Nate Taylor has an addiction – he is a loyal drama television follower.

The recent Central Missouri University graduate is one of millions who anticipate the season premieres and finales of shows like “Mad Men” and was disappointed when “The Wire” ended.

“I’m a big drama type of person,” Taylor said. “It helps me in journalism.”

The complex storytelling and development of characters are things Taylor finds comparable to formulating a newspaper article.

“One reason why I like ‘Mad Men’ is because no matter what you can see the importance of all their characters, small or large, to the whole story,” he said. “Much like when you’re writing a story, the sources relate to one another.”

A love for storytelling is why Taylor got into the field of sports journalism.

“The athletes and people involved in sports are interesting,” he said. “You get to see their lifestyle, who they are as people and how sports is a big part of their lives.”

It was the story Taylor wrote on Theo Jones, a former player for Central Missouri’s basketball team, that led him to decide he could be a journalist.

Jones quit his career as an overseas professional football player after his father died and came back to the United States to help out with his old team.

“He didn’t know if he loved basketball anymore,” Taylor said. “He came back to the place where he started to enjoy basketball, and it helped him in getting over his father, who died from cancer.”

He said the best quality of journalism is the ability to show people their lives.

“We give value to people’s stories,” Taylor said.

His versatility is what helps him effectively put the lives of others on paper.

Describing his demeanor as a journalist, “I’m just cool. I know how to adapt. I know there is a time to be funny and a time to be quiet and time in between.”

Next month Taylor begins an internship with the sports section of The Boston Globe, but as for long term, he said, “I just want to be a solid journalist.”

– Tahirah Hairston

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