Rafer Guzman never expected to start out as a free-lance writer. Stationed in San Francisco, he commenced his journey as writer. Though lacking experience and references, he diligently submitted pieces of his work to local news sources, both online and print. He realized in order to get the credit and “respect” he wanted in the journalism industry, he’d have to start small but work extremely hard. Rock criticism seemed to be a great place start.
“Having lived for the 80’s”, he told a journalism class, it was easy to acknowledge his immense interest in records and concerts. He found himself reviewing shows and records that came out in the 80’s. He knew editors valued the youthful and modern critics due to their ability to scope out artists and shows that were prominent to the younger generation. He collected information about each concert and record and used it in his stories, hoping to give the public insight on the nature of each.
Being deeply infatuated with rock became exhausting for Guzman in his later years. “I got sick of covering music at 40 years old”, he says. “It was hard because I was usually out 3-4 nights per week traveling to Jones Beach or Madison Square Garden or Nassau Coliseum or the Izod Center Then on top of that it’s just you at these shows”. He expresses that attending concerts with crazed Miley Cyrus and Ashley Simpson fans had become played out and incredibly uncomfortable!
Then, just when it seemed like he’d been going through the motions, just when he thought his talents weren’t being utilized, he had an epiphany. Going to graduate school would give him the credentials, expertise and training to tackle the journalism industry with conviction and force. Columbia Grad Rafer Guzman was on the road to success with a resume full of references and new-found skills that he hadn’t obtained prior to his graduate schooling. He landed a job at the Wall Street Journal with a focus on business news for 4-5 year duration. He knew he wanted to do more with his profession than solely business reviews, thus, he continued his search.
Guzman later discussed the moment that a rock critic position opened at Newsday. He sent clips from prior work he’d done and scored a job there. He commenced his journey at Newsday starting small. Any stories other critics didn’t want, he’d take up. “After a year, it was safe to say I’d done a dozen stories”.
Patience was truly a virtue for Guzman when Newsday had began buy-outs, offering money to workers who would leave. The entire film department quit. He saw this as an opportunity to take hold and truly shine in the film critics department. Eventually, he was the only film critic at Newsday, focusing on wide release movies such as Transformers and Tammy.
When asked about the impact his critic work has on society he informed us that Newsday, being a suburban and conservative paper, has a lot of Long Islanders who look to the news source for the perfect, “Popcorn entertainment on a Friday night.” He mentions in the interview that he admires Newsday for its family oriented qualities. It provides the perfect dollop of sports news ranging from soccer to lacrosse. It specializes in appealing to all interests- one of the main reasons Guzman loves his place of work.
“I never get tired of watching movies”, Guzman, the Stanley Kubrick fan confesses. He also admits that it is fun to see “bad” movies. His job requires that he see every movie that comes out in theaters, whether documentary, comedy, horror, action or drama film. He hints us in on his love for action movies. “…Its cinematic and lively”. Screening rooms are where most critics go to view movies. He prefers the Half Public/Half Critic theaters. “It’s fun because your sitting with a bunch of critics who are really quiet,” Guzman says, “and then you have people from all over and you get to hear their prerogative of what we’re watching”.
Personal Preferences? X-Men, Guzman feels, are a masterpiece due to its relevance in bringing real world issues to the forefront. He applauds the efforts of directors of Disney Movies such as Beauty and the Beast, Frozen and Tangled for bringing the theme of a female heroine, who for once, was the master of her own destiny. Movies such as these have motivated him to continue with his current occupation and have led him to fall in love with pieces of work that he views.
A current father of 2, Guzman loves his job as a movie critic and has earned his rightful place in the journalism industry. He worked tirelessly until a new position was opportune. Patiently waiting his turn, he did the work and ended up on top of the film critic department at Newsday. Rafer Guzman is a prime example of a critic who waited for the career he deserved and stopped at nothing to achieve it.