During the past two weeks or so I’ve discovered that TJ Martinell, our new staff writer, and I have quite a bit in common.

For example, we grew up in Bellevue, in fact I lived in the Lake Hills are for three years while in grade school next to Sammamish High school, which TJ graduated from. I ended up moving to the Crossroads/Overlake area and graduated from Interlake High so we are sort of rivals now.

Martinell joined us after Dennis Box was promoted to regional editor in March after overseeing the Covington-Maple Valley-Black Diamond Reporter since February 2009. Dennis is now responsible for the Kent and Tukwila Reporters in addition to this publication.

With Dennis spending more time in Kent I needed some help here in the office in Maple Valley.

I feel like TJ is going to be a good fit.

Like me, he has long wanted to be a journalist, and I can relate in part to his reasons why.

“I’ve always been a curious and restless person, two traits that work well in journalism,” TJ said. “I grew up watching Superman cartoons. I acquired this nostalgia about reporting from old black and white films where the reporters were always solving some big mystery; there was an excitement and sense of adventure to it.”

And like me, he started in journalism on his high school paper, as well as being a musician — I was in orchestra and TJ was in band.

He moved on to Eastern Washington University, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, as well as a member of the student newspaper the Easterner. In addition, he wrote for Eastern Republic, an independent newspaper.

There are some differences between us. I’m about eight years older.

TJ has also maintained a weight lifting regimen since he was a sophomore in high school.

Um, for me, exercise has been sort of a challenge. But, that’s another column for another time.

He also has a fascination with the 1930s and has collected radios, typewriters, radio shows, films, literature and art deco from that era.

I’m not much of a collector. Honestly, I don’t have the attention span for it, which is one of the reasons I love journalism — no two days are alike.

We do, however, seem to both think writing is our strongest skill set.

When TJ told me that he has “very few talents or skills outside of writing” I could completely relate.

Really, we’ve both been writers for a long time, what else on earth would we do?

I know I love what I do here at the Reporter and I think TJ will fit in well here, not only because we have a fair amount in common, but because he has great student journalism experience as well as a passion for the business.

And like me, he likes to go out and talk to people face to face, so expect to see him often at meetings, events, etc., camera and note pad in hand.

Hopefully we have all the right things in common.

You can reach him at tmartinell@maplevalleyreporter.com or at 425-432-1209, extension 5052.