PHOENIX — Taylor Swift officially declared football “awesome,” in this week’s Time Magazine feature. The singer attended her sixth football game in support of her boyfriend, Chief’s tight-end Travis Kelce, on Sunday.
Covering Swift's every single move – from international touring to hometown football – is exhausting and, at times, endless – but one reporter who once worked for 12News, is up for the task.
Bryan West beat out thousands of other Swifties and journalists for the coveted position as the one and only official Taylor Swift reporter with USA Today.
West joined Emma Jade on MOMCAST to talk about the incredible position.
“The average day in the life is I wake up and it’s the day after the tour and I’m thinking Taylor has a break for two months, but she announces that her movie is coming to streaming services, so I filed that report really fast and then I go and I have a couple interviews, a couple meetings, I’m doing social media,” said Bryan West. “I flew to Chicago where I interviewed the family who set up a Taylor Swift Christmas house. In the Ubers, on the way, to and from the airport I’m filing more stories using my phone as a hot spot.”
West worked at 12News for over five years, mainly as a morning reporter. He left the show in 2018.
“It’s so surreal but it’s really exciting and fun to be back here,” said West. “Five years ago, the biggest turning point in my life was getting sober and it’s something that has been really important to me… I don’t think I could have done this job five years ago, 10 years ago. And that’s because I’ve learned so many important life lessons that have really helped me.”
When you see a report from West on Taylor Swift, you’ll see incredible editing, drone footage, graphics, all skills he honed while working at 12 News. These skills help him keep up with the incredibly busy superstar.
“She’s then Spotify’s globally most streamed artist, then Apple Music’s Artist of the Year and then Time’s Person of The Year,” said West. “She just keeps going. What’s interesting is a year ago from this weekend, Searchlight Pictures said she was going to direct her own feature film that she wrote and everyone’s kind of forgotten about it because there has been so much news.”
Swift has not only taken over the music industry but also the sports world.
“So when I went to Kansas City I was asking fans about this – because I was thinking, you are all football fans, I know you’re here for football,” said West. “And they are football fans first but they are rooting for Travis and Taylor. I think it’s kind of a real-life love story that’s playing out for everybody.”
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Watch West’s full interview on MOMCAST with Emma Jade:
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