EleDATE

1| Happy Birthday

You know what the problem is with being a journalist in the year 2022? Everything has been done before. If you think you've come up with an exciting new idea, chances are somebody has already done it.

The unfortunate truth is, no matter how obsessed you are with your job, no matter how committed, you have to really think outside the box. All this obsessing and hours spent journaling will inevitably lead to one thing- a serious hit to your dating life. In fact, if you're anything like me... it's pretty much non-existent.

So... when a night of drunken brainstorming landed me in a position to date WHILE working, I didn't have much of a choice but to follow through. Although instant regret of emailing my boss an absurd idea hit me like a bad hangover, the idea took. I was going to write about something so absurd that it might just work; an idea that propelled me straight out of my comfort zone.

My name is Kyla Adams, and this is my story of how I met my boyfriend through a series of mini-dates that took place in the elevator on the way up to my office.

The game was sort of a mix of already existing dating shows. Think "The Bachelor" mixed with "Love is Blind" mixed with speed dating. That's right- the game is called "eleDATE," and it isn't a reality show. It's my real experience that I documented immediately after every "date." Buckle in, and see if you can guess which "bachelor" stole my heart.

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I stole a glance at the vibrant purple clock sitting on my desk. "4:00," it read.

"One hour left guys. We got this!" I encouraged. As I looked around at the tired faces of my friends, I knew we were all ready for the weekend.

That's not to say we didn't love our jobs, because we definitely did. It was a literal dream job.

We were journalists for "Clicked," an online platform where people went for all the hot gossip. This place was packed full of eager writers in their 20s and early 30s all trying to top one another to get the best scoop, do the best experiment, and ultimately write the best article.

The more our articles were featured, the more we get paid- every man for themself, kill or be killed- that's how it worked here.

The office building we worked in was huge, and each floor was separated by job title.

The bottom floors were all about design. That's where the graphic designers played around to make sure the website stayed organized, interesting, and aesthetically pleasing. Then you had the photographers- literally the paparazzi of "Clicked." If the journalists come up with an amazing story, the photographers were there to get the shot to capture it. Then you have the videographers, the media specialists, the product testers- yes that's a thing- and in the middle of the building is the break room.

It was a large area with lounge seating, TVs, vending machines and cafeterias. Then, as you move up the floors you get to the editors, and the writers near the top.

The writers are also separated by floor. You have the celebrity gossip column, the TikTok trends, cooking, shows and movies, drugs and alcohol, sex, world records, debunked, life hacks, home and decor, and of course where I write; love and dating.

It's our job to be ahead and to write articles that keep the readers coming back to us. Each floor has a spokesperson to attend our board meetings, and for my section, I'm that person. That means, every week at 4:30 I need to go and report to the man in charge- Dakota Kramer.