We knew that Austin Brumblay had next-level dedication for the Daily 49er when he was willing to shimmy into a giraffe suit to pose for a front-page photo illustration.
“It took Austin a whole two seconds to agree to modeling as a giraffe for a photo illustration and I think that says a lot about how much he cares about this publication,” said multimedia managing editor Paula Kiley.
When Austin, 26, first transferred from Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo to Long Beach State and walked into the Daily 49er newsroom, he quickly became our pinch hitter — he jumped in wherever he was needed.
“Since I met Austin at Cuesta, he’s always been someone I know I can count on,” said arts and life editor Rachel Barnes, who worked with him at The Cuestonian in San Luis Obispo. “He always raises the bar for everyone around him and I don’t see him stopping any time soon.”
We figured out that he was a quick learner when he became our official sports photographer, with little to no experience shooting games. Then he surprisingly appeared in the stack of applicants for news editor last semester. Needless to say, we hired him.
Starting fall 2019, Austin will take over the editor in chief position and will carry the legacy of the school’s oldest newspaper into a digital-first future. Currently, he is one of the first in the newsroom and one of the last to leave, as he’s working tirelessly on our new website, perfecting it for his year-long position.
All the while, Austin prefers to work with “Blue Planet” on the newsroom television. So, my only hope is that the new staff will be okay with that.
Congratulations Kat and the Daily49er staff! CSULB 2019! ????????
Congratulations Austin!