Cait Bladt
October 16, 2018
Cait Bladt (2018).
Cait Bladt is a writer and comedian living in New York City. Her Twitter bio says she is “a pile of half eaten hot wings who wished very hard to be a real girl” which is the most accurate description of her in existence. She currently works as a political editor for the website The Tylt and hosts a monthly comedy show.
What year did you graduate and what was your concentration?
I graduated in 2013 after double majoring in Communication with a journalism concentration and English with a creative writing concentration.
What extra-/co-curricular activities did you do?
I was a facilitator for Mass Communication, worked in the Writing Center, reported for News36 (now TMN-TV) and in my senior year took over as news director, was the PR chair for Alpha Sigma Gamma and also organized two of the sorority’s philanthropy weeks.
Did you go to grad school? If so, where? Was it immediately after you left Truman or did you wait? Why?
I did not. I have been able to get jobs in my chosen fields without having to go to grad school and I have no plans to go back unless I find a position I will be unqualified for without further education. No sense in accruing more debt if I don’t need to!
What was your first job after graduation?
I worked as the communications manager for a small educational non-profit in St. Louis for three years after graduation.
What work do you do/What are you doing now?
I’m now working as the political editor at a website called The Tylt.
How has your Liberal Arts/COMM education helped you?
It made me a much cleaner and more straightforward writer as well as gave me a chance to get a letter grade for doing a stand-up set (I still think I deserved an A….BUT I’M NOT BITTER). (Editor’s note – the letter grade was for more than just a stand-up set.)
Cait (right) and a friend before one of those comedy things she’s so proud of (2017).
Which class did you dislike at the time you took it, but now you’re grateful you took it?
I liked most of my communication classes, but broadcast journalism (now COMM 355: Digital Video Production) basically gave me an ulcer. I learned so many skills that are still useful—audio and video editing, interviewing, lighting and how to set up lav mics—that I still use to this day. Just in the last week I’ve done on-camera hosting, edited together video clips for story and pitched a new video feature, all of which I learned in broadcast journalism. Also, Avid’s not as bad as we all made it seem.
What was your greatest accomplishment at Truman?
In 2012, all of Truman’s media outlets coordinated to produce live election night coverage of the results. It was a huge undertaking, specifically because we were usually only live for little more than 20 minutes once a week. It was exhausting and stressful and I think several chunks of my hair fell out, but we did it! And just to reiterate that what you’re doing at Truman is going to still be relevant—I’m starting to work with my coworkers on what kind of live coverage we’re going to do on the site on election night 2018.
Why is Truman a good place for a student to study?
It’s small enough for you to have relationships with your professors and classmates but big enough that you are constantly being pushed and challenged by your peers.
What do you miss most about campus/Kirksville?
How close everything is—although I still maintain that time and space expand on that walk from Centennial Hall to Barnett Hall. Dr. Self — you can put in all the editor’s notes you want but it won’t make it any less true.
What would you say a COMM student should absolutely do while at Truman?
A still promoting Cait’s comedy (2017). Did you know Cait did comedy?
Try everything! You’ve got a safety net below you, the community at Truman is crazy supportive and you’re never going to receive this kind of free criticism again. Like I said earlier, I tried stand-up for the first time (AND ONLY GOT A ‘B’ BUT I DO STAND-UP ALL THE TIME NOW AND PEOPLE LAUGH A LOT SO I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN AN A), I planned events, I hosted shows, I presented at conferences, I ran for offices in organizations, I lost some, I won some. I spent my New Years somehow both freezing cold and also very sweaty in Pizza Ranches in Iowa reporting on the Iowa Caucuses. But I’ve never learned so much from so many people who genuinely cared about my future. So try everything.
What advice would you give someone who wants to go into the same line of work as you?
START PITCHING STORIES RIGHT NOW. PITCH EVERYWHERE.
If you want to be a journalist, you’re going to have to freelance at least a little bit. Better to start pitching stories while you’re in college and aren’t in need of the cash. Use your professors to learn how to craft pitches, bounce ideas off them, work on getting better. If you start pitching now you’ll have clips to get you in the door and the thick skin you need when you (inevitably, sorry) get rejected a million times.
What tag line would you create for the COMM department at Truman?
“COMM: Ya Get Outta It What You Put Into It”
If you could come back to Truman and teach a class for a semester, what would be its title and what would it be about?
Practically, I would want to teach a class called “Pitch, Please!” about how to craft the best pitches for freelance stories. Just for fun though I’d want to teach a class on horror movies called “Fear Factor” because I could talk about horror movies non-stop for the rest of my life. (Shameless plug: check out TheTylt.com in the month of October and vote for best movie monster of all time!) (Editor’s note – That is the 3rd plug 
.)
What did we not ask that you think is important for people to know?
This is a very extensive survey so I think you got it all! Oh! You didn’t ask about Carrie Nelson—who is doing very well!—which is important for everyone to know!
Cait (center), Dr. Yaquinto (left), and Carrie (right), all doing “very well” in a Des Moines coffee shop during the 2012 Iowa Caucuses.
If you would like to learn more of Cait’s story, you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram or check out her work on The Tylt.