Known throughout the industry as the #PowerJournalist, Long Island journalist Markos Papadatos is known for his speed, efficiency, and positive work ethic. 

With over 15,000 original articles written over a period of nearly 16 years, Long Island journalist Markos Papadatos has sought out to be the anti-TMZ, passionately and accurately telling stories of positivity and inspiration. Having earned himself the industry-wide nickname of “#PowerJournalist,” Papadatos is a writing machine that has interviewed the industry’s most respected and influential leaders as the Editor-At-Large for Digital Journal’s Music News section. 

“I started writing for Digital Journal as a contributing writer back in February 2013, and in July of that year, I worked my way up to Music Editor-At-Large,” Papadatos told PopWrapped. “At the time, my journalistic portfolio inspired them to add a “Music” section, since prior to that, they only had an Entertainment section. I’ve loved working for Digital Journal since day one.”

Papadatos has interviewed hundreds of industry talent, including, but not limited to Dolly Parton, Heart, Megadeth, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams Jr., Connie Smith, Lynn Anderson, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, and TV host Donna Drake.  Some of Papadatos’ most favorite interviews, we learned, include, but aren’t limited to Stevie Nicks, Bret Michaels of Poison, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, Martina McBride, Olympic swimmer Caeleb Dressel, Kristos Andrews of “The Bay,” Nana Mouskouri, Criss Angel, Gilles Marini, and Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees.

Recently, the #PowerJournalist conducted interviews with the Young and the Restless soap opera star, Dana Sparks, VR Troopers actor and Dallas’ hospitality industry leader Brad Hawkins, Melissa Ordway, Emmy award-winning actress Laura Wright, and Latin high school professor and singer/songwriter, Dylan Connor on his latest single release, “Everything.” 

PopWrapped sat down with the #PowerJournalist himself and Editor-At-Large with Digital Journal, Markos Papadatos. 

PopWrapped: Thanks for joining us today, Markos. For our readers, how did you begin your career in media journalism?

Markos Papadatos: Back in February 2006, I started writing for my college newspaper, The Queens College Knight News. I noticed that people on campus were responding well to my articles, which made me think that I could do this long-term for a living. Thankfully, that came through. 

PopWrapped: What about the media called out to you, specifically?

MP: I loved having the opportunity to tell other people’s stories, and doing it in a raw and honest fashion. I pride myself as being a journalist that is anti-TMZ. I feel that in this industry, reputation is everything. 

PopWrapped: Who would you attribute a mentorship credit to in the industry? Any source for inspiration?

MP: Growing up, one of my biggest role model

s was the magician, Criss Angel, since he is of Greek origin and a Long Islander like me. Having the opportunity to interview him for the first time back in 2015, felt like a dream come true. 

PopWrapped: Why do you say that? Could you elaborate on your encounter with Criss Angel?

MP: Back in 2009, or rather, in my college days, one of my professors asked me on the first day of class to write “two truths and a lie” about myself on a piece of paper – asit was  an ice-breaker activity, where the class would have to guess which was the incorrect fact. 

As an “incorrect” fact, I wrote down that I interviewed Criss Angel. When it was my chance to ask the class, many of my classmates laughed, since they picked out the incorrect fact almost immediately. The professor, who was also amused, responded — “I said to write down two truths and a lie, Markos – not two truths and a dream.”

At that very moment, the odds were against me, but after six years of non-stop hard work, and perseverance, I proved everybody wrong. Fast forward to 2015, where I had my last laugh: Remember that 2015 interview I said I conducted with Criss Angel? I proceeded to send that very article, along with copies of my cover story interview on him in the Greek-American Press, to my college professor and the entire journalism department

PopWrapped: You’re known throughout the industry as the #PowerJournalist. How did you earn yourself that nickname?

MP: Early on in college, folks in the newspaper group would always say to me, “Markos, you’re a machine; you’re not a journalist – you’re a #PowerJournalist. It was because of my lightning-fast turnaround rate. The more they called me it, the more I grew to love it. 

That nickname stuck with me ever since. When publicists would respond to me in disbelief about how fast I would churn out articles, I would reply with the simple hashtag – #PowerJournalist. 

It’s been an incredible journey for the past 15.5 years in the media journalism space. 

PopWrapped: Tell us about how your brand sets you apart from the millions of journalists throughout the industry?

MP: I am a trusting, caring, and compassionate individual and journalist. I pride myself in being real and anti-TMZ. I can’t stress that enough. Each person I interview, I have their best interests at heart; I am not out to get anyone. I try to see the good in everyone, trying to send positivity and hope with every published article of mine out there. There is so much negative energy out in the industry these days; I just want to be a bright, shiny star. 

PopWrapped: What about the media industry don’t you like, and why?

MP: Often, I would get declined for interviews by the larger PR firms, because I don’t write for household name outlets such as Rolling Stone or Billboard – some A-list artists will only do the “heavyhitter” interviews. So, those snubs would be a bummer – but what publicists don’t realize is that “bigger” does not always mean “better.”

I can look at these journalists’ final products, and know that my work is just as good, if not better (and more authentic), than what their finished product is and will be. Far too often, we see throughout the music industry, when an artist gets really big, they suddenly don’t want to talk with you anymore – which is discouraging. Over the years, I feel country music is infamous for that pattern. Having interviewed over 64 male country artists that went No. 1 for the first time after they had their Markos interview – I noticed that once these artists experienced fame, only a fraction of them still wanted to talk with me. 

For many of these artists, I was their first legitimate interview they had – before they were signed to a record label. But, unfortunately, they became thick-headed with a bit of ego, now believing them to only be deserving of larger interviews with those bigger outlets like Rolling Stone, Billboard, or Country Music Television (CMT). 

PopWrapped: How have you responded to that industry pattern? 

MP: I just kept working hard and grinding. With hard work, I’ve noticed that my name has continued to grow in reputation and work product; which many publicists start to take note of.  

PopWrapped: What about the industry do you enjoy the most?

MP: On the flip-side, the positive is that most publicists do value my writing technique and show some level of courtesy and respect. I have established my #PowerJournalist brand with 15,900 articles over a 15.5 year period in journalism. Some of the biggest public relations firms now work with me, graciously granting me interviews with their A-listers, because they know they can count on me and that I am reliable. 

My efficiency, speed, and work ethic have set me apart in this business, and I am very proud of that. As of today, my network allows me to reach out to hundreds of publicists, requesting interviews with their A-list clients – and you know what? At least 70 percent of them will say “yes,” which is an incredible feeling.

PopWrapped: Earlier this year, Hellenic News named you as the ‘2021 Journalist of the Year’ – congratulations! Tell us about it. 

MP: Thank you! That was such a thrill, because this happened to be my second ‘Journalist of the Year’ award, having won my first back in 2017 by the Greek-American community. It was such an honor and humbling feeling. My mother, Effie, was definitely proud!

PopWrapped: Let’s turn to some of your media partners. You’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the industry’s most respected media personalities including two-time Telly award-winning TV host Donna Drake and Power 98.5 host, Steven Cuoco. Spill!

MP: Donna is such a pleasure! I enjoy working with Donna on her TV show “The Donna Drake Show” as an associate producer, helping her book famous talent composed of singers, actors, actresses, athletes and philanthropists. She and I recently co-authored an Amazon best-selling book, “Manifesting Your Dreams” together.

Steven, on the other hand, is also a good friend of mine. He is great and a top-notch interviewer, PR professional, and radio personality. We are big fans of one another’s work, and we enjoy cross-promoting each other’s work. I always enjoy suggesting new talent for him to explore for his show “Live With Steven Cuoco” on Power 98.5.

To read more about Markos’ work, please follow his byline at Digital Journal. You can follow Markos on Twitter at @powerjournalist and Instagram at @ThePowerjournalist. 

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