In my News Feature and Writing class we’ve been discussing “leads,” the varying types, which work, and which ones don’t. For this exercise we were asked to pick a story and generate three different leads.

“Meet the New Boss” was a feature article written by Josh Eells in Rolling Stone’s August 30, 2012 issue. A portion of the article can be found HERE.

The original lead struck me as possibly being a mix of Contrast, Setting Scene, and maybe even Anecdote. Here are the three leads I chose:

Quote – “It wasn’t like he turned into Rick Ross overnight.”

Question – What do William Roberts, a corrections officer, and Rick Ross “The Boss,” an avid pot-smoking, rap mogul, have in common?

Contrast – He’s the only man alive with a diamond encrusted medallion of his own face, drops $500 on a meal for himself, and has 40 different rides to choose from on a day to day basis. What you don’t know about Rick Ross “The Boss,” legally named William Roberts, is…

Rick Ross “The Boss” on the cover of Rolling Stone’s 1164 Issue