Journalism Clips
A selection of reported features, essays and news stories I’ve written for various publications.
Is The Classic Philly Diner An Endangered Species? // Little Pete’s. The Melrose. Midtown III. Trolley Car Diner. One by one, Philadelphia’s old school diners have been dimming their neon signs for good over the last few years. Is the classic Philly diner doomed to go the way of the Automat? Thrillist, April 2024.
How The Heart-Shaped Hot Tub Put The Poconos On The Map For Romantic Getaways // Decades ago, Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains were known as the “honeymoon capital of the world,” thanks to the kitchsy, innovative sensibilities of one Morris B. Wilkins. Today, his legacy lives on. Thrillist, February 2024.
Indie Bookstore Lot 49 Opens In Fishtown Amid A Revival Of Small Booksellers In The Neighborhood // While the pandemic was not exactly kind to retailers and independent businesses in general, the first two years of Covid-19 were a surprisingly good time for the book business. PhillyVoice, September 2023
RIP Dan Hughes, Artist Known For Japanese Breakfast Posters And Throughout Philly’S DIY Music Scene // Hughes, a prolific illustrator who worked with well-known Philly bands like Japanese Breakfast and Mannequin Pussy, had become a fixture in the city’s indie music scene in recent years. He died unexpectedly at 36 years old. Billy Penn/WHYY, October 2022.
Wanna Tell You About My Life: On Reconnecting With My Dad Through Found Photography // Fifteen years after my father died unexpectedly, I had more or less accepted his absence from my life. Then I found an old shoebox full of 35mm photo slides. Fracture Blog, June 2021
How A Swedish Startup Is Rewriting the Rules of Music Sampling and Empowering Artists // Since launching in 2018, Tracklib has amassed thousands of members who spend time digging through the site’s virtual record crates containing over 200,000 legally-cleared, ready-to-sample songs. Cover Story for MusicTech, October 2021
How Live Music Is Coping With Covid, And What The Near Future Will Bring // As the music industry is ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic, some venues and promoters are trying their best to get creative and keep the music playing – but the clock is ticking. NPR Music, August 2020
This Artist Builds Tiny, Lifelike Replicas of Beloved Dive Bars // Michael Long uses found objects and hand-crafted materials to recreate some of Santa Barbara’s most gritty haunts in miniature form. Atlas Obscura, October 2019
These Women Entrepreneurs Created A Fake Male Co-Founder To Dodge Startup Sexism // Penelope Gazin and Kate Dwyer endured misogyny and condescension when they launched their online marketplace for weird art–that is until Keith Mann showed up. Fast Company, August 2017
How The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper” Was Retooled To Sound Fresh 50 Years Later // A visit to Abbey Road Studios reveals how Giles Martin remixed The Beatles’ most ambitious album with a blend of vintage technique and modern tech. Fast Company, May 2017
Spotify’s Plan To Win Over Anxious Artists // An in-depth look at Spotify’s data-powered effort to empower artists with self-promotional tools while the tricky economics of streaming shakes out. Fast Company, June 2017
Lomography: How An Analog Photo Company Can Thrive In The Instagram Age // In an age when hinging one’s business on film and analog optics might sound like a death sentence, Lomography has not only survived, but it’s managed to establish itself as a classically artistic yet hipster-beloved brand. Fast Company, August 2015
Why Did Spotify Just Hire This Expert In Music-Making AI? // If and when the robots finally take over, Spotify will be ready. July 2017
Music’s Weird Cassette Tape Revival Is Paying Off // Why an archaic physical media format is gaining serious traction with music listeners–even in the age of unlimited streaming. Fast Company, January 2017
Crowdsourcing The Beatles: How Ron Howard’s Documentary Unearthed Rare Footage // An in-depth look at how the “Eight Days A Week” filmmakers pulled off the Grammy-winning documentary, featuring insight from Ron Howard and Giles Martin. Fast Company, September 2016
How Music Changes Your Behavior At Home // Insofar as technology has made music easier to create, find, and listen to, the very same networks and gadgets that seem to drive us apart may actually wind up making us feel closer, both physically and emotionally. Fast Company, February 2016
How Women Are Swiping The Weirdness Out Of Online Dating // A growing movement of activists and entrepreneurs is putting the spotlight on creeps and trying to make Internet dating a more human affair. Fast Company, August 2016
Google Enlists Artists To Make Its AI Feel More Like A Friend // Google Doodle head Ryan Germick and former Pixar animator Emma Coats are two of the artists crafting Google Assistant’s personality. Fast Company, May 2016
Inside Pandora’s Plan To Reinvent Itself–And Beat Back Apple and Spotify // In 2016, personalized Internet radio alone won’t cut it. Here’s how Pandora hopes to maneuver its way to profitability with cofounder Tim Westergren back at the helm as its CEO. Fast Company, April 2016
7 Surprising Facts About Creativity, According To Science // From horsing around to traumatic loss, many things that seem to conjure a negative connotation can actually have an interesting–indeed, often positive–impact on our creativity. Fast Company, March 2016
How A Drexel Professor Created The World’s Biggest Game of Tetris A gaming professor hacked a skyscraper to make a 29-story version of Tetris. Here’s how he pulled it off. Fast Company, April 2014
Neil Young’s Quest To Fix Your Disastrous MP3 Situation // A dispatch from the rock legend’s Austin hotel as his high-fidelty audio startup Pono hits the $2 million mark Kickstarter. Fast Company, March 2014
This Teenage Grunge-Punk Trio Is Cooler Than You’ll Ever Be // he first time I saw Residual Kid, I was slightly terrified. VICE, November 2014
Philly Love Notes: Little Pete’s Diner // Unexpectedly tucked away in Center City’s posh shopping district, Little Pete’s is something of a time warp. My ode to a beloved and now-defunct diner. WHYY, October 2012
How New Media Helped Free Philly Locals Detained In China | Philadelphia Weekly, September 2008
On The Future Of Democracy: An Interview With Noam Chomsky | Dragonfire, August 2005
Audiovisual Storytelling
PODCAST: Giles Martin on Remixing The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper 50 Years Later Podcast appearance discussing my visit to Abbey Road to interview Giles Martin about the new Sgt. Pepper remix. Fast Company Innovators Uncensored Podcast, May 2017
VIDEO: These Headphones Allow You To Record 3D Spatial Audio On The Go – On-camera reporting for FastCompany.com, August 2017
Brand Editorial Content
A few stories and editorial concepts I’ve produced for brands.
Giving Aura: Why The Smart Photo Frame Makes An Easy, Yet Thoughtful Gift | Aura Frames, December 2021
How To Climb Mount Everest Ethically | VICE brand content package for Mountain Hardware, October 2019
Fresh Look, Same Brilliant Sound: Inside The New Sonos Brand Identity | Sonos Blog, May 2019
Sonos and IKEA Launch SYMFONISK at Salone del Mobile | Instagram Story series (conceived, shot, and produced), April 2019
Breaking of Sonos Move (video) | Instagram Story series + YouTube compilation (provided concept and creative direction), September 2019