Zeidler says goodbye to Reuters colleagues

Susan Zeidler, a reporter for Reuters covering the media and entertainment industries, sent the following goodbye email to her colleagues at the news organization on Thursday:

It’s been such an incredible 28 years working for the Baron and collaborating with so many  talented and fun people around the world. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine life without the insanity of this wire service, but the time is right, and I’m looking forward to working on new things.

I can’t leave without saying thanks to those who have been such a big part of my life here. Thanks to Peter Szekely, who tried his best in 1985 to scare me away from a career here, but ultimately broke down and introduced me to the fierce Rudi Saks, who hired me in New York as the journalist to compile Newsview – a company news ticker that emblazoned the walls of New York’s Grand Central Station. That was just the beginning.

From there I moved on to many desks like equities, commodities, energy and treasuries before moving to Pittsburgh in 1994, succeeding Patricia Zengerle, where  I covered Big Steel, the USAIR crash of flight 427, the Andy Warhol Museum opening and the Westinghouse CBS merger. I moved to LA in 1995 where I’ve focused mainly on media, but also banking, legal and casinos.

So many great stories and times, but some of my most off-the-wall bright spots include landing on national TV to talk about energy futures and the  Exxon Valdez Oil spill in 1989, just days after moving to the beat,  buttonholing an Iraqi oil minister at the API conference in Houston, buttonholing Bianca Jagger in the ladies room of Tavern on the Green, landing a  rare byline (for a newswire reporter) on the front page A1 of  the Washington Post on April 13, 1998 for breaking Bankamerica nearing merger with NationsBank, spending an evening with the Warhol family at the opening reception because my last name started with a Z, being flirted with at the Oscar nominee luncheon by Russell Crowe, who turned into a total jerk once he realized I was a journalist, winning a SABEW award for my Napster coverage, and standing on the steps of the courthouse during the OJ verdict and being told to collect man-on-the-street quotes if he was acquitted or to run like hell if he was convicted (fearing there would be riots).

So many more but I’m pushing length, so thanks especially the best team in Los Angeles, including my dear equity gal pals, the brilliant and cool, Nichola Groom, Lisa Richwine, Deena Beasley and Lisa Baertlein.  Shout outs and love to Jill Serjeant (she’s still here in our hearts!), Alex Dobuzinskis, Tony Garcia, Steve Gorman, Mary Milliken, Sam Mircovich, Lucy Nicholson, Fred Prouser, Kevin Regan, Tim Reid, Will Robinson, Frank Simons, Piya Sinha Roy, Dan Whitcomb, Eric Kelsey. Big hugs to Caroline Humer, Tom Hals, Nick Brown, Jennifer Saba and Sinead Carew. I’ve been lucky to work and befriend an amazing succession of editors through my years, including Jerry Dubrowski, Michael Fitzpatrick, Kevin Krolicki, Peter Henderson, Bob Tourtellotte, Tiffany Wu, Ken Li, Edwin Chan, Ron Grover and the late Keith Leighty and Arthur Spiegelman. Thanks to the filers through 112 earnings seasons!

As for me, I plan to freelance and continue to navigate the young adult literary world.