pátzcuaro in the state of Michoacán in Mexico.
Who is an inspiration for you and why?
Two of my best friends and mentors are Tim Burger and Blain Rethmeier, two D.C. expats who now live in California. Tim used to work at places like Bloomberg, Time and Roll Call and is now a consultant and freelance writer; Blain worked in the Bush White House and now is in comms. Tim, Blain and I are in an ongoing daily text chat and I talk to them every couple days. They always have great advice for me — plus, they’re just fun guys to hang out with when they come to D.C.
Bonus Beat: One of the best songs from Daniel’s birth year of 1990, Deee-Lite’s “Groove is in the Heart”!
