Gone To Texas: Trent Seibert Uses His Pulle-Down Menu

By Kleinheider Posted on August 20, 2008 at 12:24 pm

That’s right. Former Tennessean scribe, TV newshound and think-tanker Trent Seibert has offered former Nashville Scene-ster Matt Pulle an opportunity to go right back where he left Nashville for the first time: Dallas, Texas.

As a staff writer for the newly-formed 501(c) -to-be, Texas Watchdog, started by board members Seibert, Lee Ann O’Neal and Jennifer Peebles, Pulle will be stationed in his old stomping grounds of Dallas, Texas. Pulle spent three years in between stints at the Nashville Scene on the staff of alt-weekly the Dallas Observer.

Texas Watchdog Editor-in-Chief Trent Seibert can’t be happier regarding his first hiring coup.

“I’m tremendously excited about being able to work with Pulle. He’s a great wordsmith and he’s got an edge in his writing that I like, ” Seibert said when contacted by Post Politics. “As an added bonus with Pulle, we’ll have some creative tension in our newsroom. I think Pulle has slammed all of us (Board Members Jennifer Peebles, Lee Ann and me) at one time or another when he was doing media criticism with the Nashville Scene.”

That said, as far as Pulle is concerned, the pleasure with this new union of former Tennessee journalists is to be all on his side of the table.

“When Trent first came to The Tennessean a few years ago, I was amazed by how quickly he was able to get on the front page with really good, interesting stories–better than what anyone else was writing at the time. Honestly, I was a little jealous. I didn’t get to know him until a few years after that, but he was one of those rare guys who gets you excited about journalism  and writing So when he offered me a job at his start-up and a chance to write about politics in Texas, I jumped at the chance.”

The Pulle gig, Post Politics is told, is only a three month firm commitment while Pulle decompresses from his brief eight month respite in Nashville and Texas Watchdog evaluates its position as a startup non-profit.

The fact is, however, Pulle is already on the case. A story regarding a certain Dallas-based money-man who has footed the bill for a certain ex-presidential candidate’s mistress is now live at the new, and now improved, Texas Watchdog.

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Tags: Dallas Observer, Fred Barron, Matt Pulle, Nashville Scene, Trent Seibert  

Pulle-ing Up Stakes: Matt Pulle To Leave The Scene

By Kleinheider Posted on August 15, 2008 at 2:51 pm

After just over eight months on the job, Post Politics has learned that Nashville Scene Managing Editor Matt Pulle is departing the publication. Pulle, a six year veteran of the Scene from 1999 to 2005 returned to the Scene after a three-year stint at The Dallas Observer another Village Voice Media property in January.

Contacted by phone on a brief vacation, the respected investigative reporter and snarky blog poster told Post Politics that the move was not at all an abrupt one but something which had been considered for quite some time.

“I was very happy in Dallas,” explained Pulle, “The reason I came back to Nashville was the opportunity to work with [Former Editor] Liz [Garrigan]. Obviously that opportunity is no longer there.”

Pulle, however, bears no ill will towards the current regime led by Editor Pete Kotz whom he calls a “tremendously accomplished editor.”

Pulle explains the situation thusly, “When a football coach moves to a new team, he often brings on his own number two to implement the changes he wants to make. I think that Pete [Kotz] deserves that opportunity.”

As for what comes next for the career alt-weekly scribe, Pulle would only say he has a number of different and promising opportunities,”It’s not like I’m gonna be in the unemployment line.”

Indeed, Pulle confirms, there was no “leaving in a huff” as one Pith in the Wind commenter suggested earlier this afternoon. Pulle gave his notice this past Tuesday and will serve until mid-September to ease the transition until that aforementioned Kotz number two can be named.

UPDATE: Asked to comment, Liz Garrigan, former Nashville Scene Editor, remarked:

“Matt Pulle’s departure will be the Scene’s great loss — and the gain of whatever lucky soul snags this talent next. Habitues of fascinating, expertly crafted and well-reported journalism — except maybe James Weaver and Tony Giarratana, who will probably celebrate this news with exultation — no doubt will be anxiously hoping he doesn’t flee the industry altogether. I certainly count myself in that group. And while it’s probably not big enough to hold all of his admirers, I offer my house for the going-away bash.”

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Tags: Liz Garrigan, Matt Pulle, Nashville Scene, Pete Kotz