The Art of Satire

Rick Hamann acts as the SVP of Content at The Onion, and is responsible for working with all the different divisions within the company. He started out by initially working with the branded content group called Onion Labs, and was the head of this division. Rick was responsible for getting this branded content up and running. Over the course of his two years, he broadened his role taking on more responsibility.

Before all of this though, Rick was emerged into the advertising world in Chicago where he was the Creative Director for BBDO where he ran some of the global campaigns for Wrigley.

Although Rick has a major role at The Onion, rather than helping to write content, he helps manage the editorial team to ensure they have the people and processes necessary to complete their goals and to keep their ships running.

7 questions with Rick…

1. Since most of the articles on the Onion are so believable, how much research do you do on a subject before posting an article?

It really depends on the article, because sometimes we will do work that taps into the human conditions and insights and the praise that goes into that. We don’t do a ton of research that goes into these articles to articulate the human condition. A lot of times, when we do work in politics and international policy, we will do some research so it’s as accurate as possible.

2. Do you ever encounter Legal issues with regards to the content you publish?

Oddly enough, very rarely. This is because most of the world know that The Onion is a satirical publication… most people don't take it seriously. We are extremely protected from a legal standpoint.

3. Where do you and your team find inspiration for such articles?

The Onion’s process has been developed over the last several decades. The basis for The Onion is from the creation of hundreds of hundreds of hundreds of headlines each week that get pitched, and are whittled down until a few makes the actual publication.

In order to do a lot of this writing, they get inspiration from everywhere and anywhere. The writers have to be versed in the everyday struggles we have as humans and the lives we live daily.

4. Does The Onion use any specific strategies for finding writers?

We pride ourselves on the cultivation of talent. All the writers on staff have come up with have come up through the “fellowship process”. The scholars of this program produce the best publications. We look for people who are well known, comedians, and people who have a strong voice. Again, we are whittling down the hundreds of hopefuls every 3-6 months. They go through this writing programs to immerse themselves into The Onion style, and The Onion process. They are treated as a regular writer where a fair amount of them graduate to become a contributor and then further to become a staff writer. We are very careful about how we grow and cultivate our talent. I’ll note that we don’t believe in unpaid internships as well. The fellowship is paid!

5. Do you have any rituals for resetting your team to be creative or generate new ideas?

These are the people who care intensely about the quality of work that comes out of The Onion. They work 24 hours a day to generate the greatest things in comedy. The drive that they have for success is very intense.

6. Looking to the future, how is The Onion going to be a leader in the editorial world?

The Onion has always prided itself on the opinions that come to us when breaking news events happen. We need to continue to comment on national and international news, so that we are known for being the beacon of truth for the world.

7. Favorite Article? Ever been fooled by own content?

My favorite article by far has to be that second had smoking leads to second hand coolness! I got into The Onion really early on in its history. So I always knew it was something to take seriously, but have never been fooled by an article.