From Steve Bornfeld, veteran journalist and former colleague:
“It isn’t often you meet and work with someone of both the talent and personal character of Camille Cannon, who is destined to be a leader — and a well-loved one.
I was a veteran journalist when she took the desk next to me at Vegas Seven magazine in Las Vegas. Her job as an intern didn’t seem to be concretely defined, so it seemed that everyone in the office felt free to give her tasks, without ever checking with anyone else to see if she was being overloaded. But she handled everything with a soft smile and extreme competence.
But it was when she was first given a small story to write that Camille Cannon jumped off the bottom of the staff list and into a potential superstar status in my estimation.
I’ve been a professional writer for 37 years, and never before had I encountered someone whose talent was so undeniable. I was impressed. “You can write,” I told her, and told other editors at the magazine, who eventually recognized her talents as well. Her ability to use vivid descriptions, imagination, wit and humor — and the fact that she was young and just starting out — even lit a fire under my own writing at a time in my career when my own passion could sometimes flag.
But what impressed me more was her earnest desire to constantly get better. I recall Camille calling me after work to discuss a story she was writing. I read it and we worked together going over it line by line, talking about word usage, approach and grammatical structure. She took my suggestions seriously, we went over it again in the office, and the result was a very enjoyable story by Camille, who would go on to write many such stories.
It was an early point in her career and she has gone on to impressive accomplishments elsewhere, in other areas. But I will always remember the impressive young woman who really cared about her work, who handled loads of work with competence and without complaint, and who made me proud to work beside her.
Happily, Camille also became a personal friend that I feel lucky to have, and with whom I’ve shared the ups and downs of my life. She listens, she encourages, she makes helpful suggestions, she is warm and empathetic. I don’t usually have strong friendships with people so much younger than myself, but her maturity makes it so easy to want to be in her orbit. I’ve watched with pride as she has advanced in her life and career.”
From Matt Jacob, editor and former direct supervisor:
“I recognized your leadership abilities not long after you started as an intern at Vegas Seven magazine. Not only were you eminently capable of tackling any writing or research task you were assigned, but you never shied away from accepting assignments that were outside of your comfort zone. This continued when your internship ended and you were promptly hired as the magazine’s calendar coordinator. Although your main job was to curate the magazine’s weekly nightlife calendar section—as you recall, a tedious task—you regularly volunteered to write articles for other sections of the magazine. This often required you to interview individuals and/or research topics with which you were unfamiliar. One example: In the ramp up to the much-anticipated blockbuster boxing match between Manny Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather, you pitched and then executed an insightful-yet-whimsical article about the financial implications surrounding the megafight. Despite being neither a boxing fan nor a finance expert, you raised your hand and offered to contribute an article that was unique and perfectly complemented the magazine’s coverage of what was a worldwide event.
Soon after I assumed the editor role at Vegas Seven, I needed to fill a vacancy for Associate Editor, which required both versatile writing and editing skills, as well as leadership capabilities. Although you had doubts that you were ready for such a role, you were my top candidate for the job. As I figured would happen, you seamlessly stepped into the position and embraced new leadership responsibilities. This included editing the copy of other writers (something you had never previously done); mentoring interns; collaborating with fellow staffers; and regularly pitching quality story ideas during staff meetings. Some of these ideas revolved around your passions of music, comedy and nightlife, but just as many focused on timely topics and other subjects specifically related to the magazine’s weekly themes. It wasn’t long before your byline, which initially was confined mostly to the arts and entertainment section, began appearing throughout the magazine. I was so impressed with your development as a writer, editor and respected member of the team that three months after your promotion to Associate Editor, I nominated you for Nevada Press Association’s annual Journalist of Merit.
As a freelance journalist, I’ve had the occasional opportunity to hire writers to assist me with various projects. You have always been at the top of my go-to list because I know you can competently and professionally handle any assignment, no matter the subject matter. So when I needed someone to interview and compile profiles of the first crop of students for the fledgling UNLV School of Medicine, I reached out to you. And when I needed someone to write profiles of professors for the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law’s annual magazine, I reached out to you. Without fail, you delivered content that was clean, accurate, on time and (most of all) compelling. Even though you knew nothing about the people you were asked to profile, you regularly challenged yourself to come up with an interesting “hook” to draw in readers (and keep them reading). Perhaps most impressive, at an age when most writers are still struggling to find their own style, you have blossomed into a confident storyteller whose unique “voice” is evident in everything you write, from a social media posts to long-form feature articles.”
From Zoneil Maharaj, journalist and former colleague:
“You’ve always been a great, supportive colleague who brings out the best in those around you. I remember when I first started at Seven, I was new not only to the company but to Las Vegas. It felt like no one was making an effort to get to know me or offer any advice, except for you. You stepped up and encouraged me to show initiative, to use my voice in meetings, to pitch and write stories, so that I could expand my role at Seven and do the things I really wanted to do. Had you not offered a helping hand, I don’t know that I would have been as ambitious. Thank you for bringing out the best in me.
Speaking of ambition, your launching Skirrt was a huge inspiration for me. To see you step out on your own and launch your own website, where you were not only writing articles but also producing videos and being the on-camera host, really made me take a more creative approach to my work, as well.”
camillecan.com 