Posted on March 24, 2011 on GATW.

"Whale of a Writer" is a new feature at Gordon and the Whale in which our very own Editor-in-Chief, Chase Whale, picks the minds, souls, and keyboard-clenched fingers of other writers in the movie blogging industry. Each new WoaW interview will be uniquely tailored for its subject, with fresh questions each time around, questions that aim their harpoon right for the heart of what makes each subject special and what makes each of their contributions unique, interesting, and informative.

Two years ago when I first attended Sundance, I had the idea of interviewing fellow bloggers, writers, and journalists who I looked up to; it really intrigues me how a person got into this business and managed to make a living out of it. At the time, not many people knew who I was, and therefore my soul wasn’t courageous enough to ask anyone if I could pick their brain. After some exposure and gaining trust and friendships, I decided it was time to execute this column and I’m very proud to announce my first subject: Mr. Drew McWeeny, Film Editor for HitFix.com.

McWeeny has been around the blogging world for a very long time and has put a lot into the success of Harry Knowles' Ain't It Cool News and his new home, HitFix. In this 48 minute audio interview, McWeeny talks about some of his favorite film festivals, the movies that first opened debate with him, how he got started in writing, some of the frustrations (as well as rewards) of being a blogger, and a few other topics that are hopefully as interesting to you as they are me.

This is my first of hopefully many “Whale of a Writer” entries, and I must tip my hat to McWeeny for allowing himself to be my guinea pig in this hopefully successful project. Check out the full interview after the break.

For awesome updates about Drew’s journalistic life, follow him on the Twitter!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW!